Bheed – A movie, Mirroring our preparedness for any unwanted situation.
Bheed – A Bollywood drama based on real situations during the outbreak of Corona in India in 2020.
Bheed movie that I wanted to watch in cinema hall –
Just watched ‘Bheed’ on Netflix.I wanted to watch it in the theater but no one at my home was ready to time travel back to Corona period.
My daughter ,who was stuck in my parents home at that time ,was against watching this movie.
She is a movie lover,avid series watcher and like any other of her generation ,she can readily waste all her day by watching movies.
So it was ‘me time’ with Bheed ,a movie by Anubhav Sinha on Netflix.
Movie Plot –
As I said earlier,the movie is based on the first wave of Covid-19 in India.
The unlimited rumors about Corona at that time were very very scary and then when the cases were just a few numbers ,the sudden and immediate lockdown wrecked the spirit of citizens.
Not giving my views on any issues related with political indecisions by then ( as like Anubhav Sinha who played it safe ) the movie according to me is just above average.
Uncalled rumors ,severe cases of caste discrimination,greed for power,plight of migrants who were mostly daily wagers or having jobs with paltry salaries,lack of willpower by the government that was not shown in the movie – film aptly shows it all.
Rajkumar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar are good choices for their roles to signify casteism being the centrepoint in their relationship and their spicy romance despite of a sure disapproval from the family and overall they are justifying the characters with ease.
Ashutosh Rana ,Pankaj Kapoor ,Veerendra Saxsena ,Dia Mirza ,Kritika Kamra are also here in the movie but the limelight that is highlight of the movie is the hunger ..Hunger that grippled and toppled the situation that was beyond control by then not only because of unexplained rumors about Covid but also by hate rumors related with muslims.
The famous Darbhanga girl who single handedly cycled her ailing ( a habitual drunkard ) father to her village ,played by Aditi Subedi ,this girl is more promising talent than any nepotistic product of her age.
Points that are way clearer in the movie-
The movie gives you a brief about –
* People who lack normal privileges.
* People who have too many privileges.
* Women still at the receiving end.
* Serious unhygienic menstrual issues.
* Sponsored Islamophobia
* Migrants who are suffering despite being vital for the lustrous metro cities.
* Greed of those who have power.
*Unusually bogus Whatsapp forwards.
*Inhumane side of Police forces.
*Very poor medical amenities available to poor people.
*Lack of foresight and political indecisions of higher authorities.
Soundtrack –
There are two songs in this Gritty drama to capture the essence of the whole situation.
Both are written in Bhojpuri and though I only understand the folk elements of songs (I don’t speak Bhojpuri), the songs ‘Chanda Mama’ and ‘Herail Ba’ ,both are rightly placed in the movie.
Music and background are doing justice to the movie without having loud and distracting impact.
Dialogues and scenes that are giving goosebumps-
“Navya,there are thousands and thousands of people on the road.”
“I guess they have high immunity.”
“You’re a Tikas? I thought you were a somas”
“Borders ? Dubey,Borders within our own country?”
“We’re a sick society, Vidhi.”
Dialogues are not an issue here because the pain, the struggle, the sufferings, the trauma, the immature and inhumane lockdown, the apathy and empathy amid an outbreak of a totally strange and superspreading disease – all are easily explicable even speaking a single word.
Cinematography –
There is so much left to answer in this black & white movie.Story in the second half revolves around Pankaj Kapoor and he is not disappointing .
Somewhere in the movie it appears that the director is only concentrating on filming different Covid stories in a single frame and in this attempt the film becomes flat .
Budget and Box office collection –
Film is said to be made on a budget of 50 crores and it was a disaster at the box office.
Director – Anubhav Sinha
Producer – Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar ,Anubhav Sinha
Cast – Rajkumar Rao,Bhumi Pednekar,Ashutosh Rana,Pankaj Kapur,Dia Mirza,Veerendra Saxsena,Sunil Pandey,Omkar Das Manikpuri,Aditya Srivastava,Karan Pandit,Kritika Kamra,Aditi Subedi.
Film message –
The plight of migrants, people with low income, people who are homeless, people who migrate to the cities and end up with bruised soul, lack of willpower and coordination in government decisions, greed overpowering humanity ,mismanagement and the blame games among the authority – problems are everywhere but these problems were more horrible during Covid-19.
Director played it safe to avoid any confrontation of the so-called ‘Boycott gang’.
Why did this movie turn into a disaster?
My daughter was not eager to watch this movie. Actually she was one of the unfortunate who couldn’t be at home before the sudden and unplanned lockdown.
Many people who directly suffered during Covid – how can they be comfortable watching this movie?
Minorities who were made scapegoats and were falsely ridiculed – how can they watch this movie?
Families of victims who died not due to Covid but because of the sheer negligence of both central and state governments – can anyone expect them to watch this movie?
Conclusion –
Movie is rightly filmed.
B&W background is rightly used.
Songs are unavoidable and irreplaceable.
Overall, the movie is in the top 10 list in Netflix even after two weeks of its OTT release.