Pitaah

Pitaah is riveting, hard-hitting and gripping. Mahesh Manjrekar is one director who has had many ups and downs, but it is to be expected as he does many films and experiments with different themes. Here he tackles a bold and sensitive subject and, in my opinion, handles it very well. Set in a village, the film tells the story of Rudra, a poor, illiterate peasant who is employed as a slave-like labourer by the wealthy and influential landowner of the village, Thakur. The story follows a shocking incident as Rudra's 9 year-old daughter is brutally raped by Thakur's two sons, and later on Rudra and his wife Paro's attempts to seek justice, which sounds rather impossible and funny in a village where everyone is either corrupted or terrified of just hearing Thakur's name.

Pitaah deals with child abuse, corruption, and the oppression of poor villagers. Although the execution is credible, it's not a completely realistic film, and that may actually be the reason for its success. It is shocking, disturbing, violent and unusual, and it is also very enjoyable. The characters are characterised very well, and the proceedings leave no stone unturned in the portrayal of the crude, almost funny complexity of the village and its nefarious systems. The second half is weaker in terms of script and execution, as it becomes more typical and has several flaws, but I personally was still rather captivated. The action is excellent and it is used to the best effect. The film is after all very interesting, moving and intriguing, and that's what matters, at least to me.

Where acting goes, Pitaah belongs to Sanjay Dutt and he is simply excellent in a greatly understated and convincing performance. He brilliantly captures Rudra's quietly tormented nature and inner pain. His subdued body language, worried eyes and natural simplicity really make him very easy to identify with. Nandita Das is as always exotically beautiful while still looking earthy, simple and authentic. As Paro, she is headstrong, brave, and it is her feisty nature which motivates Rudra to fight for justice. Das is extremely effective in the role. Jackie Shroff is incredibly entertaining and likable in a colourful, ambiguous role. Om Puri is fantastic as the villain Thakur, and Mita Vasisht shines as his wife. Overall then, Pitaah is a good film which is definitely recommended.

This film was well designed, produced and implemented...

The actors playing all the characters were well selected and did a magnificent job in this movie...

This film may seem ordinary and living in a fantasy to the western world but it is quite factual..

Working for the Takhur is common and fearing him is even more true...

The film displays corruption as it is happening in India, it is very visible, everybody knows who is getting bribed, why they are getting bribed and who is bribing who... ...this is quite different from the western world, were bribes are issued but are rarely seen...

This film touches on a hard subject rape and I would say paedophilia... This film makes you wanna sit up and watch this film without moving a muscle.

Omp Puri or takhur, tries to justify the act by saying the whore never gave them any and because the were intoxicated they could not tell the difference between a 9 or 90 year old. Rape has no excuses!

There are some issues of how Sanjay Dutt really managed to kill all those people but I'm content ignoring that... it is a Bollywood movie after all.

Superb performances and great delivery and end product. Well done!

It was after a long time that I saw a good hindi action film. I was tired of the chick flicks and heros who threw punches but didn't draw out any blood.

It takes some time for Sanjay Dutt to rise to the villains. Except for the mujra songs the films does not go into boring time pass scenes. Fortunately there is no hero-heroine love BS except for a short unnecessary sub-plot of the villains daugher falling in love with a commoner.

When the violence finally starts it is good. Sanjay Dutt rises up and plans some good moves to carry out his revenge. Jackie Shroff is fantastic as a completely corrupt police officer. I just love the scene where he puts his lathi (staff) into the bullet wound of one of the villain's son and then twists it before taking it out.

See this movie if you are tired of watching Sharukh Khan dance and sing around or of Vivek Oberoi beating up a guy 3 times his size and still not being able to draw blood.

Amazingly good, in the mould of a classic western, with Sanjay Dutt, who is maybe one of the best actors period. He is up there with Pacino, Bachchan, Brando, etc.

Nandita Das stood out, playing Dutt's wife, in a very powerful performance.

I enjoyed the slow build up to the climax of the film; Puri in one of his best "bad guy" roles was also great.

.. One warning, I had to buy this DVD three times. Both previous copies by Spark, where defective and would not play past the 70-minute mark.

Highly recommended.

I am a HUGE fan of Nandita Das. She is my favourite Indian actress, by a long way. When I bought this movie I knew that it would not be a Bollywood type cheese-fest. It wasn't. What I liked about it: The pairing of Sanjay and Nandita was very good. They were very believable as an ordinary married couple. Committed to each other and their children. No glamour, no implausible wealth for them. Just sincere, real people. Both were very good in their roles. Nandita is a beautiful woman, who seem literally luminescent, with her intelligence and passion radiating out from within. Sanjay was excellent as the tortured father. Om Puri was frighteningly good as the psycho Dad from hell, and the supporting cast all played their parts well. This movie doesn't pull any punches, either metaphorically or literally. It was one of the most taxing movies I've watched in a long time, but ti was worth it. If you're looking for Main Hoon Na or DDLJ, look elsewhere. If you want powerful, affecting cinema, with a good cast and great performances, give Pitaah a try.