Filmi Review

Cast: Shreyas Talpade, Amrita Rao
Director: Shyam Benegal




Welcome to Shyam Benegal's world of enchanting social comment. Every character in this village of the damned, the doomed and remarkably redeemed is a stereotype. And yet, miraculously, every character is an individual, eccentric, quirky, blemished and yet so full of vitality vigour and energy that you wonder which came first...life, or life as seen through the eyes of Benegal's camera of innocence, candour and credibility.

This isn't Benegal's first broadly-designed, warmly-panoramic ensemble film. Earlier, the prolific director excelled in depicting the life of a specific community in "Mandi" and "Suraj Ka Satwan Ghoda" as a microcosm of a larger reality.

"Welcome To Sajjanpur" is enormously high on simplicity. To be simple in cinema is the most difficult thing in the world - especially when you attempt a film that subsumes an entire ethos of socio-political and cultural ideas on a rural society in tricky, torrential transition from blind faith to globalisation.

So, here in an exceptionally well-scripted film (Ashok Mishra), there's Ila Arun (deftly effective) as a woman determined to marry off her spunky daughter (Divya Dutta) to a dog to fob off a bad horoscope.

Bad karma nudges delicious satire in "Welome To Sajjanpur" as a closet-author whiles away his time writing letters for the illiterate, misguided villagers in a sleepy village that comes alive only at election time when a spirited eunuch takes on a local gangster at the elections.

The spirit of the missives, some sad, some satirical, others a bewildering Benegalesque blend of both, comes across in episodic overtures that lead us gently but persuasively from one issue - of widow remarriage (Ravi Kissan giving coy glances to Rajeswahri Sachdeva is a paisa-vasool sight) to another issue of rural migration.

Amrita Rao, in loud parrot-coloured saris and mannerisms suggesting an unspoilt naivete, is the bride-in-waiting whose husband has been gone to Mumbai for four years.

Shreyas Talpade is the letter writer given the task of informing Amrita's husband that the bride can wait no more. In a spurt of blinding self-interest, Talpade goes from detached letter-writer to attached Romeo and then to the penitent martyr with an ease, fluency and sauciness that the actor seems to muster up with a magician's flourish.

In a film flush with accomplished performances, Talpade holds the plot together like a voluminous book's spine - giving his bucolic character heart, charm and chutzpah.

This is Talpade's coming-of-age film. You really can't imagine any other leading man achieving the same level of connectivity with the character, plot and audience.

All the Benegal regulars - from Ila Arun to Rajit Kapur - show up in Sajjanpur with gratifying humility and warmth. Ravi Jhankal as the election-contesting eunuch and Yashpal Sharma as the eunuch's uncouth opponent stand out, if 'stand out' is the right term for a film where the actors become one with the characters in a seamless design celebrating life's most recognisable and basic emotions.

The costumes (Pia Benegal) tend to get a little touristy at times. And the dialogues (Ashok Mishra again) sometimes lean towards the lewd to salute the boorish rustic ambience. These are not traits you would expect in Benegal's film. But then he needs to keep up with the times. A fact that seems to have bypassed the soporific slumber-dwellers of Sajjanpur as they battle between hand-written postcards and sms communications, finally allowing the former to rule the roost until further notification.

This is a film where every character - big or small - stands tall in his or her naïve insularity from forces of corruptibility that threaten to break down their doors.

Sajjanpur echoes a 1977 film "Palkon Ki Chaon Mein" where Rajesh Khanna played the village postman trying not to get too involved with the local people's domestic problems. Talpade doesn't try that hard.

This is not Benegal's most subtle work of his prolific career. But it is one of his warmest, funniest and raunchiest pieces of cinema - where every character is a human being you'd bump into if you visit a Sajjanpur. Not too many films do that these days.

Cast: Shreyas Talpade, Amrita Rao
Director: Shyam Benegal




Director Shyam Benegal, better known for his films like Manthan, Sardari Begum and Zubeida, has decided to venture into a new stream of cinema and make comic satires, as it is one of the most appreciated genres by the audiences today.

