Newton

Newton is just not a brave film but perhaps the most important film of the year. It is a satirical take on Indian election process which discusses the loopholes in the system while strengthening the faith on world's largest democracy.

A simple tale about an ambitious government officer commissioned to conduct a fair election in an isolated Naxalist/Maoist area in Chattisgarh who carries his honesty as a badge of honor. Rajkumar Rao plays the lead role and aces it - a stubborn character driven by self-righteousness who is not tainted by the corruption and cynicism that we as Indians have come to embrace, so often, so regularly. The supporting cast is equally brilliant with Pankaj Tripathi, Raghubir Yadav and Sanjay Mishra leaving a lasting impression.

It is not a preachy movie but tries to help us understand the importance of voting and how individual opinions can collectively establish or overrun a system. Our need for an able administrator, our desire to take powers in hand, and our faith in the system while establishing an honest government all lies within our reach – by just casting the vote. To begin the change, we must take responsibility and do our bit.

A script made of fine witty and subversive humour even when the subject is a serious one, is what makes Newton the film, so unique. It most certainly will defy gravity to fly high in the corridors of Bollywood Cinema. If possible, go watch this in theater. We as an audience rarely get a chance to watch such an absorbing movie – may be to just encourage such a genuine piece of art. Do cast your vote sensibly!

Newton (2017): Most of the people are unaware of a film named Newton until it was selected as an official entry to 90th Academy Awards from India.This low-profile film has attracted audience after its Oscar-entry buzz and even the reviews are highly positive.Starring Rajkumar Rao (2017's surprise star of Bollywood) and limited cast,Newton is directed by Amit Masurkar,who earlier directed Sulemani Keeda.SO how is Newton?

Plot:

Nutan Kumar alias Newton (Raj Kumar Rao),a government clerk on election duty in the conflict ridden jungle of Central India tries his best to conduct free and fair voting despite the apathy of security forces and the looming fear of guerrilla attacks by communist rebels.

My Review: Newton is one such message-oriented film which will equally impress both art and commercial audience alike.It is brilliantly funny poignant film which every Indian must watch.

"Do you know what your problem is?" a veteran election instructor asks a newbie.

The youngster replies: "My honesty?"

"No," says the older gentleman, "your problem is your pride in your honesty."

This conversation between Rajkumar Rao and Sanjay Mishra is one of the best scenes I have seen this year.In the same scene,Sanjay Mishra compares Newton's view is similar to Isaac Newton's view.Director masterfully wrote such strong scenes in the beginning of the movie which really created strong impact throughout the movie and even after coming out after watching it.

Writer-director Amit Masurkar and Mayank Tewari have painfully captured the bittersweet essence of the people of an obscure jungle that's far-flung from civilization.Masurkar razes multiple Hindi film clichés to the ground in Newton by resorting to low-key black comedy to tell a tale of Adivasis being pulled in different directions by the police and Naxalites on election day, by making an Adivasi - that too a woman - one of the agents of change in the film, and by conceiving Newton as a man of indeterminate caste, even if clearly not an Adivasi himself.

Newton is a dark comedy that gives you equal measures of dread and disillusionment and hope and hilarity. It makes you see the pitfalls of the democratic system but also tells you that it's the only one capable of positive change. This is reality at its finest, with credible performances and backdrops that immerse viewers into the world and where even the faces of the background characters leave a heartbreaking impression. The script is full of humorous touches and intricate visual details.

Once again Rajkumar Rao proved that he is the upcoming gem of Bollywood.He gave a powerful innocent performance with perfection.Pankaj Tripathi is the show-stealer with his career best performance.Rest of the cast also impressed a lot with their natural acting skills.

So,Newton is one of the best political satires I had seen from Indian Cinema.A Must Watch..

My Rating 8/10

Movies like these rarely come in Bollywood and I really applaud their marketing tactics. They released the film on the day of announcement of the film being sent for Oscars, which was a good gamble. There's no way a lot of people who have seen this movie, and made it a success, would have watched it otherwise.

