Viruddh... Family Comes First

I am coming from Tamilnadu. In Tamil picture circuit rarely two post retirement/post menopausal couple are the chief protagonists. The last such film, I remember was "Vietnam Veedu". The Tamil filmdom thinks that old people can only be character actors. In our films even old male actors with fading faces have to act as lovers of heroines of their daughters' age. It is sometimes pathetic to see the old heavy actors making some dance sequences. So it is refreshing to see the old couple both in their mild and mature flirting with care for each other and the poignancy of their tragedy of the murder of their son and subsequent legal shenanigans. It is the younger men are the character actors in this film.

Amitab Bachan and Sharmila Tagore act brilliantly bringing the gamut of emotions. The final meeting with the murderer was excellent. Of course the story line is linear and some excellent pieces of dialogue crop up.

Yet there are a few rather typical cinematic scenes which are rather incongruous The old lady who is a retired teacher goes out with her teacher's cane and beats up the roguish Ali and others to bring some sense of decency in them which is rather too dramatic. Similarly the last verdict of NOT GUILTY on the old man is rather surprising. I am not a lawyer and am not aware of judicial nuances. But after all the old man is a murderer however justifiable his actions are and some token punishment (at least the time spent in the prison so far) would have been more judicial. Besides during the first trial the Home Minister and the Police went far out of the way in harassing Patwrdhan and his family but after his son's death the Home Minister seem to have been paralyzed. Nobody even tried to confiscate the tape recorder which ultimately reaches the presiding Judge of the second trial -"a shocking piece of evidence". The police officer who foisted the Drugs in the son's bedroom seemed to have gone scot-free.

But for these loose ends, deliberately left for dramatic purposes, Viruddh is a very good and interesting film.

Well-made! Well-Shot!! Mahesh Manjerekar redeems himself as a director.

Story of a couple above sixty and their strife "versus" the system is told with much reality and grit. Though compared to "Saaraansh", Viruddh differs in the story and treatment. A retired couple with life revolving their only son, their daily routine and their daily interaction with neighbors and surroundings are penned with zeal. Their tragedy and their fight for what is the truth is touching and brings many a heart-rendering moments.

The couple, played with an ease and truthfulness by Amitabh Bachchan and Sharmila Tagore, is heart-warming and touching. Watch out for them bantering between themselves over tea, the way they handle the "new" nuisance in their locality, the way they come to terms with tragedy and the system. Amitabh proves again that he is truly an actor to be reckoned with still. Sharmila gives able support.

The end was too swift!! But thats very minor!!

Watch it and have a warm experience!!

A movie that is full with power packed performances from Amitabh Bachchan, Sharmila Tagore, Sanjay Dutt and John Abraham. It shows how the political power in India can ruin the life of a simple "common man". It shows how the entire system is inside a corrupted vicious cycle. It shows how the police, witnesses, and even law succumbs to political pressure.

And Mahesh Manjrekar (as usual) gives an excellent output. Another good thing about the movie is that it contains no unnecessary songs/dance. Its kept to the point. The first half seemed a bit too long, and could have been shortened. However, it was compensated by a fast-paced second half.

The film basically revolves around Amitabh and Sharmila Tagore, and all other characters including Sanjay Dutt, John Abraham, and Anusha Dandekar seemed to be doing a side role.

All said and done, it is one of the best movies I have seen in 2005. Great performances, great story, and an overall good movie!!!

Rating: 10/10

Viruddh starts as a very nice and light family movie which presents an elderly middle-class couple played by Amitabh Bachchan and Sharmila Tagore living an ordinary and happy life while their only son is settled in London. Soon he comes back with a young non-Indian girlfriend and following his parents' approval, the two get married. While everything seems to be perfect, a tragedy strikes the family when their son is killed in a party. There starts a hard double-struggle for the family, as they have to live with the pain of losing their only son and at the same time prove the murder and his innocence as it was covered up by false reports of him being a smuggler.

At first, Viruddh is a watchable yet strikingly ordinary movie and it looks like nothing special is coming. When the son came back with a new foreign bride, I thought this would be the film's main conflict and was prepared to be disappointed by an old-fashioned melodrama. But a rather unexpected twist changed the picture and slowly the story started taking shape. Mahesh Manjrekar is a prolific director and some of his films are excellent. Viruddh is not at all his best, but it is an appreciable effort. After watching Baghban, a good but melodramatic movie, somehow I thought this one would be similar in execution and I was wrong. Manjrekar pays attention to small details and portrays the movie realistically.

The second half is interesting, although the concept itself does tend to remind of those horrible masala movies dealing with injustice and corruptness. The movie does falter there a bit, but Manjrekar tries to do everything differently by giving the narrative a rather subtle feel, and he partly succeeds. The film has absolutely no songs, it is devoid of overdone melodrama, the characters look authentic and genuine, and the dialogues are simple. More than anything, what marks the film is the portrayal of the elderly couple, their love, their care for each other, and their common pain and struggle. Again, unlike the exaggerated romance in Baghban, here their relationship looks believable and real.

The film's main lead is played by Amitabh Bachchan and Sharmila Tagore, and both are excellent. They were not paired together that much in their heydays, but their chemistry here is very good. Just look at the scenes portraying their struggle post their son's death. There isn't much overdone sentimentality, just quiet suffering. This phase of the film is very convincing, and due credit goes to them. Bachchan efficiently plays his character's grief and determination. Tagore delivers one of her finest performances. The first half is entirely dominated by her wonderful presence, while the second presents her brilliantly understated portrait of anguish and strength.

Among the supporting actors, Sanjay Dutt is very likable as the neighbour. Anusha Dhandekar is pretty good as the daughter in-law. John Abraham is okay, nothing impressive, and well, his is not that demanding a role to begin with. This brings me to one of the film's aspects which I quite disliked, and it's the narration. I cannot understand why Abraham's character had to appear on-screen while narrating the story. It took away a lot from the credibility and did not contribute much. The ending is very sugarcoated, and reminded me in a way of B.R Chopra's Insaaf Ka Tarazu. Having said that, this one is definitely better than Chopra's son Ravi's Baghban, and is quite a nice movie overall.

Its truly a Big B and Sharmila film.Mahesh Manjrekar is back with his good stocks after Astitva...The movie shows the struggle of an old man to justify his sons innocence to the society.Bachchan was superb.His expressions were splendid in each of the sequences.Sharmila is equally powerful,and both have shared a terrific on screen chemistry.Sanjay Dutt excels,though he got very less on screen time..Jhon was OK.. The only minus point of the movie is the climax..It could have been more twisted and realistic. One person is worth mentioning here is Amitabh Dayal..He was terrific.

Some of the scenes which were well executed,

1) Amitabh Sharmila's conversations 2) Amitabh,Sharmila, Jhon and his wife together chatting at the bedroom. 3) Sanjay Dutt bashing the advocate. 4) Big B's conversation with Amitabh Dayal at the climax. 5) Big B pretending laughing at the park and bursts into tear.

Go for the movie. You will like it.

Sam