Fake Death, Real Failure
Only two films old, director Nikhil Bhatt seems to have chosen absurd comedy as his genre of choice. His directorial debut Saluun was, in many ways, homage to the tradition of the comic satire in Bollywood, of which Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro is the finest specimen. His latest venture, the Netflix original, Brij Mohan Amar Rahe, dabbles with dark comedy but it stumbles so often in trying to keep up its comic tenor that it fails all round.
Brij Mohan looks like a bad attempt at marrying the gritty foul-mouthedness of Delhi Belly with the wit of Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro. It has no grip on its characters, the fabric of the city it depicts, or its production design. Even for a caricature, the film seems to exist entirely in its own bizarre bubble. It’s neither grotesque enough to make a powerful statement nor relatable enough for the viewer to warm up to it.
For reasons best known to Bollywood, greasy Delhi underbellies almost invariably involve dense streets in Chandni Chowk and an inordinate amount of swearing. The film wanders aimlessly through these streets following its slimy protagonist, Brij Mohan, who seems to have a chronic debt-defaulting problem. As is wont in ‘bold’ films eschewing the mainstream unease with violent language and imagery, Brij Mohan makes it a point to include all manner of sins—from gruesome murders, adultery, prostitution and corruption. In addition to the fumbling protagonist, we have two women in the role of dumb bimbos obsessed with their looks. The cast could not possibly be complete without a well-bribed police officer and, for good measure, we also have a judge and two lawyers thrown in. A couple of goons are added for effect. There is also a vegetate senior who seems to have no purpose other than darkening the comedy with abuse of the elderly.
Netflix has been taking chances with experimental storytelling in its Indian productions. Lust Stories and Sacred Games worked beautifully. However, while Brij Mohan Amar Rahe might have looked good on paper, it doesn’t work on screen. It takes the well-flogged story of the desperate man in debt and adapts it into a comedy of murders. But Brij Mohan’s effort to escape his debts and his wife by faking his own death fails to be amusing or hold your interest for its 100-minute run.
—Farah Yameen