There is a much needed class and subtlety in this movie. I specially like the suggestion they made with the shopping mall scene. Nothing was said but a lot was done! Something that is a big rarity in Bollywood. The movie tackles a serious, controversial and conversation-sparking topic with extreme good care. They managed to make people laugh while making them aware about a lot of things going on in the country.

The director needs to be applauded for this one. He has a very firm grasp on Indian culture and it's nuances. He chooses to portray it really well. No unnecessary dramatization was done. Minimalistic approach of the director makes the movie appealing. The cinematography is brilliant and refreshing.

The screenplay is smooth and never feels abrupt nor slows down to boring at any point. The film has been edited well enough to make it an engaging 1-hour-46-minutes experience.

When you have Rajkummar Rao in the movie, you do not doubt the acting skills but even he has bested himself with this one! The typical character nuances, speech, diction, blinking of eye, he perfected literally everything!

Final verdict: A MUST WATCH. I really hope people would make this a bigger success (chances are scarce) so that the producers would start shifting their focus from unbearably stupid movies like Judwa 2 to classy satirical movies like this!

A young man of principle is the presiding officer of a polling booth deep in naxal controlled area in Chhattisgarh. He crosses swords with the chief of military staff posted in the area. Both have orders to follow and doing their job.

This film is a critique on the state of democracy in India and how it's not all black and white. The good part is that the writer and director are neutral and don't have a point to make. The audience is left to draw his own conclusion.

A must watch.

When I entered the theatre, it lifted my heart to find the hall filling up well. Good for a small budget film, I thought. May be its Oscar nomination has boosted the crowd, the cynic in me commented.

My neighbour in the theatre came late and made us all stand up. He remained seated, however, during the National Anthem. He had, perhaps, always wished to do it but never gathered the courage or got seated in the last row with minimum risk of being seen. His courage seemed a product of darkness and less visibility. His wife stood up, he didn't try to resist her from doing that.

When the movie began to roll, the man chuckled. First, unsure ones, after all the topic seemed serious to laugh out loud. His volume as well as pitch of laughter increased as the movie progressed. His shrill laughter made me uncomfortable I was amused with the narrative, but was this something to laugh out loud? Is the film pro establishment or it has its leaning towards the other side? What is the agenda of this film?

For about two hours, the director played with my well versed, end predicting mind. He made me wait for the action. After all, there are Maoists around and military forces in every frame. The government officers trying to conduct polling have to be protected. May be, the protagonist will find the Maoists human. Where are the Maoists? When is the action due? How long shall we wait? Amit Masurkar reminded me what Brecht had said, there is no Godot.

Screenplay, script, dialogues,camera and the other crafts are right in place in this film. Director exhibits singular restrain in adhering to a single narrative. Raj Kumar is maturing as an actor in every film. Anjali Patil is a revelation and her character is the soul of the movie. Veterans Raghuvir ji, Sanjay ji and Pankaj ji kept the narrative grounded in real time.

The way the film uses silence and anticipation is unique. The director has shown a lot of courage here. In fact, silence stands out to be the antagonist in the setting of the jungles. It takes time for jungles to become a jungle, a character said. Dialogues are colloquial, still memorable. I remember now quite a few of those verbatim even after a couple of hours of watching the film. The body which passed the film in the current Indian ambiance and that which selected it to represent India in the Oscars must as well be lauded. Newton is a critique on Achhe Din peddling politicians, yet delivers the strong cure wrapped in a coloured, soluble capsule. My son dislikes the contemporary melodramatic Hindi movies. When he learnt that this has been nominated for an Oscar, he nodded his head and pursed his lips in appreciation.

Well done, Team Newton, ab Einstein banke dikhao in your next venture. All cine lovers shall keep a watch on this director, screenplay writer and, of course, Anjali and Raj, wait, Raj, Anjali? Hmm…

Watch this film with no expectations. With millions of viewers, you will see the place and hear its sounds through Rao. After all, how many times it so happens that a film discovers a new space and language for its audience?