Zwigato

Zwigato directed by Nandita Das and starring Kapil Sharma and Shahana Goswami in lead roles. The movie presents Kapil Sharma in a dramatic role and solidifies the notion that when actors whom have been boxed into mostly comedic roles all their life finally get the opportunity to showcase their range, they come have an impact like no other actors. A combination of having the ability to surprise and even more importantly, one acknowledges their capability beyond generating laughs. The case of Sanjay Mishra, Indrans and Jim Carrey come to my mind and how exceptionally they have portrayed characters in compelling dramas. The film focusses on the pursuit of survival of a lower middle class family that comprises of a husband wife, their two children and the man’s ailing mother. With the lack of job opportunities and rising prices, the husband Manas played by Kapil is a delivery boy, physically exhausted on the bread crumbs that he is making in contrast to the amount of work he is putting in the job. His hesitance and annoyance in having to depend on his wife to contribute to the family as well makes the dynamic clear. One is just attempting to find solutions to get by and aspirations are a luxury at a point where survival is the only need. This becomes even more abundantly clear as the husband and wife dream and are still consumed by the perils of their reality. Only if the middle class could think of pearly gates and a heap of gold at the end of the rainbow but one is still consumed by his rating on a delivery app! Both exceptional actors Kapil Sharma and Shahana Goswami look physically exhausted in each frame, deliberately so, there is a defeated body language an acceptance of the filth that surrounds them. There is respite however only in the little joys, of the relationships they savour and the most refreshing, the dynamic Kapil shares with the children, accounting for several hilarious back and forths, especially with his aspiring rapper tik Tok video creating son! There is an empathy and love the children have for the parents but a casual yet deep understanding of their circumstances and its exceptionally portrayed in the film. The class differences in many frames of the film become abundantly clear. The city is designed specifically for the rich and poor and there are clear demarcations of where and when one is welcome. Of which lift one can use in a gated community in which washroom they can use to relive themselves. What’s even more sad is one assumes to have dealt with the worst card of this thing called life, only when you chance upon meeting someone whose circumstances are way worse than you could imagine. I have to say that the political commentary of Nandita Das in the film is slightly erratic, you acknowledge the point that she wants to make but it is sprinkled abruptly in the screenplay, this can be the case of religious intolerance or specifically her opinion on people being critical of the establishment and how they’re silenced at every given instance. The delivery boys count the number of digits that showcase the net worth of the company they’re working while breaking their backs for the 15 rupee tip they’ll have to fight for the day. One can only in life embark on the attitude of saying TENSION MAT LO HO JAAYEGA SAB and this bittersweet tale of so many peoples reality is essentially life. Its mundane, its harrowing, its unforgiving and what we have by the end of it is each other and I have to say that through the vessels of Kapila and Shahana, Nandita Das really does tell the tale of so many that surround us. The 1 hour 45 minute running time seems like a breeze as you eavesdrop on the natural delivery of the characters and what transpires in their daily life. It is no way presented to generate laughs and gags from the audience but seeks for you to be present as the life of the common man is not bound to have a beautiful cookie cutter ending, just of survival and taking it one step at a time.