Join WhatsApp Channel
Murder mysteries are among the most engrossing genres of cinema. Whodunits, ‘howdunits’ and plain thrillers where there is no specific denouement are absolutely gripping segments of audience gratification.
Raised on books of this genre from school to college and beyond, and then stage and Indian and foreign cinema, I have relished almost all such dramas. As a reviewer who has had a wide exposure to them, I have found myself kinder and more analytical towards them than most.
But, as I have often said about any genre of cinema, there should be a connect first at an emotional level and then at the intellectual one. Why was each Sherlock Holmes story, for example, having a human angle deeply entrenched? On the other hand, I have also watched offbeat and overrated cinema where the saga, even with a base of human feeling, emerged cold (Off the cuff, Neeyat, Choked et al). Lastly, when the plot is truly masterful, like a Being Cyrus in India, Sleuth in Hollywood or a Valvi in Marathi, even the experimental kind of mystery can be experiential!
Bol Bol Rani, unfortunately, falls somewhere in limbo. The plot and the denouement (if it can be called that) confuses the normal viewer who has not pre-decided to rave about the ‘treatment.’ The film drags through two hours plus, reveling in its format rather than a vital content, and trying to persuade us to get involved with the characters.
Among the actors, only Sai Tamhankar as Maya ends up connecting with her expressive eyes and a body language that mixes vulnerability and determination in perfect proportions. Chinmay Mandlekar as her husband is alright, scoring only in the first segment of three.
And what do I mean by the ‘first segment’? Simple. A journalist named Aabhas (Subodh Bhave) comes to the small town to investigate a murder where the prime accused is Maya. Now who or what is Maya, who has been arrested? Aabhas gets three completely different explanations about her husband and her, and a third angle in this love triangle of an ironsmith, a drug supplier and a poet (all played by Sambhaji Sasane). In that mansion of sorts, a shot was fired one night. What really happened?
Now that’s the plot, with character variations for the married couple, and further confusion coming in from the witnesses or observers who narrate their own interpretations—a drunkard, a flower-seller girl and a cabbie.
The story is reworked by Saurabh Bhave and Himanshu Nimbhorkar from an original experimental Marathi drama,Aankhi Ek Narayan Nikam, by Bhalchandra Sule. Their dialogues, for what is needed, are apt. The music score is a shade overloud and the songs perfunctory.
The mood cinematography (Vivian Pullan) is effective for the ambience. The editing (by co-producer Apoorva Motiwale Sahai) is as per the director’s brief. But the director Sid Vinsurkar (also co-producer) could have surely tried harder to tell a story that does not veer towards something that is not palatable for a normal viewer.
Niche audiences, looking more for novelty and ‘treatment’ may find this saga appealing. For me, there are always films that are certainly not bad but not really good. This is one of them.
Rating: **1/2
New Zealand Motion Pictures Ltd.’s and Katha Vachan’s Bol Bol Rani Produced by: Apurva Motivale Sahai & Sid Vinchurkar Directed by: Sid Vinchurkar Written by: Bhalchandra Sule, Saurabh Bhave & Himanshu Nimbhorkar Music: A.V. Prafullchandra Starring: Sai Tamhankar, Chinmay Mandlekar, Subodh Bhave, Sambhaji Sasane, Madhuri Bharati, Padmanabh Bind, Dhananjay Sardeshpande & others
