Watching HANDOVER in the "UFO 0110 International Digital Festival" in New Delhi was a great enlightening experience after a long time. As the end credits started rolling I recalled writing, "One of the most enjoyable moments in life is when you get a completely unexpected surprise beyond your wildest imagination in the theater". And HANDOVER undoubtedly was one of those pleasant surprises of the year 2012, which I enjoyed immensely in the festival amongst a selected audience.
But moving over to something serious, it also reminded me of an idea shared in one of my recent reviews about the kind of movies being offered to us repeatedly without having anything novel or fresh in their content. In the last few years we have seen many such hugely insane and silly (mainly comedies) movies made with a whooping budget of 30-50 crores featuring some reputed artists in the lead. So, instead of making "One Avoidable Big Budget Project", Why not distribute that amount of 30 crores to say 20 debut directors to make their own distinctive movies based on some new, interesting and worth watching subjects. That way, not only it will be easier to recover their costs (from all the new formats or platforms) but it will also be beneficial for the ultimate viewers who are desperately waiting to see something different on the screen coming from our own Bollywood.
In the present, "Star-Worshipping Era" the above mentioned idea may take time to get applied. But after watching HANDOVER, I do see a ray of hope somewhere in the dark with producers such as Ravi Agrawal, who showed the courage to give a much deserving break to the debutant director Saurabh Kumar for making his first independent film in a limited budget. And what Saurabh has done within those fixed resources, along with his technician and actor friends, is nothing short of a commendable, worth praising attempt.
Made on a digital format, dealing with the lack of many basic technical requirements for a film project such as the right lighting and exposure, Saurabh has delivered a fine product which never makes you realize the lower format in which it has been made. The overall impact of the film is such that it rarely allows the viewer to notice its technical aspect as it completely bowls you over with its shocking content and storyline. Here I would like to add that a common moviegoer damn cares about what Camera or Equipment has been used and how. If the movie is able to spell its magic over the viewer, through its fine execution & direction, then he is least concerned about its technical details and this fact clearly gets proved by HANDOVER loudly.
Coming to the enlightening plot of the film, it is sadly based on a real life story taken from a news article published in "The Hindu" by Harsh Mander on the "Child Selling Issue". It revolves around a poor helpless couple who decide to part with their newly born girl child for her own safety. But this voluntary 'handover' gets wrongly projected as a news of "Selling A Child" in the papers, which eventually leads to an inhuman drastic consequence in the end. Without revealing its real turning point I would only like to say that don't consider it as another "Art-House Movie" as it may seem to be from its subject. Despite talking about a rural poverty issue and its debatable conditions, the film never drags and keeps you engaged throughout with its well written script and crisp editing. Brilliantly supported by some captivating sincere performances in its 74 minutes of duration, it strikes a hard blow with a harsh but true climax, putting you on to a "Thinking Mode" while walking out of the theater.
And after its over, one realizes: "How can a Leader or an Officer operating from the Center, actually feel the pain felt by the people living in the remote areas, facing the actual brutalities."
"Can Journalism still be called "Journalism" practiced in the true sense? Isn't it fast becoming synonym to the word "Sensationalism"? and
"Sometimes, what is referred to CRIME in the eyes of LAW, might not be A CRIME at all for the people who are actually there at the receiving end."
Summing up, being a digital film of only 74 minutes, HANDOVER might not get a decent theatrical release due to our present partial distribution and exhibition system. It may have got neglected due to its "Anti- Government Tone" at the National Awards too this year. But it perfectly follows the forgotten responsibility of the medium and enlightens you about a scary truth of our own society, its so called social workers and its elected leaders ruling from the center.
So, along with all the awards it has already won, HANDOVER undoubtedly deserves a wider audience not only due to its socially relevant theme, but also due to the excellence achieved by its entire team lead by director Saurabh Kumar (within his limited budget). So do watch it as a must, whenever it gets screened in your city or after it gets released in the home video market.
