Aattam

This movie should get 11/10 for its dialogues. It is sheer perfection. The movie stands out as one of the best Indian movie of last 5 years. It's a breath of fresh air to the actual cinema lovers when there is someone out there respecting the art of filmmaking. The movie has shown ways in which a movie can be made without getting bored for even a second.

You all don't waste time reading my review, just go and watch it already. Pure cinema.

Don't mind the next few words. This is just to fill up the space.

After a theater group's party, their sole actress is subjected to a crime from one of the men. Stories unravel, suspicions surface and clamor ensues as a meeting is called to reach a consensus.

Aattam (The Play) blew my mind and gave me so much to think about that I don't have to watch any movies for the rest of the year. I caught this at the 2023 MAMI Mumbai Film Festival yesterday and I'm still thinking about the irony of the plot where 10 men get together to discuss an incident befallen their sole woman colleague of a theatre troupe. It starts by building tension and giving us a peek into the characters and their idiosyncrasies and dynamics. Then it pulls you in with what seems like a group discussion with lots of talking and arguing. I don't know about you, but conversations in films always have my full attention and Aattam, above all, succeeds in doing that. It's so well written and directed that you feel you are part of the discussion. Absolutely seamless, that it also reminded me of Everybody Loves Sohrab Handa, another film with the same vein at the fest. It's basically a study of the feeble human nature. The final 30 minutes are sure to blow your mind too. Watch it.

Loved this movie ! Film making at its finest - each dialogues, framing, pacing, cinematography, score, acting all are top notch !

The premise is crafted with such panache that everyone and everything is believable. The inner workings, failure and limitations of humans, greed over righteousness, subtle misogyny all are depicted so very well ! All characters are shown barely - it is all shades of grey - there is no hero or villian and victim is not powerless or helpless.

Wonderful and the pre-climax with twist was beautiful and the climax was satisfying !

Highly recommended - much watch for all, who are into serious movies.

I would not be lying, If I would be calling this the best movie I have ever seen in my life. It jas got multiple layers, exposes a ton of human shortcomings. You will walk out of the theathre with some answers but more questions. Question about yourself, the society, morality, human self-seving nature and what not.... It subtly projects tons of issues that is wrong with the society and yet those issues are not the central theme. It is like an amalgamation of a Agatha christie novel and Refinald Rose writing.

It is a wholesome experience, screenplay, story, direction, acting everything top notch.

Lucky are the ones who would get the oppurtunity to watch this.

A fantastic movie that really takes the dark, self-serving, materialistic human nature and puts it out in broad daylight. This is a great commentary on virtue signalling, hypocrisy, trust, betrayal, hierarchy, and human values.

The writing and the direction are really well done - the movie feels real, and you find yourself getting emotionally invested in the plot. The relatable subject matter also helps in the engagement, and while a movie of this sort often runs the risk of coming across as quite preachy - Aattam never falls into this trap.

But what sets this movie a class apart from the rest is the quality of the acting. Every single cast member has done a phenomenal job. I found myself hating, sympathising with, and being disappointed in the characters at different points through the movie - and the fact that this movie brought out such strong emotions from the audience is testament to the skill with which each actor portrayed their characters.

Overall, this is a movie that makes you think long and hard about what you would have done if you were put in a similar situation, and this leads to some good introspection.