MANJHI MOVIE REVIEW

 

The movie is inspired from true life events, starting from the late 1950s. It is based on the life of Dashrath Manjhi, a villager in Bihar who decides to take on the impossible task of breaking through the large rocky mountain in his village to make a path, which would facilitate transport in and out of the village. Manjhi is initially termed a madman for this endeavor, but he does this for the love of his life and for the greater interest of his people. His wife, Phaguniya is a major driving force for Manjhi, from start to finish.

Mostly a solitary effort, Manjhi braves through obstacles of every kind and marches ahead in his mission. He even goes to the extent of walking to Delhi to meet the PM Indira Gandhi ! Such is his resolve.

 

The film is packed in less than 2 hours and presents to us Manjhi's brave efforts despite advancing age, interspersed with his younger days, his romance, his family life with wife, dad and kids, in a non-linear narrative.

 

The film features scintillating chemistry between Nawaz and Radhika Apte who carries herself confidently in dangerously revealing sarees (mostly without a blouse) befitting the period. Nawaz entertains in the segments when he sets his eyes on her, and his uninhibited, showy antics would surely make you chuckle.

 

Nawaz possesses incredible range indeed and most of all, his innocent voice and dialogue delivery add a lot to his performance. "Jab Tak Thootenga Nahin, Tab Tak Chodenga Nahin" is one of his repetitive lines along with the memorable "Shandar Zabardast Zindabad". Most of his conversations are either with himself or with the mountain and we will definitely feel the emotions in him and root for him, despite the slow-paced nature of the film. As the character ages, we get to see him in a bearded, unkempt makeover and the make-up department has done well.

 

In the 2nd half, when Manjhi braves it out all alone in rough conditions, you may be reminded of survival films such as Cast Away, Into the Wild, 127 Hours and Wild. Some of these visuals are hard-hitting!

 

The songs are mostly along with the narrative, with the romance segments presented majorly through the music. The rough, rustic, unwelcoming terrain is showed well on screen and we don't get to spot any noticeable goof-ups with respect to the period portrayed, as well.

 

In all, it is a valiant effort from director Ketan Mehta, Nawazuddin and team to make a movie on such a braveheart's life. The pain and struggle of Manjhi are showcased well, and there are some entertaining elements added, to appeal to a larger section of the audience. This is an inspiring story that needed to be told and at the end of it all, one ought to have a fulfilling experience.