JOIN USTitli
Hindi, Cast: Ranvir Shorey, Amit Sial, Prashant Singh, Lalit Behl, Shivani Raghuvanshi and Shashank Arora
Director: Kanu Behl
Compare only if you have watched the Apu Triology of Satyajit Ray from the 50s. Well, while Ray presented a village life of two underprivileged siblings, director Kanu Behl brings out the best of Delhi’s downtrodden life, so far.
While on the one hand, a slang-speaking “Jamna-paar” mid-forties person who lives near a naala (drain) fights hard to save his marriage, his five-year-old daughter learns the slangs in her growing days.
Based on a rudderless father and his three unemployed sons, this story seems like another crime story you read about in the morning newspaper.
They commit crimes such as carjacking, looting a couple of their valuables in the dark of the night, and extortion.
Amid all these, as their business declines, they decide to get their younger brother Titli (Shashank Arora) married. Enters Neelu (Shivani Raghuvanshi) with an affair with a married person. While their family is already “screwed up” due to Titli’s non-cooperation in the business and demand for money, now, he himself is caught in the marital whirlpool.
Not only does director Kanu Behl make a flawless presentation, cinematography by Siddharth Dhawan will leave you spellbound.
While unknown faces will floor you with their strong performances, veteran like Shorey keeps the momentum on.
Alert: It’s gory and yucky at times.
Direction for me is perhaps this: While on the one hand chaos is created on the road or at home, the indifferent father moves around like a fly on the rubbles of a brought-down building in an earthquake. Masterpiece.
Just go, witness the insight of a poverty-stricken family fighting to survive a battle of their own, while the title character is fighting his own battle. Amid all this, they don’t stay behind in arrangement of a show-off wedding. Delhi, raw and pure Dilli.
Do notice the disgust on the faces of the characters and yourself with the change in ambience, especially the repeated brushing scenes.
PS: I wouldn’t be wrong if I place this movie on a par with Talvar in a fight for winning awards.