Before I start the movie review, I have to say this: Dear People of India, if you spent 15th August, 2019, safely in your houses, without news of bomb blasts, mob violence and so on, please thank the thousands of unknown, unnamed officers who have done things that you and I will never know about. Peace is not an automatic thing. It is the fine art of well-balanced cross fires, and every Indian only needs to remember that this is the same country that saw serial blasts as a matter of course. This peace is a LOT of hard work. Unfortunately, we have created a world where peace is an expensive luxury. India is no exception.
On that note, here is the review of Batla House:
What do you do when you have to tell the story of an encounter, the 2 year investigation leading up to the encounter, and the 2 years following the encounter in a crisp 146 minutes? You call the scriptwriter and editor of Batla House, and beg them to do it for you.
What's great about the film
Another personal note:
What I have grown to love about John Abraham's movies as a female viewer, is the fully clad women. They are women with their own well-developed personalities, they are fully clothed, and they are not eye candy. For that alone, I will walk into any John Abraham movie. This movie is no different. This is not a point that will matter to many others, but over the years, I have been so sick of the way women are portrayed in Indian cinema, that this one thing matters much.
The Writing
Even in Mission Mangal, which is a movie that released at the same time as this one, the characters are put in stereotypes. Not here. Every character here is nuanced and has a place to fill that is uniquely their own. There isn't a huge ensemble cast, but the one that is, has enough space on screen to register its presence.
The script itself is taut, complete and not jarring.
This is one movie that could have been replete with hajaar dialogues, ideology, theorising, back and forth debate. Yet, it restricted itself to presenting the facts, allowing the protagonist exactly one outburst in the final courtroom sequence. How can a movie about an emotionally charged subject be made so objectively? That is a feat that should not be ignored.
The Editing
I have already mentioned this - 146 minutes run time - the PTSD of the officer in charge, the complete investigation, the 2 harrowing years after the investigation, and not one loose scene. Not one scene where your eyes wander, wondering what the scene is doing in the film. The editor deserves kudos.
The Direction
As I have realised after Mission Mangal, the Director and his/her vision pretty much defines the movie. Nikhil Advani picked up a tough topic, and then he executed it flawlessly and meticulously. Not once did i feel, "Aisa thodi hota hai?" No plot holes, nothing that makes me want to come home and do fact checking.
The Nuancing
When the guy Dilshad is in his village, he sports full facial hair. But when appearing as a bechara in court, he is completely clean shaven.
The spoof on PC was too hilarious to miss.
The officer who part supports John's character - he has given a perfect, nuanced performance. LOVED it.
The Background Score
It was not just music. I noticed that the background sound was used to create an effect all through the movie - whether it is the house of Sanjay, or the Batla House area where loudspeakers form a background noise all the time, or the village where they go to arrest the accused. This was one time when the background sound was outstanding it its contribution to the storytelling.
The Technicals
Cinematography, Sound, Art Direction, everything played its part quietly and to perfection. My only gripe is with the house of the police officer. For an honest Delhi Police officer and a media wife, that was a rather lavish Delhi house. Other than that, everything else fit quite well.
The PTSD of the officer
The way John Abraham struggles with his PTSD is woven so beautifully into the narrative of the film. We don't realise what people who deal with crime on a daily basis have to go through in their heads. This was a necessary reminder.
To sum up
This was a movie I loved. Though the movie itself doesn't lend itself to drivel and preach, there was a dialogue in the movie that has forced me to think a LOT since last night.
After Tashkent Files, this is the movie that deserves attention. These are the films that we should show budding filmmakers and tell them, "When you have to tell a difficult story, do it like this. Learn from this cinema."
On that note, here is the review of Batla House:
What do you do when you have to tell the story of an encounter, the 2 year investigation leading up to the encounter, and the 2 years following the encounter in a crisp 146 minutes? You call the scriptwriter and editor of Batla House, and beg them to do it for you.
What's great about the film
Another personal note:
What I have grown to love about John Abraham's movies as a female viewer, is the fully clad women. They are women with their own well-developed personalities, they are fully clothed, and they are not eye candy. For that alone, I will walk into any John Abraham movie. This movie is no different. This is not a point that will matter to many others, but over the years, I have been so sick of the way women are portrayed in Indian cinema, that this one thing matters much.
The Writing
Even in Mission Mangal, which is a movie that released at the same time as this one, the characters are put in stereotypes. Not here. Every character here is nuanced and has a place to fill that is uniquely their own. There isn't a huge ensemble cast, but the one that is, has enough space on screen to register its presence.
The script itself is taut, complete and not jarring.
This is one movie that could have been replete with hajaar dialogues, ideology, theorising, back and forth debate. Yet, it restricted itself to presenting the facts, allowing the protagonist exactly one outburst in the final courtroom sequence. How can a movie about an emotionally charged subject be made so objectively? That is a feat that should not be ignored.
The Editing
I have already mentioned this - 146 minutes run time - the PTSD of the officer in charge, the complete investigation, the 2 harrowing years after the investigation, and not one loose scene. Not one scene where your eyes wander, wondering what the scene is doing in the film. The editor deserves kudos.
The Direction
As I have realised after Mission Mangal, the Director and his/her vision pretty much defines the movie. Nikhil Advani picked up a tough topic, and then he executed it flawlessly and meticulously. Not once did i feel, "Aisa thodi hota hai?" No plot holes, nothing that makes me want to come home and do fact checking.
The Nuancing
When the guy Dilshad is in his village, he sports full facial hair. But when appearing as a bechara in court, he is completely clean shaven.
The spoof on PC was too hilarious to miss.
The officer who part supports John's character - he has given a perfect, nuanced performance. LOVED it.
The Background Score
It was not just music. I noticed that the background sound was used to create an effect all through the movie - whether it is the house of Sanjay, or the Batla House area where loudspeakers form a background noise all the time, or the village where they go to arrest the accused. This was one time when the background sound was outstanding it its contribution to the storytelling.
The Technicals
Cinematography, Sound, Art Direction, everything played its part quietly and to perfection. My only gripe is with the house of the police officer. For an honest Delhi Police officer and a media wife, that was a rather lavish Delhi house. Other than that, everything else fit quite well.
The PTSD of the officer
The way John Abraham struggles with his PTSD is woven so beautifully into the narrative of the film. We don't realise what people who deal with crime on a daily basis have to go through in their heads. This was a necessary reminder.
To sum up
This was a movie I loved. Though the movie itself doesn't lend itself to drivel and preach, there was a dialogue in the movie that has forced me to think a LOT since last night.
After Tashkent Files, this is the movie that deserves attention. These are the films that we should show budding filmmakers and tell them, "When you have to tell a difficult story, do it like this. Learn from this cinema."
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