Director: Anurag Kashyap
Art as a medium of expression has
unlimited powers. Art has a direct entry into your subconscious, bypassing the
nervous system. The world has always been in awe of painters, musicians,
craftsmen, illustrators, sportspersons among others. They yield the power of
expression through art. Leonardo Da Vinci, Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart are some of the
fine examples of people who produced awe-inspiring art.
Since the advent of large screen exhibition
of motion pictures, the cinematic experience has held centre stage in the art
world. Dadasaheb Phalke, who made the first motion picture in India, unleashed
a thought which influences everyone till date. There have been some fine
film-makers in India over the years. We need to add Anurag Kashyap to this
pantheon of directors, if he already was not added.
Anurag Kashyap’s latest movie
Raman Raghav 2.0 talks about the infamous serial killer Raman Raghav of the
1960s. Anurag Kashyap could have easily made a film of how the murders take
place and how the police find him and send him to jail. But cinema is not about
showing what is known. It is about showing a different perspective about the
unknown or relating it to the current society at large.
This movie challenges the notions
of good and bad in the society. We all are grey in our thoughts, behaviour and
actions.
The movie shows wonderfully that
there is no difference between a psychopath and a destructive mind. Raman (psychopath
killer) kills people out of anger or lack of control over his mind. Raghav
(policeman who is looking out for Raghav) kills people willingly knowing all
too well about the action he is performing.
The last scene of the film
showing the talk between Raman and Raghav. Raman talks of intelligent people
with a destructive mind using religion or politics or police uniform as a means
to justify their unethical and violent side. He talks of current day Syria. He talks
of current day politics.
The movie shows the kind of
effect drugs has on even a well-educated and well-formed human mind. It cannot
differentiate between day and night. It cannot differentiate between family and
enemies. It cannot differentiate between love and lust. All of Raghav’s actions
depict this in the most effective manner.
At the start of the movie, it
said that the movie was not about the killer Raman but about the other guy who
was finding him. You understand this line at the end of the movie. And then you
join the dots to get the full picture.
The movie is dark, gory and
uncomfortable in various scenes. The movie had rave reviews when it was shown
at the Directors’ fortnight Cannes 2016. It however, failed with the Indian
audiences. Anurag Kashyap though is setting new benchmarks in the Indian film
industry with the kind of cinema he is offering. He has got his due since the
last few years but I am sure his best is yet to come.
