UNGLI MOVIE REVIEW

According to the ancient period (Greece and Rome) the gesture of showing ‘the finger’ is to showcase the apotropaic potency; an act to depict disregard or degrade someone. This ancient concept is aptly used in the movie Ungli. The disrespect when transformed to providing a socially viable message, it creates a change in the minds of people in viewing the meaning of ‘the finger’.

 

Directed by Rensil D'Silva and produced by Karan Johar, Ungli is a refreshing end to the line of movies this month. Moving away from the mainstream elements, Rensil D’Silva has set out to give a message to the viewers. The casting of the movie sees well known performers like Emraan Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut, Sanjay Dutt, Randeep Hooda and Neha Dhupia whose acting is casual and noteworthy. 

 

The movie opens with the issue of pension for old age people and touches upon many challenges faced by the society. It is a drama where the gang ‘Ungli’ sets out to create a change in the society. The dialogues are well crafted by Milap Zaveri and he has done a fair job in the movie. One may feel a slight influence of the regular dialogues from his previous movie Rang De Basanti. The film stands out for its humor which is kept intact without deviating from the key concept. Though the screenplay is not new to the viewers, the actors are fresh and the delivery is precise. 

 

Emraan Hashmi’s love portions portrayed in the movie strikes a good balance amidst the serious tone of the script. A fine actress, Neha Dhupia is seen as a journalist and she has done just what is required of her. Needless to describe the very convincing cop, Sanjay Dutt who is a perfect fit for the character. After a commercial flick ‘Kick’, Randeep Hooda is back to the genre of his comfort and has given his best. Rest of the supporting actors is involved well in the script by sharing equal screen spaces. 

 

The film portrays interesting ridicules and mockery to convey a point on the societal corruptions by government officials in the city. The idea behind these ‘harmless crimes’ is to highlight the prevailing problem between the rich and poor. The movie revolves around corruption as the main problem along with other smaller problems leading the way, like demanding more money from the passengers by the auto wallas, bribery by the traffic police, dealings in the pension office etc. 

 

The movie mostly has night scenes along with the shades of blue and black tone highlighting the visuals and the BGM was a relief to showcase other emotions. An interesting combo of Salim-Sulaiman, Sachin-Jigar, Gulraj Singh and Aslam Keyi has contributed a fine work with the songs. Though the item number looks unnecessary in the film, the song ‘dance basanti’ has topped the charts after its release. The movie might lose its charm only for few elements such as the melodramatic dialogues, limited background information of the characters and inadequate reasoning for the formation of the gang name ‘Ungli’.

 

On the whole, one needn’t set out expecting a revolutionary impact but a much needed social message and awareness to stand up for the societal problems is a sure takeaway.