Movie Review: Issues are big, stars are strong… yet ‘Kartavya’ remained incomplete, even Saif’s hard work could not save the film

In the era of OTT, there is no dearth of such films which claim to reveal the bitter truth of the society. Duty also seems to be moving on the same path. The film tries to touch upon many serious issues like casteism, honor killing, network of hypocritical babas, rot in the system and humanity all at once. On top of that, there are also strong actors like Saif Ali Khan, Rasika Duggal and Sanjay Mishra. Everything sounds strong, but the problem is that the film does not become as strong as its intentions. She wants to say a lot, but is unable to leave much impact. The length of this film is one hour 49 minutes. Dainik Bhaskar has given this film a rating of 2 stars out of 5. What is the story of the film? The story is set in the fictional town of Jhamli in Haryana, where honest police officer Pawan (Saif Ali Khan) considers his job not just a uniform but a responsibility. The matter gets complicated when a journalist, who is busy uncovering the dark secrets of the area’s influential Baba Anand Shree, reaches Jhamli. But before the truth can come out he is murdered. From here the story falls into a trap, where missing children, honor killings, caste pressure and the scary game of power start coming to light one by one. On the other hand, there is turmoil in Pawan’s house too, when his younger brother goes against the boundaries of society and marries someone from another caste. At many places the film asks the question what is the real duty of a human being. Responsibility towards family, job duty or courage to stand with the truth? The issues are strong, but the story itself loses its edge at times. Where a strong confrontation is required, the film manages itself a bit. Many twists become understandable in advance and the thrill of a thriller cannot be sustained. How is the acting of the star cast? Saif Ali Khan is the strongest link of this film. After a long time, he seems settled in the role of a police officer. The burden of responsibility, inner anger and restlessness to fight the system are clearly visible on his face. The good thing is that his character does not remain just a ‘hero policeman’ but also shows human weaknesses. Sanjay Mishra makes his presence felt, but his character did not get the opportunity to leave as much impact as it could have. Rasika Duggal leaves her mark even in less screen time, but not much comes in her part. Yudhveer Ahlawat impresses the most in the film. In the character of a boy crushed between pressure, fear and compulsion, he appears very truthful at many places and leaves an emotional impact. However, the weakest part of the film proves to be its villain. Saurabh Dwivedi, in the role of Baba Anand Shri, does not create as much fear or suspense as the story required. At many places his character seems less dangerous and more superficial, due to which the major conflict of the film gets weakened. How is the direction and technical aspects of the film? Director Pulkit’s intentions seem good. The film maintains its pace and something or the other is constantly happening, so there is no feeling of boredom. But just fast pace does not make a story effective, it also needs depth and the same is felt a little less here. What irritates the most is the visual treatment of the film. The raw, dusty and restless atmosphere that the story demands is not completely visible on the screen. The harsh world of Haryana looks cleaner and brighter than it should be. The result is that the filth and fear of the story do not reach the audience with full force. The dialogues are good at some places and also capture the Haryanvi tone. The background score does not overpower the story, which is a good thing. But the tension and suspense of a thriller fades away at many places. Weaknesses of the film: The biggest weakness of the film is its writing. Dhakti definitely touches on a lot of issues, but doesn’t hit on any one with full force. Be it the pain of honor killing, the fear of caste politics or the rot of the system, everything is visible in a little bit but not in full depth. Many characters seem half-baked and the story at times feels seen before. The film seems to choose the safe path instead of taking risks at every difficult turn, and this weakens its edge. Final Verdict, watch or not? Duty is not a bad movie at all. It has important issues, a good cast and some impactful moments. But every time it stops at the point where it should have been more sharp, angry and fearless. Saif Ali Khan’s honest performance tries its best to carry the film, but the weak writing and safe story don’t let it rise. This film raises many important questions, but slowly retreats before answering them.



Source link