SANTOSH
2024 • Crime, Drama, Thriller
Director: Sandhya Suri
Cast: Shahana Goswami, Sunita Rajwar, Sanjay Bishnoi, Kushal Dubey
🎯 Verdict
"पूलिस आपकी मित्र हे, न कि विरोधी। थाना आपका है। हमारी नियुक्ति आपकी सुरक्षा के लीये हुई है। (The Police Are your friend, not your opponent. The Police Station belongs to you. We are appointed for your safety.) - A board hanging on a wall of the police station in Santosh reads."
✍️ Full Review
A multitudinous portrayal of an outmoded hierarchy, its domineering power and how it leads to corruption, misogyny, tribal thinking and brutality through the instrument of twisted weaponization of misguided empowerment and a character study in execution of intersectionality. All of this in a photorealistic authentic display of the conduct of the Indian law enforcement. No wonder CBFC flagged this movie and sabotaged Santosh’s release for over one year.
The radiating potential of perfect casting through auditions is very palpable in this police procedural which is more about dissecting the archaic conventions and the systems in place that perpetuate those conventions with unchecked traditional top brasses. I bet even Bollywood producers and casting directors would ask who was that upon stumbling across Sahana Goswami and Sunita Rajwar. Both gave their career-best performances even with Miss Goswami’s acting in Rock On!!, Firaaq, Gali Guleyian and Rajwar’s roles from Ek Chalis Ki Last Local and Manthara in the modern rendition of Ramayan to Stree, Bala and Gullak to Panchayat, already at both their disposal.
Basically, Santosh asks a simple question very much related to the realism associated with Hindi Cinema and shows- What comes to our minds when we think about credible genuineness in terms of bona fides of the Indian auteurs who have created accurately original films surrounding persons in khaki uniforms given the recent atrocity that is the Cop Universe? Visaranai? Nayattu? Jai Bhim? Delhi Crimes? Santosh implores- Think Again!!!