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| Edited By: Dhiren |Source: |Updated: Sep 23, 2015, 03:48 PM IST
Reviewed by Dhiren
Director: Kanika Verma
Cast: Kay Kay Menon, Sonali Kulkarni, Aditya Srivastava
As the makers of Mangal Pandey would have learnt the hard way, making movies on historical facts can be quite risky. If the treatment is superficial, the movie falters. Thankfully, Dansh does not fall prey to this trap and thus makes for an extremely riveting movie.
The story is fairly complex and alludes to a historical incident which many Indians may not even remember. It deals with the rocky past of Mizoram and the story of its famous bamboo jungles that sparked off a struggle for independence in the estranged state. The freedom struggle, which lasted 30 years, was led by Mizo National Front (MNF). In 1986, the peace treaty between MNF and the Indian government was finally signed.
The story of Dansh begins on the day the peace treaty is signed. The drama unfolds through three main protagonists Mathew (Kay Kay), the MNF spokesman and an architect of the peace treaty, his wife Maria (Sonali Kulkarni), his wife and also a victim of the atrocities inflicted by the Indian army during the freedom struggle. The third character is John Sanga (Aditya Srivastava), a person antagonised by the death of his father, the DGM of Mizoram, at the hands of the MNF.
The movie is a psychological drama that draws the audiences' interest through gradual revelations in the lives of the three main characters. The movie is enjoyable to say the least. It keeps you on the edge of your seat at all times. That is quite something considering the fact that a major portion of the movie happens between three people and four walls.
Sonali Kulkarni is the central character in this movie and she is fantastic. She needs to display a vast range of very complex emotions in this movie and she pulls it off very well. Kay Kay is an extremely talented actor and he has proven that time and again. It's no different in Dansh. He has turned in an extremely competent performance.
Full marks to first time director, Kanika Verma for tackling such a complex story and executing it with utmost precision. It's her vision that has made this movie so riveting. All in all, Dansh is a fantastic movie.
We need to realise that movies are not commercial or art, they are just great, good, or bad. And Dansh borders between good and great.
