‘I’ve never had a deeper conversation while shitting’
…… said Gangaram (entitled as ‘Sherdil’), after having the following conversation.
Jim: But think about it, both our faiths preach...What we must eat, what we mustn’t, but in the end, it all turns into shit. And shit has no religion, no caste. It’s the same for everyone.
Gangaram: When you’re pooping it out, whether you’re rich or poor, no matter what your faith, class, or caste, it’s all the same.
Jim: And with time, that’s what we all become. Time engulfs us, and we become its excreta. In the end, we turn to earth. As ashes... or as the soil from the grave. We become nothing but manure.
'Sherdil- The Pilibhit Saga’ (‘Sherdil’ is a metaphoric word in Hindi language, which means ‘Such a lion Brave’, and 'Pilibhit’ is a village in Uttar Pradesh, India, where the story was plotted) is a 2022 Indian drama film which is written and directed by Srijit Mukherji and produced by T-Series and Reliance Entertainment Studios. This film was marked significantly, due to the last playback song from the Indian famous singer KK, who passed away a few weeks earlier of the film's release. The public rating of this film is now on IMDB- 6.9/10 and I personally rated this film 8/10 due to its great simplicity in the screenplay and the dialogues.
I don't intend this as praise, but this is not a movie that one can easily forget. An actor of ‘Pankaj Tripathi's’ level (as Gangaram) rarely makes one cringe while watching him perform. The vivid memory of witnessing ‘Neeraj Kabi’ (as Jim Ahmed), the jungle-philosopher-turned-poacher Jim Ahmed named after ‘Jim Corbett', defecating with Gangaram and philosophizing while crouching on one's haunches, filled the theater. It will be remembered as a missed chance!
The story is based on true events where local communities residing near the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve reportedly sent their elders into the forest to become tiger prey in order to earn financial compensation. The systemic neglect and poverty that brought people to this precarious point are starkly brought to mind, but citizen like Gangaram is unable to make the government system feel the urgency or keep their attention.
Gangaram is one of the Sarpanches (Village leaders) in his village. The crop is being destroyed in his village. He requests government assistance, but they want proof. Although Sherdil (Gangaram) lacks the intelligence or competence to do so, his desire to be a leader, save his struggling community, and pursue greatness even at the expense of his own life is an intriguing facet of his nature. He finally decided to go to the jungle and get preyed on by the tiger.
The story's setup took up a significant portion of the tale, which makes the proceedings lengthy. In the second half, the film's messages have come over much more clearly through its satirical, philosophical, and occasionally political-themed discourse. The first half seems slow in comparison to the second half, which has way too much pace. A more accurate balance might have worked. However, the cinematography and sound design deserve praise. The soundtrack of the movie, however, deserves special attention. Though it hasn't received much publicity, the movie contains some amazing earthy songs that are original and exquisitely crafted to fit the scenes in the movie.
For the acting and perfect expression with dialogues here, Pankaj Tripathi is the savior. He is flawless as in Gangaram. Second place goes to Neeraj Kabi as Poacher Jim, and I wish I had seen more of him. It will make you question why this didn't begin a bit earlier in the runtime because their conversations in the bush reveal so much about the battle between humans and animals, poverty and greed, as well as a few other important topics. ‘Sayani Gupta’ (as lajjo) is capable of sustaining her meager screen time. But the other supporting actors had very little to do.
The only remaining notion is that this could have been a suspenseful man vs animal story. The film deftly draws attention to the ways in which humans have invaded animal habitats, how much more greedy people are than any animal could possibly be, and how, despite religious divisions, nature has created everyone more alike than not. But these topics are only briefly mentioned throughout the movie, almost like it is rushing to its conclusion.
I, personally enjoyed the movie. I will encourage you to watch, at least to experience Pankaj Tripathi’s expression, acting, and dialogue delivery. Overall, the screenplay, cinematography, and late timing of the climax can be overlooked by the sound of farting scenes by Gangaram. The soundtracks are really good compositions but long enough to get bored soon.
However, Happy watching, and don’t forget to leave your comment below.
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Image: Screen shots