Only a handful of first-time filmmakers would be able to boast about their films running in the theatres for 27 weeks. That’s more than half a year. It’s pretty hard for films to run for 4 weeks in this day and age but ‘RangiTaranga’ is one of those rare occurrences.
The Anup Bhandari directorial debut has entered the list of 305 films that are eligible to be nominated for Oscars. So, what makes this the cheesecake of Indian cinema?
The cast is a mix of freshly baked cookies with a chocolate chip on top named Sai Kumar. While Nirup Bhandari, Anup’s brother, walks away with the hero tag on his chest; the actual superhero of ‘RangiTaranga’ is its screenplay. Every actor, leading and supporting, has a purpose in the story. There are no unnecessary characters that disappear midway.
The few seconds that play before the official title of the film appears on-screen marks the beginning of the two and a half hour suspenseful fest. Then some irrelevant humor is used to put the audiences back into their seats. Thankfully, the comedic act ends soon and we are shown a young couple in Ooty. Ah, Ooty smells romance!
Ooty’s romantic conversations are put to rest at their next destination: Kamarottu (fictional town; inspired from the television series ‘Guddada Bhootha’). It’s here that the real mystery thriller genre awakens. Anup peels the layers of human psyche bit by bit. He also ties one knot after another by introducing new characters and making them narrate ghost stories. There are moments where the audience is made to believe that there’s a ghost indeed somewhere in the midst of these ordinary characters. When Sai Kumar recites poetry, he’s like a regular uncle who speaks more than what’s necessary. Still, his simple pronunciation and usage of the language is funny.
Nirup’s dialogues are sometimes metaphorical. Well, he’s a writer in the movie. Therefore, the lines he’s given to utter sketch his character. His clear voice helps in pushing that factor too. Unfortunately, his face remains unchanged for most part of the film. His expressions are limited to smiling and feeling disturbed. He kind of loses to the two ladies, Avantika Shetty and Radhika Chetan. Just a touch of silent emptiness in his face when required would have made him a star.
The “ghost” of ‘RangiTaranga’, Sai Kumar, surprises everybody in the last act. His transformation from being a mild-mannered uncle to becoming a psycho in a matter of seconds is terrific. This is the single most applause-worthy element of Anup’s screenplay. Not even a crow’s wing flies above Sai Kumar’s shoulder for us to doubt his involvement in the mysterious happenings. Such is the delicacy regarding Sai Kumar’s character. Another actor in his place might have scared the audience more or dropped an extra humor bomb in the confrontation scene with his wife (about her affair). But he doesn’t do that. He gives equal importance to both. One second, we feel sorry for him, and in the next, we don’t want to go anywhere near him. A moment later, we start laughing at his foolishness. The awesomeness packed in the film is, hands down, Sai Kumar.
Writing, along with music and cinematography, make ‘RangiTaranga’ a neat addition to the wonder club of Indian cinema.
Congratulations to the Team for making it to the Oscars’ shortlist.
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