B.A. Pass

A movie so great that it simply blows your heads off. Every character is grey. No one is moral and every body is a victim of circumstances.

The film is the pinnacle of movie making. the sheer audacity, rawness, and unrealistically realistic treatment creates magic on screen. and believe me one time is not good enough.Director Ajay Bahl has handled sexuality in a very mature manner, without being sensationalist.

I'm the kind of person who watches movies for their rawness and realism.Udaan,Dev.D,Gangs of Wasseypur,Shaitan and Kaminey are among my favourites.Now I'll add B.A Pass to my list.

Don't miss this one!

Ajay Bahl's debut film starts off with brilliantly, and creates an intriguing atmosphere, but ends unsatisfactorily. It's a coming-of-age tale of innocence lost and conscience compromised. What starts off as playful seduction, Mrs. Robinson/ Hanna Schmitz style, spirals into a chain of prostitution, lies and betrayal. Even with an interesting story and well-shot scenes, the screenplay and the lead's (Shadab Kamal) acting failed to properly show the sense of urgency and desperation. Though the film's approach towards themes like poverty struggles, empty marriages, sexual urges and escort systems is commendable, it fails to explore them properly and deeply. Though the movie is well-made, and quite bold (for Hindi Cinema), when the whole ordeal is over, you're left with an odd aftertaste, not sure of what to think.

Though Shadab Kamal looked cute and innocent enough for his role, his acting was little single-pitched. Shilpa Shukla was mesmerizing as the seductress and lady pimp.

Good effort.

No pun intended and not that many colors to be honest. The rest is sort of "if you know, you know". But that aside, let me say up front that I am quite surprised by how the movie tackles certain things. Do not expect nudity in this, but just the fact that it does engage in erotic situation alone ... I did not expect that at all.

I mean a movie that has to put a disclaimer (while the movie is running on the bottom of the screen), that smoking is bad for your health ... well you know you can't really do everything or rather show everything. Although violence does not seem to be an issue here either. Not that there is too much of it. But certain scenes may offend you ... depending on your thresshold and how sensitive you are of course. The ending is a bit of shocker ... and may make you give this a point more than I did.

In a voice-over during the film's opening scene, as he stares emptily at his parents' corpses before him, Mukesh, the protagonist of BA Pass describes their untimely deaths as a betrayal. It's the first of many to come for this unsuspecting young boy, played by Shadab Kamal, who's at the cusp of discovering that it's every man for himself in the world outside.Adapted from a short story by Mohan Sikka titled Railway Aunty, which appeared in the 2009 anthology Delhi Noir, the film traverses the neon-lit streets of Paharganj, even poking and probing its way into the city's posh parts to ultimately lift the veil on the seemingly simple veneer of middle class life in Delhi.Taken in reluctantly by his aunt after being orphaned, Mukesh seems destined to live a life of humiliation and quiet desperation, until one day he encounters bored housewife Sarika (Chak De India's Shilpa Shukla), who seduces him Mrs Robinson-style. What starts off as an illicit affair quickly spirals into a dangerous web of prostitution and deceit, and we're mostly transfixed by this tale of innocence lost and conscience compromised.A little over ninety minutes, BA Pass is crisp and compelling because director Ajay Bahl, also the cinematographer of the film, reveals a firm grasp over the unflinching narrative. With minimal flourish or show-off, Bahl creates a moody noir that is at once irresistible. Yet, where the film slips is in the superficial, surface-level manner in which it addresses macro themes like empty marriages, sexual power games, and the frustration caused by extreme poverty.It doesn't help either that Shadab Kamal delivers a one-note performance as Mukesh, turning him into a singularly uninteresting fellow, and seldom allowing us a glimpse into his heart. Shilpa Shukla, as the ravenous cougar, is inscrutable throughout…but that approach works for her character, whose motives must remain sketchy till the end. The pair is surrounded by good actors in bit roles, including Geeta Sharma as Mukesh's unwelcoming aunt, Dibyendu Chatterjee as a chess-loving undertaker, and Rajesh Sharma as an angry husband who must take charge.BA Pass exposes a cold, dark, and bleak universe that is in equal measure grotesque and intriguing. Bahl creates the right mood, but doesn't leave you with much to think about when it's all over. Still I'm going with eight ratings as bollywood has started making real movies.Not perfect, but nicely done.

The movie is an adaptation of the story railway aunt and its just fine noir The highlight was the aunt character played by Shilpa Shukla, who stole the entire movie. The thing that made me like this movie is the uneasy ambiance surrounding the poor boy throughout the movie. The scenes when the boy takes his feelings to the zenith when his sisters were troubled and when he is treated as a servant in his own relatives' house were shown so aptly. Had few issues like the reason the boy took up 'that' job/gig (see the movie and you'll know it) is still questionable to the book writer/director. The screenplay is cool for a débutant but could've made far better with such a twist in the climax.