Well Done Abba! (2009)

Genre: Political Satire

Undercurrent: Humour from personal relationships

Language: Hindi 

Watched it on: Youtube 720p

The story is an amalgamation of various short-stories from multiple sources - this is a story of how a determined and courages father-daughter duo outsmarts a corrupt system to their advantage. It makes a smart play and is gripping but the required changes for on-screen work are lacking. For example, a lot of loose ends like the status of the rest of the village's wells, the troubles faced by MPDO, horny engineer and the team etc are all missing. Such is hard to take from a film that depends on the script. The characters of Salma and Rehman Ali have no connection with the main plot, nor as a basis of comparison with the rest. To add a twin to the hero is particularly useless in the movie - something the script must have easily revealed. Some social angles like marrying Sakina off to sheikhs, expectations from a bride for a conservative family, public urination, husband controlling female sarpanch Balamma etc. are all part of a village setting that acts credibility as some shady elements of life we see around us. These elements help complete a linear corruption plot by adding those tit-bits of general living in villages around me. To resist from  getting into religion is a big plus as the story doesn't need it that much. 

Watch out for what is covered in this important shot (pic above): Dry grass, dry leaves, dusty arid land, Solitary tree, Palm tree, Scrub/bush vegetation, a distant farm, a distant hill and granite posts here and there - a perfect capture of Telangana terrain. A big plus point is the drab photography that captured the arid land and the small Telangana village atmosphere to perfection. Dry lands, dusty roads, wall paintings of government schemes, thorny and scrub type of vegetation, stylish window designs for dargahs and dull colouring of everything except sarees are typically Telangana like. It was refreshingly honest and nostalgic to watch. To add to it, most of the picture uses sunlight for all cinematographic elements, sans tricks, which helped add more to the earthy plot. The feel is truly kept perfect. Editing and screenplay are excellent, as in the movie goes at a slow and steady pace through out - a very relaxed watch. Technically, the movie is honest and thus brilliant - much better than most Bollywood flicks. 

Boman Irani's portrayal of Armaan Ali is half-artificial. Despite what every one is saying, his attempt is way too much constructed and looked out of ordinary. His Hyderabadi style of Urdu-laced Hindi failed in the accent part. Although he was incredible with facial expressions, his body language failed it as the director chose to use such shots quite frequently. Surprisingly, Minissha Lamba (as Muskaan) bettered my expectations in her role. Further, she would probably do it better now as it missed any improvisations from her part but still lived up. For example, look at their expression in the pic to the left: a cautious Armaan Ali and the fiery Muskaan listen to people - just this freeze is enough to express their characters. The rest of the cast just scaped through except Rajit Kapoor, Ravi Kishan and Rajendra Gupta who lived up to their short roles well. Talents like Sonali Kulkarni, Yeshpal Sharma, Salim Ghouse and Anupam Shyam are wasted in very insignificant roles. The undercurrent works well for the love story and father-daughter relationship.

My favorite scene is a composite of angles at an important part of the love current in the film. As Muskaan tries to defend the righteousness of the crippled hero Arif Ali while being bullied by Salma and Rehman Ali, Armaan Ali is more concerned about the social reputation of his daughter. While Arif appreciates the concern of Muskaan whom he dislikes previously, Salma and Rehman Ali celebrate their victory in winning the battle by belittling everyone around. Although each of the 4 characters moves only tangentially to one another, they end up forming a strong point and twist to the important tale as two tangents meet - thus forming love in a way appreciated by the audiences too for its sheer righteousness and keeps everyone on one side. Still, it is such a common scene that is written beautifully and shot very well too. 

As I have reviewed this as a film that takes some thought and social responsibility to enjoy fully, this Shyam Benegal's pic falls short of some basic expectations. It is entertaining, more as a stage drama to me than as a movie, except for photography/cinematography.