Shorgul Movie Review
STORY : In Maliabad (a small town in Uttar Pradesh), a local politician’s son Raghu falls in love with a Muslim girl named Zainab. She is engaged to a boy from her community but Raghu can’t help but harbour feelings for her. This unrequited love story ends in bloodshed. The local politicos use the isolated incident to create havoc.
REVIEW : It takes special kind of talent to make a film as contrived as Shorgul. Based loosely on 2013’s Muzzafarnagar riots, the makers attempt to bring forth the psyche behind misguided divisional politics. But the writing trivialises its noble purpose. An entire town is reduced to rubble just because of one love story gone wrong, is stretching your imagination too far. We could’ve bought it had the director delved deeper into the scheme of things.
The performances are earnest, especially Jimmy Sheirgill and Ashutosh Rana. You’ll find yourself deeply engrossed in their war of words and clash of ideas. But the film doesn’t deserve such heartfelt acting. Every time you try to invest in their characters, the director shifts your attention to a loud Hiten Tejwani (who looks every bit like his brooding character from the daily soap Kutumb). Actress Suha Gezen is a misfit and bites into more than she can chew. Given that she is the central character, her performance is the film’s weakest link. In a pivotal scene, she stands surrounded by dead bodies, screaming for help in an overdramatic (read -laughable) manner.