Rakkhosh
is India’s first complete POV (point of view) film, as well as,
technically the world’s first POV film shot with an appropriate
cinema camera set up, and I must say it makes for an interesting
medium – although in this film it could have made for a much
scarier experience if the set design and lighting was used in a
darker setting. Rakkhosh
is directed by the Filmfare award-winning film editor of the
acclaimed box-office hit "Queen" and co-directed by
Srivinay Salian who has also written the screenplay.
The
story takes place in an asylum, is a first person account of a
schizophrenic patient who shares fellow inmates’ fear of a
bogeyman/ malevolent force called ‘Rakkhosh’, the cause of
several disappearances from the asylum. Being a first person
narrative, the producers took up the challenge of choosing the point
of view film option, where the protagonist is the camera itself and
therefore is never visible. This works to an extent.
Rakkhosh
starts in the asylum, introducing us to the main characters who would
later dominate the paradigm of the story, but it is a very slow
burner with subtitles. Once it gets going, though, we are sucked into
a cat and mouse game of whodunit as well as whodeservesit,
so to speak. Much of the dialogue comes across as repetitive, even in
context, and so are the circumstances, leaving the audience feeling a
sense of déjà vu once too often. Our main character, Birsa, is
never seen as it is through his point of view we experience the
bizarre revelations of the film and his voice acting is done by Namit
Das (last seen in Pataakha, 2018).
Our
journey with Birsra is more than attempts at escaping and playing
witness to the drawing of each prospective victim. We see through his
eyes, the hostile villainy of an abusive father and brother which is
effectively disturbing when seen through first person eyes. These
pitiless acts of abuse leaves you contemplating whether emotional
trauma alone could effectively induce what is clinically called
‘mental illness’ or if one has to be predisposed for mental
breaks like schizophrenia and such. The stigmas involved is a rare
subject for Indian cinema, making these themes rather unprecedented
for this kind of film.
Eventually
we follow Birsa to another level of his treatment which reveals a
more deep-seated plot that is pleasantly brutal, a well-deserved bit
of ruckus we deserve after having to sit through the musical
interludes and monotonous character establishment.
The
acting ensemble is one of the strong suits of this movie, as the
supporting cast is made up of plenty of prominent actors in Indian
cinema, most of whose films have featured at Cannes and garnered
status as Oscar entries from India. However, if you are not used to
Indian cinema and its tendency to break out into song every few
scenes, you might want to get a heads-up. It feels unnecessary, but
it is important to remember that this is part of Indian cinema in
general.
Of all the details
of the film before viewing, I would have to say that only the climax
pushes it (barely) into the horror genre. If you are looking for a
terrifying ride like The
Other Side of the
Door,
this film will disappoint you utterly, because it fails to scare even
in the least. I blame that on the director and director of
photography’s lack of imagination when it comes to the technical
importance of lighting. In my opinion, a first person rendition of a
descent into a twisted world of experimentation and murder in a
run-down facility could have been a terror treasure, but alas,
Rakkhosh
leaves the lights on.
While Rakkhosh is currently in its festival run, we'd suggest checking it out when it hits the market. It's at least something different.
While Rakkhosh is currently in its festival run, we'd suggest checking it out when it hits the market. It's at least something different.
-Tasha Danzig
