Sonchiriya (2019) {Recent Film}

            Sonchiriya is a 2019 action/drama film, Co-written & directed by Abhishek Chaubey, starring Sushant Singh Rajput, Manoj Bajpayee, Ashutosh Rana, Bhumi Pednekar & Ranvir Shorey. To be very honest, I was not much intrigued by the trailer of Sonchiriya & hence had zero expectations before watching the film. But my oh my! Was I shocked to witness a cinematic marvel unfold before my eyes. The film made me so happy that I decided to watch it twice because trust me when I say this, Sonchiriya is one of the best films that is based on Dacoits. We have very rarely seen this level of direction...this level of character development in any film of this genre in Bollywood.

 

             Apart from the excellent direction and character development, the thing I loved the most about this film is the multilayered characters. And I'm not specifically talking about any one character, I mean EVERY single character! All the emotions, feelings & thoughts that the characters go through in this film keep on changing as the characters progress through their journey. No character in this film is shown to be one dimensional. And this is how reality is! our thought process keeps on changing. Change is inevitable. The film understands this concept very well. And with all that in mind the director has managed to present us with a masterful film. Alongside the characters, our opinions about them keep on changing  as well. By the end of the film the character which you hated the most might even turn into your favorite character. The film also explores themes of food chain (circle of life) & human greed.

            Manoj Bajpayee plays the role of Daku Man Singh, the only nitpick I have about the character is that his screen time is really less i.e. Manoj Bajpayee has given a guest appearance & I was hoping to see more of him in the film. Fun Fact : Manoj Bajpayee had previously played the same role in the 1994 film, Bandit Queen. Talking about Sushant Singh Rajput, I believe his performance as Lakhna was his best performance till date. Bhumi Pednekar, Ranvir Shorey & Ashutosh Rana gave a compelling performance as well. The relationship shared between Bhumi Pednekar's character and Sonchiriya is something you'd take home with you. The cinematography and camera work are both memorable and add to the dark thrilling ambience. I wish they had sent Sonchiriya for the oscars instead of Gully Boy. The film is rated U/A for the gore & there is no sex/nudity shown. Overall, if you're into dark intense action/thrillers then you should definitely watch Sonchiriya. I would rate the film a solid 9/10.