Currently, the stories told by Bollywood can be broadly divided into two categories: on the one hand, there are those that promote a very toxic form of majoritarianism, and on the other, those that are so far removed from the reality we live in that their setting could be on Mars and it wouldn't make any difference.
Everything that exists between these two extremes and that attempts to reflect the times we live in is either not allowed to see the light of day or is censored so drastically that it makes artists regret choosing this profession. Don't believe me? Ask Honey Trehan. After working as a casting director, second unit director, and producer in the Hindi film industry for several decades, Trehan made his directorial debut with Raat Akeli Hai, where he tackled themes such as misogyny, the caste system, and pedophilia.
Director: Honey Trehan
Writer: Smita Singh
Stars: Radhika ApteIla, Arun, Aarushi Bajaj
He then went on to make Panjab '95, which still has no release date, probably due to its subject matter. While struggling with that, Trehan managed to make a sequel to his first film, titled Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders, whose existence seems like a true miracle. So let me celebrate it while it's still available, hoping to motivate Trehan to keep making more films like this.
Honey Trehan's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders, written by Smita Singh, reunites us with Jatil and Nandu, who are invited to the titular family's mansion to investigate the dead crows and pig's head found in their garden.
During their tour of the house, Jatil encounters Mahinder, Prashant, Madhav, Seema, Vivek, Aastha, Rihan, Aarav, and Meera Bansal; their servants Umesh, Om, Kajal, and Kajal's mother; and the Bansal family's spiritual guru, Guru Maa. Later, Jatil and Nandu investigate the house's security cameras, as well as those in the area, and find the two men who had committed the aforementioned act. Since they are employees of the Bansal family, and Rajeev, the founder of Newrise Media House, is an outcast from the family, it is presumed that he is the mastermind behind this entire crime.
However, when Nandu reveals that the call received by the perpetrators came from a phone linked to Prabhat Manthan Private Limited, Mahinder's company, Jatil rushes to the Bansal house to warn them of the possibility that their enemy is among them and not outside. It is then that he is shocked to discover the lifeless bodies of Mahinder, Prashant, Madhav, Seema, Vivek, and Aarav, as well as Om, brutally mutilated but still alive. The official version is that Aarav, with a history of drug addiction, lost control and killed his loved ones. However, as Jatil begins to unravel this tangle of half-truths and blatant lies, he realizes that there is much more to this case than meets the eye.
The Bansal murders address themes such as classism, systemic corruption, fraudulent guruism, subservient mainstream media, and much more. And what's surprising is that Singh's commentary is quite direct. It's vague enough not to raise suspicion, but incisive enough to be impactful. One of the most notable examples is the discourse surrounding the bulldozer, which has become synonymous with everything that is wrong with the concept of justice in India.
In itself, it is just a machine used in construction work, but with the right context, its true monstrous nature is revealed. Then there is the case of the gas leak, which is at the heart of the mystery, fictional enough not to generate lawsuits, but probably inspired by the LG Polymers incident in Visakhapatnam. However, Singh has played a masterstroke with censorship by bringing Guru Maa to life.
The way he has commented on how spirituality is used to influence politics, promote capitalism, and irrevocably destroy the law is simply masterful. In addition to all of this, Singh's characterization work, especially in the case of Jatil, is truly phenomenal, as it allows us to project all our complex feelings onto the experience of living in this hell, while simultaneously hinting that perhaps hope is just within reach.
Raat Akeli Hai suffered from prioritizing style over substance. In that film, it seemed Trehan and his team were so obsessed with creating perfect visuals that they forgot everything else needed to make a compelling film. The Bansal Murders has a washed-out look, it's true; however, Trehan and his team have ensured they put their best foot forward in terms of editing, pacing, background score, production design, costume design, art direction, sound design, location scouting, and much more. As mentioned earlier, Bollywood has developed a tendency to avoid showing the country we live in at all costs. They paint a picture of India where a city's geography doesn't reflect its inherent caste system and classism.
They make it seem like all those cleanliness campaigns were a huge success. And they pretend the country isn't riddled with chilling atrocities. Thankfully, Trehan and his team don't share that hypocritical mindset, which is evident in their use of wide shots, tone, and efficient storytelling to expose the rot festering at the heart of this once-great nation. However, the film isn't all doom and gloom. There are moments of levity and romance here and there. For the most part, though, Trehan sticks to the roots of film noir to deliver a thoughtful and somber cinematic experience.
All that being said, I believe the greatest achievement of The Bansal Murders is that it has somehow brought back the old Nawazuddin Siddiqui. The actor was known for getting under the skin of his characters and mesmerizing the audience. Then he became famous and started acting mechanically, so much so that you couldn't differentiate his performance as Jatil Yadav in Raat Akeli Hai from that of Deepak Singh Negi in Rautu Ka Raaz.
In this film, however, Nawazuddin as Jatil is completely different. He exudes a sense of weariness. His jokes or expressions of love have an undercurrent of pain. And when he explodes, it feels like he's been carrying the weight of the entire world on his shoulders. As for the rest of the cast, Deepti Naval has done an exceptional job.
The chemistry between Shreedhar Dubey and Nawazuddin is excellent. Chitrangada Singh is also quite good. Despite their brief screen time, Rajiv Gupta, Rajat Kapoor, Ila Arun Bajpai, Radhika Apte, Sanjay Kapoor, Rahaao Bali, and Akhilendra Mishra deliver superb performances. All in all, it's safe to say that this is one of the best Bollywood sequels of all time. Although this review is a bit vague to avoid spoilers, I assure you that its political commentary is incredibly insightful, making it a very relevant film. It's a miracle that it's available to the general public through Netflix and not confined to a small festival circuit. So, yes, I highly recommend it.
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