Wake Up India

Story: A girl (Sai Tamhankar) stages protest against the system, when cops refuse to lodge a complaint against the 75-year-old Chief Minister, who allegedly raped her.

The accused minister neither denies, nor reacts to the allegations, while the girl and her lawyer (Chirag Patil) stick to their statement. The scandal sends the media and various political parties into frenzy. Mahila mandals and opposition party members add fuel to the fire, while the ruling party members curse the CM, fearing they might lose power due to the controversy. But is the girl speaking the truth?

Review: Given the gruesome rape cases that have occurred in recent past, Balatkar is too strong a word to be thrown around liberally, even if it’s done to expose the incompetency of our corrupt politicians. Barring that, the film has its heart in the right place. It manages to send out a strong message to unapproachable netas, who forget their responsibilities, the moment they acquire power. But is ‘good intent’ enough for a film, which hopes to bring about a revolution?

News of cops refusing to lodge an FIR, politicians making deceptive speeches to the poor for votes, helpless cops blindly following orders…the issues raised here are valid but the execution is immature.

A little insensitivity could be forgiven, provided the dialogues are sensible and realistic. Over-exaggerated lines like, “Journalism ek fearless job hai, sab pimp hai, usne rape kiya kaise hoga’makes it all look like a joke. Performances are decent, while the sloppy production value lessens the impact of a story which ideally had potential.

The biggest drawback of this socio-political drama is the fact that we do not find ourselves sympathising with the characters. They do not motivate us enough to speak up either. The film has a deeper message to it than condemning rape and rapists. It keeps us guessing. Sadly, this whole ‘common man’s struggle’ comes across as too simple a fight and thus unconvincing.