It’s a word not usually associated with a compliment but ‘numb’ is perhaps the highest accolade Anurag Kashyap could receive for his film, Ugly. A film that revolves around the dark and ugly side of human nature, Ugly has a powerful impact that can only be described thus – after the end credits roll, all you want to do is shut yourself away and judge not just yourself but everyone you know. Writer and director of the film, Kashyap has presented his film in such a harsh way that you start hating even, well, the filmmaker himself!
We’ve had filmmakers who make you fall in love with their creation but here’s Mr Kashyap who makes you hate him for showing the brutal reality of human nature on celluloid. This is sheer brilliance, not just as a writer but also a director. There aren’t many filmmakers who can virtually hypnotise their audience with their films and Anurag Kashyap is one of them. Salute to Mr Kashyap!
We must also mention casting director Mukesh Chhabra, who does a fantastic job of getting the perfect actor to play every character but the real heroes of the film are its writer-director, editor and background music director.
With a subject that is very dark yet engrossing, Ugly overwhelms your senses and is hard to shake off for a long time afterwards. It is depressing and full of violence but it is so real that it engulfs you, in no small measure due to its interesting presentation.
Shalini (Tejaswini Kolhapure) is a middle-class housewife forced to stay at home by her second husband, police chief Shoumik (Ronit Roy). She is a lonely woman who often drowns her sorrows in alcohol. She considers suicide, and one fine afternoon she is about to shoot herself with her husband’s gun. Her suicide attempt is interrupted by her daughter, Kali (Anishika Shrivastava), who asks her to call her estranged father, Shalini’s ex-husband, Rahul (Rahul Bhat), who is supposed to pick up Kali for their day out. Rahul, an aspiring actor struggling to make it big, comes to pick her up for a drive but pays her no attention in favour of phone calls concerning his career. Finally, Rahul leaves Kali alone in the car to meet his casting agent, Chaitanya (Vineet Kumar Singh). When he returns to the car, Kali is missing.
Rahul contacts the police, Chaitanya in tow. The local police officer in-charge, Jadhav (Girish Kulkarni), does not take Rahul seriously until he realises that Kali is the step-daughter of the police chief. Shoumik, who hates Rahul, orders Jadhav to accuse Rahul and Chaitanya of the kidnapping and to torture both of them during interrogation. The situation turns explosive when each character’s ugly side surfaces as they try to benefit from Kali’s kidnapping. How the plot further unfolds forms the crux of the story.
Writer-director Anurag Kashyap keeps the story crisp with engrossing screenplay and snappy dialogue. If the first half is full of humour with tongue-and-cheek one-liners and unique presentation, the second half is nothing short of an edge-of-the-seat thriller. In the second half, the film becomes a tad heavy and there are some unnecessary scenes but the impact of the film is so great that you forgive these oversights. Every character in the film gives you goosebumps with their ugly side.
The depth of each character infuses every scene with a spectral energy. Like when Rahul and Chaitanya approach the police to report Kali missing, the reaction of local police officer Jadhav is priceless. Jadhav injects much-needed zest into the scene, which lifts the screenplay to another level with a dark shade of comedy. However, the scene that follows, between Rahul and Shoumik, is brutal.
The background score and songs are another asset and they blend with the narrative beautifully. Editing by Aarti Bajaj is another USP of the film. With a runtime of 127 minutes, Ugly has no dull moments and keeps you glued and guessing all the time. Cinematography by Nikos Andritsakis is spectacular. Costumes and locations are apt and add to the story.
Performance-wise, Ronit Roy is a show-stealer as he stays true to his character and portrays his part with élan. An award-winning performance, for sure! Rahul Bhat plays his character with the right amount of naivety and is fantastic. Tejaswini Kolhapure impresses. Vineet Kumar Singh delivers a poignant performance and is top-notch. Surveen Chawla is excellent. A special mention for Girish Kulkarni who impresses with his character portrayal. He essays his character flawlessly. Siddhant Kapoor is good. The others, from Anshikaa Shrivastava to Jayant Gadekar, Sandesh Jadhav, Madhavi Singh, Murari Kumar and Sujay Shankarwar are impeccable in their respective roles. The rest of the cast fits the bill perfectly.
Verdict: New-age cinema that can’t be missed! A must watch!