His directorial first in comedy titled "Welcome to Sajjanpur", originally titled Mahadev Ka Sajjanpur, is a movie about few characters from the Sajjanpur village with a perfect blend of rustic comedy and drama. Shreyas Talpade, Amrita Rao, Ravi Kishan, Ila Arun, Divya Dutta and Rajeshwari Sachdev form the different characters of this small village.

Mahadev is one of the few educated young men from Sajjanpur. His ambition is to be a novelist but finds it easier to make a living by writing letters sitting next to the post office. His ability to write persuasive letters makes him popular with the largely non-literate population of the town. Aware of this power, he soon uses his talent to manipulate people with amusing and sometimes not such amusing results.

With this as the narrative frame, Welcome to Sajjanpur shows in an entertaining, musical and comic way, characters and events that are at once hilarious and poignant. A delightful satirical take on a contemporary Indian village.

I entered the movie hall wondering if a director who has always concentrated on thought-provoking serious movies successfully directs a comedy flick. And as the reels of Welcome to Sajjanpur unveiled I was taken by surprise by the Benegal has handled this movie. His experience and talent as a director is evident in his very first attempt in a new genre.

Welcome to Sajjanpur stands out for its simplicity and its characters with whom you can easily connect and relate to. The movie doesn't have a strong plot, no glam and no action either. But the way each character and the life and sensitivity of the characters is portrayed makes it worth a dekho on the big screen.

No, Welcome isnt without its share of flaws. At many situations the village seems to be quite open minded. The villagers keep their mouths shut when Kamala, a married woman, goes on a cycle with a young and unmarried long lost friend of her's Mahadev who in turn is known for his mischievous nature. When in reality, such things are a taboo in Indian villages. Many such cinematic liberties have been taken which are quite hard to digest.

The songs too act as speed breakers and slow the pace considerably. To be frank, the songs werent great and unnecessarily added to the runtime.

Shreyas Talpade is the soul of Welcome to Sajjanpur. He is brilliant with his comic timing and performs the emotional scenes to perfection. Its hard to imagine anyone, other than probably someone as versatile as Aamir Khan, in the role of Mahadev. Amrita Rao has worked hard for her role, again Shyam Benegal has managed to extract a praise-worthy performance from the beautiful actress. There are so many characters in this character-driven film and almost all have done a comendable job. Except Ravi Kishen, he's over the top throughout.

To sum up, Welcome to Sajjanpur is average. It has its moments, the concept is different. The movie will hold more appeal to the 25+ (age) audience. At the box-office, the only chance of survival is strong word of mouth!

Cast: Shreyas Talpade, Amrita Rao
Director: Shyam Benegal




Bhelcome, o, bhelcome- all you sajjan members of the audience. Benegal Babu's latest phillum is one rather unsatisfying chillum and leaves one with mixed feelings, as by its end it clearly overstays its bhelcome. Welcome To Sajjanpur is that breeze of fresh air that doesn't quite blow you away.

What it's about: The film is a social satire set in a quaint North Indian village with its unique bunch of colorful characters- or as many may argue- caricatures. The film unfolds through the eyes of Mahadev (played by Shreyas Talpade), an aspiring novelist, who being the only literate individual in the hamlet earns a living by writing eloquently worded letters for the many illiterate people in the village. The film and its characters thus unfold through the protagonist's bittersweet encounters with them.

What didn't work: Okay, bad things first. There's not much of a story here, in the first place, and the film depends almost totally on its characters, most of which are hardly memorable or exceptionally performed. The satirical yarn is more preachy than sharp, and at nearly three hours, it clearly begins to descend into tedium. Perhaps the makers realized this, and hence we have an abruptly wrapped up end that leaves us even more dissatisfied. Shantanu Moitra's music, barring the peppy and upbeat Sitaram number, is tepid and eminently forgettable, besides the fact that the listlessly picturised songs only hamper the narrative. The film also often feels oddly staged and the writing very play-like, and while this may be deliberate, it somehow doesn't really work. But the main flaw here is the screenplay, which meanders way too much into fickle subplots, many of which are pretty pointless.

