The Song Of Scorpion (2023) :
Movie Review -
Irrfan Khan's final release, "The Songs Of Scorpion," is a Swiss-French-Singaporean Rajasthani drama, written and directed by Anup Singh. We have come through the ages of Ingemar Bergman and Satyajit Ray, who redefined artistic and realistic cinema in their times. If you are of the same opinion as me that we are missing that kind of cinema nowadays, then The Songs of Scorpion might come as a nice break for you. This artistic film works like a slow poison that won't kill you but will definitely kill the dead cinema lover in you since we are all living in the era of mindless commercial entertainers (that's why it's called "Dead"). It's a bit complicated and lengthy, but it's up to you to judge whether it's worth it or not. As I believe, you'll have your own theories and explanations for this mic-drop burn. I would have preferred a better ending with instant effects, but otherwise, there are no complaints. The Song Of Scorpion has enough poison to sting you.
The film is set in a mythological period when Scorpion's sting could kill a man within 24 hours in the desert of Jaisalmer. Nooran (Golshifteh Farahani), a tribal woman, is taking lessons from her grandmother, Zubaida (Waheeda Rehman), to become a scorpion singer like her, who can cure people stung by scorpions. After a tragic event and the disappearance of her grandmother, the happy-go-lucky Nooran is lost. She moves out with Aadam (Irrfan Khan) to start a new life. However, the hidden past comes back to haunt her and reveals many shocking facts that lead her down a new path of revenge. What's in that past and how Nooran fixes her revenge and redemption are all that form the crux of the story.
Written by Anup Singh, The Song Of Scorpion is an intense affair with a narrow appeal. The audience for this kind of intellectual and realistic film is pretty small. But the film is a bit more complex for that audience too. Also, the language is a bit intricate to understand without the subtitles. One of the most important scenes isn't audible enough. That's irresponsible. Talking of the positives, it's a well-written script with an intensive screenplay that doesn't bore you despite leisurely storytelling. You can enjoy the pauses and slow walks as the cinematographer gives enough attention to the location and takes your eyes at work. The folklore and mythological references will take you into a culturally rich and significant zone that you hardly see in today's social media era.
The legendary Irrfan Khan sir is pure magic. The first human frame in the film has Irrfan sir's close-up shot, and you are like, "That's it. I have seen everything now". That seemed like an additional frame, but the impact is harder since the legendary artist is no longer with us. The nostalgia reaches its peak there. Watch him in those long cuts, close-ups, widened frames, and that accent; everything is so perfect about him. This film is more about Golshifteh Farahani than Irrfan Sir. The sooner you digest this fact, the better for you. I am not sure what's more difficult. Her name is Golshifteh, or her character. I guess it's the character. I haven't seen any actress playing such a village woman with so much accuracy since Radhika Apte in "Parched" (2016). What a remarkable performance Farahani has delivered, and that too in front of Irrfan Khan Sir. A big salute to her. The legendary Waheeda Rehman disappears sooner than expected but sells enough goods before closing the shop. The latest sensation, Shashank Arora, is fine yet again, and that's no surprise. He gets into the skin of the character, and it's not the first time I'm saying this. The supporting cast has also done well.
The Song Of Scorpion is about setting the right environment from the first frame itself. Who would be interested in seeing panoramas of the desert and listening to folk songs in 2023? But what if I tell you that you'll like both things in this film without even recognising that you are in their world for two hours? I generally get bored of slow films if they don't spill enough material, and also because I watch so many movies on mobile, where fast forwarding is more useful. I didn't have the FF key in the cinema hall, but I didn't need any. The film has a certain pace and certain momentum that keep you interested for two hours with its spellbound world of songs, deserts, scorpions, and humanly believable myths. The cinematography is top-notch, as is the background score. Watch out for those extreme close-up shots when Irrfan and Golshifteh share the one and only intimate scene in the film. Anup Singh is neither Satyajit Ray nor Bergman, but he borrowed enough from their cinema and their styles to set up a whole new style of his own. If it hadn't been for a stretched climax, The Song Of Scorpion would have been a classic for me. But for now, it's a brave attempt at discovering old, well-known new-wave cinema for modern moviegoers.
RATING - 6/10*
