The camera smoothly pulls out as a judge seated, towering over the lawyers and other people, announces his solemn verdict, ending with the phrase ‘Hanged By The Neck’. Then, all of a sudden, the scene, living up to the film’s name, shifts to the guilty, Major Ranjit Khanna (Vinod Khanna), fear growing on his face and then he unbuttons the top buttons of his shirt and caresses his clavicle. Cue intense, brooding music.
Whoa!
Such is the sudden impact that writer-director
Gulzar delivers in this incisive, gritty yet heartfelt and warm story of a man
facing a death sentence and the twirling emotions that exist in his mind. Death
is imminent but hope is also close at hand. Gulzar, with his trademark poetic
style, captures the twilight dawning on such a man and makes us feel through
those emotions as well.
Ranjit Khanna, absconding from the police, is
injured by a gunshot and he lands up in hospital. Narrative flashbacks tell us
his past, though interestingly enough, we only learn what matters- of his
married life with Pushpa, his early military training and the twin murders- of
his wife and her lover that actually leads to his arrest.
Gulzar’s magnificent touch usually lies in the warm
approach that he lends to his story. However, here, the most amazing and
knock-out touches are when he, with an almost-Hitchcock-like style, delivers
the short, sharp shocks. The editing is mastery, as is
Gulzar’s penchant for
nuances. When Ranjit first hits upon the truth of his wife’s infidelity, the
film captures effectively the turbulent chaos that unfolds in his mind. Gulzar
menacingly cuts away to the battlefield where Ranjit is seen fighting a war and
killing the enemy soldiers, a task for which he wins a bravery medal. Early, in
the film, a doctor attending to him wonders that he would get a death sentence
for simply two murders. The irony is perfect and hard-hitting.
With a menacingly vicious style, Gulzar depicts the
twin murders. And there is much to admire how he frames the scenes, both in visual
and narrative terms. Ranjit removes his knife as his traitor friend talks about
watching ‘Dirty Dozen’ with Pushpa and the scene, like a truly masterful
editing cut, cuts back to the past- Ranjit being trained to use the bayonet.
Then, later, when hesitating to kill his wife, the scene shifts, suddenly, to a
class where army recruits are taught a trick to suffocate a person by applying
pressure on his jugular vein. In both instances, the murders are not directly
shown. Rather, Gulzar ratchets up the tension and adroitly cuts away and yet
each scene is horrific and the effect is spine-chilling and scary.
Gulzar is also known for writing wise and clever
dialogue and ‘Achaanak’ is no exception. The dialogue, powerful as it is, is
alternately light, conversationally humorous, tense, taut and wonderfully
nuanced. The light and romantic moments between Ranjit and Pushpa are
wonderfully complimented by warm dialogue- the best lines are ‘Ek Dum Tube
Light Ho, Jaise Tum Thode Der Se Samajhte Ho, Waise Woh Thodi Der Se Jalti Hai’
and a laugh-out loud and subtly mischievous reference to lipstick. The more
tense moments have their own glittering lines- Ranjit openly admits that the
bravery medal makes him feel uneasy and afraid and then he wonders if his
friend, the traitor Prakash has seen the medal. And earlier, Ranjit insists on
wearing the muftis whilst going to a movie by saying that he should be seen as
Major Ranjit and not just Ranjit. The incident replays, albeit in different
context, later as Ranjit dresses up himself as Major after killing his wife.
Aw!
There is enough of lightness and warmth in the film
to make it a profoundly moving experience- Ranjit develops a steady friendship,
almost close to brotherhood with a nurse (Farida Jalal) and teases her about
her secret lover and Gulzar captures their brief relationship with such
poignancy and humor that it is difficult not to be moved as it tragically ends.
Above all, the film tells us some solid truths- a
criminal may not be necessarily an evil person. And most importantly, it asks
us the question- does such a man still deserve to die. As in the end, the film
reminds us that the law has a moral duty to abide and it cannot filch from its
responsibilities.
But none of it feels preachy. At 95 minutes,
‘Achaanak’ not only feels crisp and sharp but also economical and precise. The
film ends where it has to end and the tone easily flips between romance, humor,
tension and suspense.
Playing a good-natured and well-intentioned man
driven to cold-blooded murder, screen hunk Vinod Khanna invests wonderful
subtlety and brooding intensity in the role. He is tender and affectionate when
required and equally intense and devastated when confronted with circumstances.
He is the soul of the film even if the supporting cast, including Iftekhar as a
solid colonel and Om Shivpuri as a principled doctor, do quite well.
Watch ‘Achaanak’ to see Gulzar at the top of his
storytelling form and to see a film that presents its arguments with
hard-hitting realism yet subtly and intelligently.
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