Kapil adds soul to this compelling tale that blends humour, honesty

Let’s just stop saying ‘such films are made for, meant for and fit for film festivals’. At first, Zwigato might be relegated as ‘film festival material’, but once you watch this close-to-reality tale, you would realise it was long due that a film was made on the life of food delivery partners.

Director Nandita Das picks the most relatable subject and weaves a compelling story in a way that you can’t help but feel empathetic towards this section of society. And while you could imagine any other actor portray this role with some prep, Das makes an unusual choice by bringing in comedian Kapil Sharma to play Manas, who is struggling to make ends meet for his family. There are sequences where you would sense light humour, but that comedy in tragedy is what Das wants us to strike a chord with, and she does that beautifully.

Set in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, Zwigato follows the life of Manas, an ex-factory floor manager who was jobless for eight-months because of the pandemicinduced unemployment. Being the only breadwinner in a family of five — his wife Pratima (Shahana Goswami), children Kartik (Prajwal Sahoo) and Purbi (Yuvika Brahma), and an ailing mother, Maai (Shantilata Padhy), Manas signs up as a partner with a food delivery app called Zwigato — a cheeky blend of the names of food delivery apps Zomato and Swiggy. He then manoeuvres his way to understand the tricks of the trade, trying to crack the complicated rating system, encountering difficult customers and at times, requesting for a selfie with them to earn that extra incentive.

I quite liked that instead of focusing on the plight and ordeal of these families who are reeling from the aftermaths of the pandemic, Zwigato prefers to highlight how life must go on against all odds. A stern take on India’s gig economy, the 105-minute-long film often turns into a social commentary with slight references to the political scenario and flaws in the system that the service class has to deal with, but it never gets preachy. The story, cowritten by Das and Samir Patil, has its heart at the right place, and Sharma adds soul to it by getting out of his comfort zone with such ease.

Sharma, as Manas, is as earnest and convincing as it gets. It’s a chameleon-like transformation in terms of his body language and dialogue delivery, without any of his usual Punjabi touch. The way he blends this honesty in his performance with touches of humour without making you pity him, is endearing. Goswami is brilliant with her craft and gives her best to every scene.

There are hints of a patriarchal mindset when Manas doesn’t approve of his wife wanting to take up a job, but it never reaches a point that it goes off-track. So, when you see Pratima taking up a part-time job as a masseuse for rich women or a cleaner at a mall, there’s a sense of feeling empowered than helpless. The only thing I wish Das explored a bit more was Manas’ equation with his children.

Adding more life to the story is Sagar Desai’s unique background score. Watch Zwigato to enjoy a slice of life of people whom we don’t credit as much as we should. It might not be a perfect film, but it definitely starts a conversation about the flawed system that this service class bears with, even as there is very little being done to fix it.