‘Vedaa’, the Hindi-language action drama film, is an August 15th release. Here is Telugu Funda presenting the first-ever review of the movie ahead of its release.
Synopsis:
A Dalit family from Barmer is hunted down by a family of upper-caste men after an inter-caste wedding. Former Major Abhimanyu Kanwar (John Abraham) becomes the fellow traveller of the Dalit girl Vedaa Berwa (Sharvari as an aspiring boxing champ) when a violent cat-and-mouse chase ensues.
The Caste Underbelly:
While the storyline of ‘Vedaa’ and even many story beats are nothing new, the writing by Aseem Arora situations it in a certain social context. The caste identities of the main characters contextualize their motivations and actions.
Director Nikkhil Advani narrates the action drama with a fair degree of creativity. While lacking in intensity at times, the dynamics between Abhimanyu and Vedaa, the slow build-up to the unfolding of their equations, and other elements keep the viewer fairly invested. Camera angles focus on Vedaa, who becomes the cornerstone of the film’s emotional core in the second hour. As a Dalit girl who aspires to break into the preserve of an “upper caste sport” in the village, she is believable and adorable. The glint in her eyes as she counts currency notes in her room humanizes her.
The sibling bonding (between Vedaa and her sister) is shorn of melodrama. The film also bats for inclusivity not just overtly but also subtly. The boxing coach is someone with vitiligo.
Hegemonic antagonists:
Abhishek Banerjee as a politically influential Sarpanch named Jitendar Pratap Singh is a well-written (yet imperfect) character. He is a hegemon whose riches make the lower castes in whole villages depend on him economically. Despite his primitive thinking, he is guilt-free because, as he unabashedly says in a scene, he didn’t create the system, including the practice of untouchability. There was so much about the character but the writing doesn’t do a deep-dive. Ashish Vidyarthi as Kaka could have been written with more heft. In a scene, he talks about lineage, a line that mirrors his regressive mindset.
A hero who speaks too little:
John Abraham gets to speak too little. The action scenes, which are more about an unending stream of shots being fired, are saved by excellent shot division but beyond that, they don’t hold much interest. We are told the protagonist believes in diplomacy first and attack next. “If anyone says he is not scared of death, he must either be a liar or a soldier,” he declares in a solid stretch. Does he have faith in the system? Or, has he given up on it? That’s something the climax answers.
The film could have done away with at least two songs. The special song in the first half is distracting.
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