A smoke-and-mirrors act
RUKH Direction: Atanu Mukherjee
Actors:Manoj Bajpayee, Adarsh Gourav, Smita Tambe Rating:
Atanu Mukherjee’s Rukh is courageous, genre-bending and a terrific directorial debut.
It starts out as a whodunit, soon acquires elements of the psychological thriller, then twists into a tale of family intrigue. Through it all, you’re riveted and never quite sure what’s coming next.
There is a murder and there are suspects, at least in the mind of the victim’s son, Dhruv (Adarsh Gourav). His dad Diwakar (Manoj Baj- payee), a textile businessman, has died in a road accident that he believes was staged.
As he replays the footage and goes over the details again and again in his mind, it starts to consume and then change him.
The teenager is then forced to confront a slew of secrets as his father’s friends begin to talk. Dhruv realises there’s something his mother not telling him; he’s no longer sure if he wants to know what it is.
As he starts to sift through his own memories of the past, his confusion and melancholy become palpable. This is where Mukherjee’s direction really shines.
The streets look darker, the homes more dimly lit, the lonely beaches fill you with sadness.
Is Dhruv on a quest for justice, or is he just trying to infuse meaning in a pointless end to a forgettable life? Is he seeing only what he wants to see? Gourav shows range and sensibility far beyond his years. He builds his character up steadily and effectively. His Dhruv is tender and heartbroken, vulnerable yet ready to fight.
Bajpayee is every bit the determined yet shadowy businessman no one seems to have really known. He holds the story together and adds to its sense of gloom.
This filmmaker, and this film, are ones to watch.