Will Bheedbe a crowdpuller?

 

 

 

 

 

 

CIRCA March 2020 - the lethal Coronavirus had cut across boundaries, borders, gender, caste, and class, and entered our nation. It spread its tentacles far and wide, gripping everyone that came its way. As the pandemic spread all over the world, so did the panic, forcing Governments to take drastic steps. The only solution that could halt the virus in its track was a LOCKDOWN. In March 2020, the first lockdown was implemented in our nation. No one was prepared for anything of this magnitude and what followed was complete mayhem.

 

Everything came to a standstill. While the lockdown didn’t, at first, affect radically the lives of the rich, the poor were the ones who bore the brunt. But the ones who suffered the most were the migrants, who had moved bag and baggage to the cities for employment, for a better life. Sans a permanent home, work or income, they were left with no choice but to go back to their own land, to be among their own people. Anubhav Sinha is known for bringing to reel intense real life dramas, and Bheed by him is an attempt to freeze frame the exodus of nearly 10 million Indian migrants, who trudged through hundreds of miles, across the country, with all their belongings tied in a bundle, so that they could find some solace in the land of their birth. The opening frame is a shocker. As a group of migrant workers settle down on the railway tracks, the camera zooms on their tired faces, their feet festered with wounds bring to fore their torment and the conversation is about how their tired bodies need some rest. “Should we be sleeping on the tracks?” asks one, and the quick response is, “All transport system has come to a complete halt. So it’s safe.”

 

As they fall deep into slumber, a cargo train runs over them. Twelve lives are lost. First major tragedy of mass migration. Sinha then takes us to Tejpur, where a large number of migrants are struck as the authorities have ordered that all the borders should be sealed - to contain the spread of Coronavrius. Bheed, then is about these motley group of people - from all caste and class, who are a cause of concern for the young police officer Surya (Rajkumar Rao), who has just been assigned the duty of being incharge of the Tejpur border chowki by his CO Yadav (Ashutosh Rana). How Surya takes charge of the situation is what forms the crux of the film. Sinha, in his directorial venture, skillfully weaves in the caste and class distinction, still so apparent in the rural milieu of our nation. So we see a rich -poor divide, we see the evident gulf between the upper caste and the less unfortunate ones, as we also see the communal flare up between Hindus and Muslims. Surya’s take that the law is the same for Singhs, Shuklas,Trivedis. Dubeys and Yadavs holds no credence whatsoever.

 

Reality, then, as we all know, is totally different from what is written in the books. Shot in black and white, the frames are austere. Soumik Mukherjee the cinematographer, along with Sinha’s masterful direction creates an immersive experience that will shock the audience over and over - bringing to mind once again the images of these thousands of migrants that made front page news for days together during the pandemic. Sinha has very ably blended the desperation of the migrants, their pathos, and these stark images wheedle deeply into our psyche even as the heart aches for the desperate souls who only want one thing - to go home. As for the performances, each character is outstanding, in their best element. The trio of Rajkumar Rao, Ashutosh Rana and Pankaj Kapoor astound us with their dramatic intensity. Dialogues are emotionally impactful, especially the ones that the anchor (Kritika Kamra) articulates while capturing the poignancy of the situation.

 

Touching is how you describe this film. So crystal-clear. So intense. And yes, so necessary to review the fight for survival of the migrants during a couple of harrowing years that brought life to a full stop. However, will this be a crowd puller? Sadly, no. But then Sinha is known to be a filmmaker who listens to his heart, not to the box office demands. Kudos to him for another brilliant effort! The Hitavada Rating: ✯✯1/2