Idee Sangati Review

A thriller that is not exactly a thriller, that is Idee Sangati in short. Well, it is more of a chase story to corner the culprits. Not that they are gun-touting bad guys wearing shades and masterminding the plot in plush night clubs. Idee Sangati has simple people, the kind of people we meet everyday, who could turn into petty criminals, in a moment of greed. Chandra Siddhartha's or rather his borrowed characters from Patanjali's once popular novel are ordinary people leading mundane lives, but dreaming of making it big some day. It is this greedy ol' devil hidden in all human beings that Siddhartha chooses to explore and capitalize on, in Idee Sangati.

So, his main protagonists are a middle class couple Swarajya Lakshmi and her journalist husband Murthy. A crime reporter, he settles deals for small fry, to make some extra cash. His wife is like any other housewife, who dreams to have a life of comforts `someday'. However, our Swarajya Lakshmi is no torch bearer of high ideals and values. She is one rooted in reality and does not mind how her husband makes additional income, as long he makes some. Life goes on as usual in their household, till a train accident wrecks havoc in their peaceful world.

Mumbai Express gets derailed leading to death and a suitcase full of missing diamonds worth Rs 500 crore. Now, that is bound to turn anyone's life upside down. So, it does for Swarajya Lakshmi and Murthy. From then on, their life is no longer under their control as the cops and just about everyone is on the lookout for stolen diamonds, the Prime Minister's office included. This brings in more and more characters into the picture taking the story along. The finale, however, is on expected lines.

The film has it all to make it a superb rob and run story. However, the director focuses more on highlighting the human nature more than on the crime. In the bargain, we are left with a film that neither thrills nor chills. Also, it is an average budget film, so it does not have any scintillating chase sequences or extravagantly shot songs. The dialogues are good at places and that is a saving grace to a certain extent.

To be fair to the director, he does not digress from his story and does not toss in unnecessary elements to make it spicier. Having said that, the film begins to slow down in the second half, as there is not enough content to hold it through.

Abbas looks perfect as a street-smart journalist of a small time newspaper. He looks the age and the part. Being Tabu, she plays the ideal middle class housewife who wants to go up the ladder, with perfection. She brings in her quirks to Swarajya Lakshmi's character. Given that she is an award-winning actress, it is not very surprising though. But she does look too old for her age, more so in close-ups. You cannot help but notice her struggle, as if she is making a huge effort to get used to the commercial genre, in places. For her part, she tries her best to convince filmmakers that she still has it in her to do commercial films.

The rest of the cast fit their parts well. As for the film itself, some good songs could have helped it. On the other hand, the director could have made the film shorter by tightening the script and doing away with unnecessary songs. For example, one song has been included just to give some screen time to Raja, who is cast in an inconsequential role.

Finally, the film is a no-nonsense flick. But it would be interesting to see if the audience would appreciate something that is so simple!

Cast: Tabu, Abbas, Raja, Sunil, Kota Srinivasa Rao among others

CREDITS:

Music Director: John P Varky

Productor & Director: Chandra Siddhartha