Aakrosh

Aakhrosh directed by govind nihalini and written by vijay tendulkar and satyadev dubey is a meaningful cinema. This is the real art film. It raises questions and concerns. Number of issues such as tribal problem, poverty, exploitation, equality of income, law, problem faced by lawyers, limitations of small towns, importance of education are raised in the film. Some issues are direct and some are in undercurrent which can be felt if the film is watched analytically. The characters are completely real. They look genuine as if existing in reality. Om puri's scream adds brilliantly to the script. Naseeruddin shah's outstanding performance adds to the film. Naseer saab is one of the greatest actors of world cinema, this film proves that.

Must watch.

This is one of the best movies ever made in India. It is unfortunate that the world associates films in India exclusively with bollywood (atleast post-Ray), and so, films like Aakrosh do not get their due. The film pits the idealism of a young lawyer, Bhaskar (Naseer), who is the public defendent for a tribal man, Lahanya (Om Puri), against the inhumanity of the very milieu he has grown up in and is a part of, and which exploits tribals off their labor, life, and dignity with abandon. Especially poignant is Bhaskar's relationship with his mentor (Amrish Puri) who is the public prosecutor in this case. The two share an extremely cordial relationship in personal life but are gulfs apart when it comes to their work and professional ideals.

But probably most important point of the movie is what social theorist Gayatri Spivak asked some years later (in the context of women though)-- 'can the subaltern speak?'. Aakrosh is a forceful reminder that in our capitalist and bureaucratic postcolonial set-up, they indeed cannot.

Nearly all performances in the film are brilliant. Naseer, as the idealist lawyer is completely immersed in his character, to the degree that one forgets that it is Naseer you see on the screen, so good is he as Bhaskar. Something, however, that cannot be said about any of the mainstream 'heroes' in Bollywood. The film, I think, is worth watching for Naseer's method acting alone. Om Puri is remarkable as a tribal man framed in the murder of his wife (Smita Patil in a brief appearance), who, as we discover in some painful shots, loves her a lot. The agony on his face is haunting. And Amreesh Puri is extremely effective as the public prosecutor. The best scenes for me, personally, were Naseer's incessant, and ineffective, pleas to Om Puri to speak up and his cross examination of the witnesses and monologues in court. If anyone needs a great exposition of method acting, then the song 'sans mein dard' is the place to start. Following Naseer's movements in it are extremely educative.

Extremely powerful, intense with almost unbearable realism, this is a true classic that speaks truth to the power of the caste system, even four decades after its release.

Naseeruddin Shah is brilliant. He gives the performance of his life as the lawyer who wants to break social norms and to go to every length to help the defendant. Om Puri has fewer than 10 lines in this 2 hour long film. He still manages to outshine a truly brilliant Shah by projecting the range of suppressed emotions through his facial expressions and is the show stopper.

Vijay Tendulkar's script has hints of Marxism and class conflict. It is hard hitting, gritty and climaxes in a stunner.

Highly recommended for the socially aware. You would be stunned into silence. Streaming on Prime.

You can write a thesis on this movie but less said is more. What I liked the most is the story, screenplay and characterization because Smita Patil, being in only one scene of a 2+ hours long movie, overshadowed stellar performances by Late Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah. I am speechless about Om Puri as he was in this movie. The movie left me wondering why today's film makers and STARS, shout so much so, about their products?

A classic movie directed by Govind Nihalani. Tremendous performances from Nasir, Om puri and all others in the film. A must watch movie for the classes and if possible for the masses to. A movie that depicts the true and the harsh face of the rural world.