Seriously man? My Take on Netflix’s movie “Serious men”
Having watched the documentary “the Social Dilemma” recently, I have subconsciously started looking at things with a magnifying lens just to find if there is any “agenda” by social media to influence my viewpoint. Take for example the rave reviews of this new movie on Netflix “Serious Men” staring talented Nawazuddin, I have yet to come across a review that is critical of this social satire. Everybody has gone gaga about this movie.
A father living his unfulfilled dreams through his son and going any extent to fulfill it, if this were the only premise of the movie then I would have simply loved it. For a simple reason, the middle-class guys like me had such ‘dreamer father’ whose ‘world started and ended’ with his kids. But the writer/s have added various dimensions like Caste, class, politics, conversion, academic rat race, education system, and has made it into a medley of social satire. As they say, “too many cooks can spoil the broth”, this movie has as many as four writers to its credit who have adapted Manu Joseph’s award-winning novel with the same name in this movie. Though I have not read the novel, I felt the post half of the movie could have been ‘tightly’ written.
Talented director Sudhir Mishra who has given us wonderful films like Dharavi, Chameli, hazaro khwaishe has come up with yet another “Slumdog tale” (remember it is the same guy who has given us classics like Jaane Bhi de yaro). Serious Men will make the likes of Govind Nihalanis, Shyam Benegals, Karnaads, and other filmmakers of “parallel cinema” feel proud. Sudhir Mishra proves a point that he not only relishes in making such stories but also excels in it. There are many frames so beautifully composed that only Sudhir Mishra could have conceived it, e.g. There is one terrace shot of a “chawl” (remember the whole setting is around a few dilapidated buildings where hundreds of people are residing), in this claustrophobic setting there is a makeshift cage for pigeons, it’s a great metaphor for the “pigeon holes like dwellings” and as the camera pans on the characters in the soft background you have posh skyscraper at distance with well-lit apartments.
The movie is “actor-studded” (not star-studded) hence it is easy on the eyes as one gets to see flawless performances, Nawazuddin leads the pack (though in no angle he looks Tamilian nor a Dalit not even a south Indian) but with is effortless acting he makes us accept this Bombay-bred anna, there are many moments in the movie where he is bound to move you emotionally eg. There is one instance where he is shouted out from his boss’s chamber and he just looks at the ‘barking boss’ as the door closure is slowly closing the door, OMG that stare says and bares all his emotions of angst and insult without a word being uttered. Indira Tiwari another NSD talent slips to a typical south Indian wife of Nawaz. Then there are actors like Nassar & Sanjay Narvekar who don’t disappoint you when on screen. However, the omphalos of the screenplay is a genius (?) son of Nawaz played by young and talented Akshat Das, he is the showstopper at times.
Not sure if it was by design or by chance that the movie was released on 2nd October when we all celebrate Gandhiji’s Jayanti. Bapuji was someone fought against the ills of the caste divide in our society, (unfortunately which is still prevalent), hence movie is a stark reminder to all of us.
If you love watching social satires, exposing the ills of various social strata, then you will enjoy this movie where the protagonist deviously connives and goes to any extent to have fulfilled his dreams else you will question yourself “Seriously, can someone go to such an extent … ?”
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