What worked: Shreyas Talpade. The actor mostly reduced to playing sidekicks finally gets his due in a film again after Iqbal and Dor, and he doesn't disappoint. Talpade is endearing and earnest and he is definitely the glue that keeps you on your seat and the disjointed screenplay from falling apart totally. Writer Ashok Mishra may have faltered otherwise, but he writes with an assured hand, and his dialogues even when risqué have an old-world charm and understated quality to them. Of the supporting cast, watch out for Ravi Jhankal who is clearly the standout in the supporting cast for his stellar and spirited portrayal of the feisty eunuch Munnibai. While it lacks it depth or coherence, Welcome To Sajjanpur is clearly both well intentioned and socially responsible, both salient features of all of Shyam Benegal's films.

Bottom line: People expecting too much out of Shyam Benegal, considering his past body of work are bound to be disappointed. Still, the weight of expectation aside Welcome To Sajjanpur is not a bad watch- it's honest cinema that's rare to come by these days, even if it is ultimately deeply flawed.

Cast: Shreyas Talpade, Amrita Rao
Director: Shyam Benegal




It’s a wonderful word. Whether it’s a political piggy, a demented woman who can only cry through her nose (?), or a clinic ‘compounder’ who flips out for the village widow, they speak a lingo that’s absolutely earthy, downright bingo.

In fact, the spine of Shyam Benegal’s Welcome to Sajjanpur is its rustic, colloquial dialogue. Co-written with Ashok Mishra (who must be saluted for the dialogue dexterity), Benegal’s screenplay pauses to spare a thought for the near extinct art of letter writing. Sure, you may sense some echoes of Brazil’s Central Station and even the French classic Cyrano De Bergerac. The long-nosed Cyrano played Socially concerned as always, Benegal articulates several points. Take widow remarriage which culminates in a tragedy and is so resonant of today’s headlines
Cupid there, here it’s just the opposite.

The letter writer (Shreyas Talpade) is being deceitful and loving it. He’s a wannabe Premchand in a surrounding that’s as conducive to writing as a pen without a nib. Ergo, he dreams big but lives in a hamlet that doesn’t know its ABCD. And right now, he’s attempting to snatch his childhood sweetheart (Amrita Rao) from her husband who hasn’t been back to the muluk for ages. Aah, the letter writer could do with some romancing. But sorry, there are too many assorted nuts around, including a hilarious snake medicine man who carries a rubber cobra. Why? Just.

Socially concerned as always, Benegal articulates several points. Take widow remarriage which culminates in a tragedy and is so resonant of today’s headlines. In Sajjanpur, also enter and exit, a headstrong scooter-riding girl, the gangster-like politician, and heavens, even a group of eunuchs out to contest the elections and assert that they’re human too.

Because of the restraint in directing potentially David Dhawanish material, Benegal frequently gets away even with risqué humour. Throughout the comedy, there’s no indulgence in slapstick. Instead, there are wise and witty moments that make you smile or guffaw at human foibles.

Quite clearly though, the song situations and their picturisations are super-tacky (like the blingy white curtains as backdrop for a dream sequence). Oddly, the background score often breaks into an American country-and-western jig. And towards the finale, certain aspects are much too hokey pokey – like a publisher’s smarmy questions about the intricacies of the story that you have just seen. Indeed, there’s something much too contrived about wrapping up the loose ends. Did Benegal run out of stock or inspiration, or both?

But then who’s perfect? Besides spinning a charming yarn, Benegal bankably draws a first-rate ensemble performance. Shreyas Talpade, after Iqbal, gets a role worthy of his calibre. He’s terrific. Amrita Rao is sweetness personified. Cameos from Ravi Kissan, Divya Dutta and Yashpal Sharma are lifelike.

Yup, so Sajjanpur is different, it has a conscience, and merits a ticket from those who have one too.