Santosh has been selected to represent India in the International Oscar category. Crouched in this brooding, well-acted and adeptly structured two-hour mystery, viewers will find layers upon layers of social critique of modern Indian society.
We meet Santosh (Shahana Goswami) just as her husband Raman has been killed while on duty for the local police. In one of the next scenes, the camera watches her, head bowed, as her parents and in-laws argue over who will take care of her now. She’s not deciding her future, they are. When she’s offered the opportunity to “inherit” Raman’s job in what’s called a “compassionate appointment,” drawing a salary as well as widow’s compensation and an apartment in the deal, she jumps on it.
This economical opening offers us all kinds of details, beyond the disempowered status of women, such as that Santosh’s was a “love marriage,” and that her husband was respected for his integrity. Although we are only just getting to know the film’s protagonist, these details set her up as a hero worthy of our support. As this sophisticated tale unfolds, however, we find ourselves questioning our own faith in Santosh, realizing how little we have actually been told.
Santosh initially tries to do good in her role as “lady constable,” but the male-led police force is corrupt to its core, bullying or ignoring lower castes, accepting bribes and serving as the butt of online jokes about their incompetence. When Santosh gets wrapped up in a case of a murdered 15-year-old girl, led by female superior Geeta Sharma (Sunita Rajwar), she finds skills and courage she didn’t know she had.
Santosh leans on her superior for assistance, but then finds herself trapped in following her lead on questionable methods and ethics. It appears that’s just the way things are done, and there are “untouchables” that you don’t want to touch in India just as there are wealthy landowner “untouchables” you cannot touch, even with the law on your side. At least in Sharma’s case her motivation includes helping empower women.
Goswami is physically perfect for this role, not just because her natural good looks can be comfortably played down to appear more average. It’s her wide eyes that are most memorable. They embody the character’s own metaphorical eye-opening. The camera also takes on her wide-eyed perspective in some scenes; in others, it accompanies her and witnesses her contained anger, humiliation, pride and understanding.
Review originally published on AWFJ.org
Images courtesy of Metrograph Pictures
BeauTifully written and under.