LSD Love Sex aur Dhokha - You are being watched

When I first heard about this film, I thought it was a bollywood second grade adult movie. Dirty mind!

I’m confident about my friends; quite a number of them would have felt the same!

Film review (about this movie), written by Tamil writer Charu Niveditha in Uyirmai, made me to watch it.

I was shocked when I watched it. It was an experimental film in many ways. The whole film was shot by using digital camera. And the story has been conveyed through recorded video clips. With my close buddy’s (Google) help, I discovered that this genre of film making is called– found footage style. And, there are three interlaced sub plots in the story. Hence, the genre we may call as “Anthology found footage”- bit complicated, never mind.

To come up with such a tryout in a box office- obsessed Bollywood is incredible. Ekta Kapoor produced it. Both the director and the producer should be applauded for the brave attempt.

You should be a matured viewer to understand and appreciate movies like this. Obviously, I am not talking only about the chronological-age maturity. Same stimulus may create different experiences in different individuals. Sometimes same individual may have different experiences at different times.                        

After seeing Serena Williams holding the US open 2012 winner’s trophy, three of my friends commented like this

                                                                  

Friend 1: Wow! See the amount of money she made; it is in millions 1,900,000 US dollars (he started converting in to INR!)

Friend 2: Leave the money man, see her biceps; bigger than many men tennis players’…

Friend 3: Hey guys, what you are talking about. What an achievement- proud moment for her; this is her 4^th US open title, 15^th overall.

I don’t know which group you belong to or you may have a fourth view!

Mind you, literacy, social status and art are different. Many doctorates, doctors, celebrities may be at elementary level when it comes to understanding art; understanding the social issues. The irony is most of them might be unaware of it. Because once you achieve certain status in life, you tend to believe- you know everything (perfect example is Yesudoss and Jeans controversy). I am digressing…

Coming back to the film…

This is third bollywood film for the director Dibakar Banerjee. His first two films won national awards- Khosla Ka Ghosla (2006) and Oye Lucky Oye (2008).  This film was made with a very low budget of 1.5 crores and had a good outing surprisingly at the box office. It was released on March 2010. Unfortunately, it did not win any major national or international awards; but deserves one.

Story 1 LOVE – Super Hit Pyaar

Rahul, an aspiring filmmaker, coming from a poor family background (according to him he belongs to special class- indirectly tells his lower caste status!), plans to shoot a short film to impress his Idol Aditya Chopra. That film’s heroine Shruti and he fall in love with each other; Shruti is from a typical male dominated Delhi business family. Rahul wheedles her father with a role in the film, so that he allows Shruti to act. During the final stages of shooting, Shruti has been forced to get engaged with a NRI from Canada. Rahul and Shruti elope and get married. When Shruti’s father and brother come to know about this, they plan and execute- honor killing.

The story has been shown through Rahul’s Handycam-recorded video clips.

Story 2 SEX -Paap Ki Dukaan

Shruti’s friend Rashmi works in a departmental store. The store supervisor- Adarsh, a debt ridden MBA has been challenged and promised a lump sum by his friend, if he records a sex video scandal using one of the girls working in the store. Circumstances bring Rashmi and Adarsh closer. She saves one customer’s life when he suffers a gunshot injury (This is the link between 2^nd and 3rd story) .Adarsh plots and makes Rashmi to fall for him. At one point he becomes really in love with her; obsessed about her. Financial burden and greed overpowers the love feeling; he records their intimacy and sells it as “Departmental Store MMS sex scandal’’. She disappears (dies?); even her mother disowns her. He leads normal comfortable life, plans to get married.

This story has been put across through CCTV footages.

Story 3 Dhokha – Badnaam Shohorat

Prabhat a TV journalist (whom Reshmi saves following bullet injury), saves one ambitious dancer- Naina, from committing suicide. She goes to that extreme because a famous Pop Singer-Loki, demands sex to cast her in his new video.

Prabhat has been pressurized to do a sting operation by his superior; mainly to increase their TRP ratings. Prabhat and Naina, come up with a plan of recording the casting couch events by a spycam. When they successfully record the incident, the superior asks them to do one more sting as the Pop singer is trying to buy the scandalous video, to make that more interesting- more authentic. To do that a meeting has been arranged between Loki, Naina and Prabhat in the Departmental store where Reshmi works. The singer- Loki shoots Prabhat when he comes to know about the sting operation. Reshmi saves him, by providing first aid and quickly admitting him to a nearby Hospital. In the end Prabhat lies to his superior about the casting couch tape, to save her dignity. But Naina betrays Prabhat and blackmails Loki to get a chance in his next album.

This story has been portrayed through the journalist’s video recordings.

 You feel shocked, the movie leaves you red faced; like when you wake up in the morning only to find your disfigured face in the mirror- crystal clearly. You may go through many uncomfortable feelings depending upon your sensitiveness. Many times we forget the kind of society we live in. We need these kind of blows to remind us where we stand. That is the biggest success of the film.

The honor killing scene reminded me of the recent Delhi tiger incident. I had the same gruesome feeling; could not watch it. The way they kill them, cut into pieces (not shown directly though); father is watching/supervising the whole thing standing on a bridge. But that is the reality- honor killing is still very much common in our country.

Patriarchy has been exposed candidly. Shruti’s father requests Rahul to arrange an item-sexy song for the engagement party; most of the family men including the bride groom, dance with vulgarity. But, when it comes to accepting the love he turns into a murderer, to save the family dignity (many feel proud of honor killings- in reality).

Director utilizes the short film making scenes and ridicules the bollywood to the core. You need guts to make parody of your own industry. In the third story, the director spoofs the breaking news- crazy TV media. Hilarious in many places.

Same with the 2^nd story. The girl innocently falls in love with the guy. The guy films the intimate scenes and sells it. How do we deal this -as a society? We blame the girl- including, the family members. Many such incidents happened in recent times. I remember few incidents, a rape survivor denied entry in to a hotel at Kolkata. A child rape victim’s family has been forced to vacate from their home land, near Attur.

Like the film Mahanadhi, this film also exposes the filth in the society. But the approach is different.

This film focuses on a few specific areas and does not give any solutions; add to the strength of the film.

Unlike Mahanadhi this film takes satirical route to convey the message; makes you to laugh in many places.

The director has so many limitations. Low financial budget -no one would risk huge budget on experimental films; story to be conveyed through recorded video clips -many lengthy shots without changing camera angle or editing. It would have been a challenge for actors as well, to perform in a length- like in a stage play.

In spite of that it delivers perfectly, what the director wants to say.

Because of the subject it deals with and a few voyeuristic scenes, this film is recommended only for adults.

I am confident about the movie watching- maturity of my friends, too.

Go ahead and watch it.

Cheers!

4-10-2014(Palindrome),

8pm.