The first question that comes to mind on way to watching 'Dansh' is - "Will the movie turn out to be a dark dramatic psychological tale of three individuals, as the promos suggest? Or would it be a mere damp squib with debutant director Kanika Verma trying to walk into a territory not explored by many?"
The answer to the first part of the question is in affirmative. Yes, the movie does engage you with its unconventional plot and though it may not be someone's idea of an ideal Saturday evening date, it would appeal to those craving for different subjects to come out of Bollywood. After Leena Yadav's 'Shabd' and Sudhir Mishra's 'Hazaaron Khwahishen Aisi', 'Dansh' is third such movie that follows an altogether different dimension when it comes to narration, and this is where its strength lies.
Based on director Roman Polanski's Death and the Maiden [1994] that starred Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley and Stuart Wilson, Dansh too revolves around three characters - a man, his wife and her suspected tormentor. In case of Dansh, the man is Kay Kay [Bhopal Express, Chhal, Hazaaron Khwahishen Aisi, Deewar, Sarkar], his wife Sonali Kulkarni [Mission Kashmir, Dil Chahta Hai] and the suspect Aditya Srivastava [Satya, Ek Hasina Thi, Matrubhoomi].
The movie is set in Mizoram and tells an untold story about the conflict between MNF [Mizo National Front] and Indian armed forces that began due to a natural disaster [famine], which resulted in the people of Mizoram turning against the Indian government. There is wide spread resentment that resulted in an ugly situation across everywhere. Peace appears to be round the corner with an agreement signed between MNF and the government in the year 1986. Though the locals still carried the feeling of hatred rooted in their hearts, the sane voice of their leader Mathew [Kay Kay] wanted to let bygones be bygones and urged everyone to start life afresh. This in spite of the fact this wife Maria [Sonali Kulkarni] too had fallen prey to the atrocities of the army!
Things seem to be settling down when a chance encounter with a Mizo doctor John [Aditya Srivastava] changes the lives of each of the three again. John too is a victim since his father was killed by MNF. Moving on in life, he was now settled in Mumbai. With a tragic past behind them and a shining future ahead, both Mathew and John meet at the house of the former for a round of drinks.
Twist in the tale comes with Maria's strong suspicion of John being her tormentor at an army camp where she was raped by him while she was blindfolded. Though she hadn't seen her rapist's face, her sixth sense was confident about John being a culprit. Its her turn now to torment the very same person and goes all out to make him confess to the crime, while he is tied on a chair. In this act of hers, she also pleads for support from her husband to kill him.
While Mathew is stuck between caring for his wife and whether to trust her instincts or not, there are another events from the past that unfold. Meanwhile the one room setting with the three characters lead to a conclusion on 'did he' or 'didn't he'........
Movies like Dansh fall like a pack of cards if there are two factors going against it - a convincing screenplay and strong performances. Thankfully that doesn't happen in Dansh with both the screenplay and performances deserving full marks for sheer conviction. Each of the three principal actors have gone all out in coming up with realistic performances with Kay Kay [as always] being a scene stealer.
A story that deserved to be told, it has a dark setting that is given a perfect mood due to Chirantan Das' cinematography. Dialogues are of the kind that one needs to listen carefully throughout without a break.
With zero frills in the movie a
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