Rani’s Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway, produced by Nikkhil and Monisha Advani, directed by Ashima Chibber (who previously directed Ho-Hum Mere Dad Ki Maruti for Yash Raj Films in 2013) and Nandita Das’s Zwigato, both produced by Applause Entertainment are far removed from the way mainstream entertainment is defined.
In fact Rani recommended director Ashima Chibber to the makers; The whole project was implemented almost entirely on the recommendation of the actress. More empowered actresses need to support non-traditional projects for them to achieve mainstream sanity.
Wouldn’t it be great if Madhuri Dixit dedicated herself to the Madhubala biopic, the way Rani did to Mrs Chatterjee?
Rani as Mrs Chatterjee is a force of nature who deserves every award for Best Actress. It is surprising to see how most critics missed the point of Queen’s performance. Whereas in reality it is not Rani but her character that is unsettling.
In our country, most critics mistake character for performance. Until this changes, we will always judge emotionally charged performances as ham.
In contrast, Nandita Das’s Zwigato validates all its protagonist’s feelings in subtle shades. Ratna Pathak Shah recently talked about the lack of nuance in mainstream Indian films like RRR. You want specifics? See Zweigato. There are no emotional outbursts, not even moments of revelation when Kapil Sharma’s character loses his job.
A leading filmmaker wonders why the ticket-seeking public would pay to see Kapil Sharma in cinemas when he gets them free every weekend.
To this line of strange reasoning, we take a counter-argument from the case of Jennifer Aniston and Sushant Singh Rajput. The two were seen on television for years before making it to the big screen to become superstars in their own right.
Kapil Sharma’s fan-base on the home viewing medium wants to see what he has done in Jwigato. And they won’t be disappointed. It should also be noted that Nandita Das’s cinema is not made for mass consumption. It is unlikely that Zwigato is seeking the kind of audience that made Pathan a global blockbuster.
With Rani Mukerji and Nandita Das reaching a niche audience, it is up to the audiences to give both the films the success they deserve this week.
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