Strangers: A Must Watch
Despite being his first feature Anand Rai successfully proves his mastery over the medium and paints the film in a curious dark mood where things appear believable, eerie and (dark) humorous at the same time, writes Bikas Mishra
Strangers: A Must Watch
It’s centered around two characters Sanjeev Rai ( Kay Kay Menon) and Rahul (Jimmy Shergill). Rai is a successful businessman however his personal life is overburdened by the grief of loss of his young son that drove his wife insane. Rahul is a failed writer, highly complexed at his unemployment and the fact that he’s living off his wife’s money. He lives in a constant fear of her sleeping around with everyone she meets.
Two men, tormented by their wives to the extent that they plan to get rid of them. The film proceeds almost like a dark comedy replete with near surrealistic scenes and witty dialogues. However in the second half it comes closer to the Hitchcockian strategy of suspense and revelation. Yes, the film is inspired by the master of the suspense thrillers Alfred Hitchcock but it’s not a ‘lift off”, rather Strangers is a very intelligent tribute to the great master.
First half of the film is constructed as a conversation between two complete strangers on a train. During their conversation the director keeps bringing to us images from Rahul’s past as vignettes who has had an unsuccessful relationship with vivacious Priety (Nandana Sen).
Film is structured very interestingly where past keeps coming back in flashes, in a non linear but coherent fashion. Flashbacks and conversations almost merge into each other to create a cohesive sense of sequentiality.
Despite being his first feature Anand Rai successfully proves his mastery over the medium and paints the film in a curious and dark mood where things appear believable, eerie and (dark) humorous at the same time. A great beginning Anand!
Strangers is a film that belongs to the multiplex era. It’s not meant for the “masses” hence expecting a hoopla around it at the box wouldn’t be fair. Nevertheless it makes for a sumptuous watch. If you like the genre thriller and have a taste for quality cinema, Strangers is a must watch.
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