Kidnapper's Guide to a Lost State. Review on Apharan

Bihar has always been on the forefront of Indian History. It was the seat of Karna in Mahabharata. It was the land that gave India and the world the twin religions of Jainism and Buddhism. The ancient kingdom of the proud Nanda kings and the seat of the first emperors of India – the Mauryas was established in Bihar. The great Ashoka ruled over this land, as did the Imperial Guptas. In it’s heydays, it saw the rise and fall of great dynasties and was an important province of all rulers from the Mauryas to the Mughals and no power could consider itself sovereign in India as long as it failed to control Bihar. The university of Nalanda was considered to be one of the best universities in the world. India’s first iron and steel industry was also started in Bihar. A resume worth note…

Bihar has always been in the news. Even today it’s in the news. There is one difference though…. Yesterday it was in the news for its achievements in the fields of governance and history…. Today it’s in the news for its achievements in the world of… crime and lawlessness.

One of the symbols of the decline of any empire, nation or system of governance down the ages has always been the deterioration of law and order therein. Right from the ancient Persians and Egyptians to the Romans and the Turks, and closer to home the Mauryas, the Guptas, the Mughals, the Marathas to the imperialist British and the communist Russians have all followed this historical script undeviated and to the tee.

A nation thrives on the fact that it’s citizens trust the nation to provide them security and a feeling of justice and opportunity. The success of any nation depends on the absence of fear from the minds of those who do not threaten the security of their nation and the absence of security from the minds of those who threaten the fabric of the country.

When fear takes over from security and the elements of law turn hostage to the power of the lawless, when the social fibre of a nation is held to ransom to the machinations of a select few, when the entire mechanism of grievance redressal is kidnapped by those entrusted with it’s safety for personal gains – then begins the journey towards the end – a brutal and unimaginable violent end… and society is plunged headlong into chaos and turbulence. Lives are lost, families are uprooted and blood flows on the streets with the gay abandon of water in the torrential rains.

Apaharan literally means the act of kidnapping and can be considered in the layman’s language as nothing but the story of the business of kidnapping. But the movie is not only about the physical kidnapping that symbolizes the rampant rise of the darker elements in our society and by impact our nation; it’s about the kidnapping of the values as enshrined in our constitution, the hijack of the dreams of the martyrs who died for an ideal that remained an idea and no more; it’s about the kidnapping of the world’s most vibrant democracy by those entrusted with the job of keeping it alive and kicking. The founding fathers would do well to blind their eyes than to watch out the spectacle that has become the common refrain of all who can still keep their eyes open.

Although the film is set in the state of Bihar, before one indulges in a game of upmanship and finger pointing, one would do well to note that although the degrees do differ, these elements are present and free to move everywhere in the nation today. The movie is a brilliant depiction of the business of crime and also can claim credit for one of the best confrontations in recent time.

Ajay Devgan as Ajay Shastri again manages to stand true to his character. The actor is in his element as a young man who has no other option than to create his own options for survival in an arena wherein only they survive who can kill their conscience. As a young man unable to make a mark on basis of merit the actor manages successfully a brilliant journey of frustration, anger, loss and redemption. Although the actor shines out in each and every frame, he really outshines himself in his confrontations with his father and the ganglord Tabrez Alam.

Nana Patekar again astounds us with a performance that’s bound to go down as another of his excellent renditions. The actor has come a long way from his early days of Parinda but he still continues to amaze us with such scintillating works of art. As Tabrez Alam, the guy gives a new meaning to the word menacing. The actor is in complete control of his performance and it’s unfortunate that we do not see a lot of him on the silver screen, as should be the case with such talented actors. The scene after he shoots his nephew in cold blood and then cries over his death is brilliant. Of course, we also have his confrontations with Ajay, Mukesh and Chetan Pandit to rave upon other than the scenes mentioned.

Mohan Agashe impresses in his performance as Prof Raghuvansh Shastri. The man is subtle and plays the role of an idealist to perfection. Indeed, his calm is the perfect counterfoil to the frustrated Ajay in their confrontations. There have been many father-son confrontations in Hindi cinema … some of them exceedingly brilliant… suffice it to say Mohan’s confrontation with Ajay will also be counted among the best in Hindi cinema’s history of about 100 years.

Mukesh Tiwari as SP Anwar Khan has done a brilliant job. The scene of his breakdown after his humiliation is essentially the high point of his performance in the movie. The actor is a complete natural and we hope this performance will not go unnoticed.

Yashpal Sharma, Chetan Pandit and Ehsaan Khan also impress with their performances. Ayub Khan does a good job of an ill-defined role. Bipasha Basu is however wasted in an inconsequential role.

Prakash Jha has done a remarkable job at the helm. The conditions of his native state have been captured to the tee and the director has also succeeded in extracting brilliant performances from his cast and crew. The manner in which he has juxtaposed the current law an order situation in his native state with the storyline is commendable and the movie continues in a fast pace to its inevitable end. However, the director could have done with editing out Bipasha and exploring the characters of Mukesh, Yashpal and Chetan.

A thought-provoking film…. It would be nice if it could provoke some action too…