A lady is lying on her bed cradled in a guy’s arms -he kisses her tenderly-this could have been a love scene-just that THE MAN’S HANDS ARE RED WITH BLOOD AND THE LADY IS DEAD
A lady slips off a crowded pavement. Not an uncommon occurrence. Just that she is immediately run over by a speeding vehicle, INSTANT BLOODY DEATH.
A bank robbery by a comical looking villain. His work done, his gun triggers off. Villains ARE generally Trigger friendly, just that here, the victim of the bullet is the cashier-this too not uncommon-just that SHE WAS PREGNANT-CARRYING TWINS
Thus opens this movie…3 Deewarein, which means 3 WALLS.
Set in an open prison where the inmates get to roam freely within the prison grounds, all day to be locked up only at night. Three people convicted for the three crimes mentioned above are 3 of the inmates here. (Naseeruddin, Jackie and Nagesh)-all 3 of whom have been given DEATH SENTENCE.
The movie revolves around the prison, the inmates’ activities, their regulations, the innovative JAILOR, and the rest.
Juhi Chawla~ Chandrika~ a documentary film maker breaks into the barriers to do research into her latest project- PRISON LIFE especially DEATH SENTENCE and its effect on Human Psychology. The 3 musketeers become her objects of study. She gently and tactfully probes into their minds, trying to get out more than there is in the Court and Prison Records. And sure enough, there is more to those records.
Her marriage to a typical MCP helps her understand the frustrations of the 3 friends.
Jackie~ Jaggu- a lawyer by profession has deep regrets for murdering his wife, though it was in a fit of rage and he is readily awaiting his day of redemption-he feels, hanging to death will at least relieve him from the intense pain and torment, his wife’s death has inflicted on him. Spends his days in prison, cooking and writing poetry.
Nagesh~Nagya- a small time accountant, son-in-law of a politician, says his wife was a nag, and he hated her, but not enough to kill her. He reiterates that it wasn’t him who pushed her into the swarming traffic, and he is very hopeful to be released from Prison. His favorite line- Satyame Vijaite. Spends his days in prison by giving company to Jaggu, reading his poetry and playing the flute.
Naseeruddin~Ishaan-small time criminal and looter, charmer and glib talker, gets caught for his bank robbery and murder. Has no regrets for the murder, claims it was an accident. His sole aim is to get out of prison, find a Patli Gully, a way out of the dungeons. A jovial guy fills his days with dry wit, sly humor.
Does Jaggu get his salvation? Is Nagya proved innocent? Is Ishaan able to esape the prison walls? Is Juhi able to set free from the poisonous fangs of her fiendish husband? The movie sets about answering these questions and more.
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In my opinion
Story- is one of its kind. Grasps you from the first scene to the last, in its tight grip, letting you loose only when the credits are on screen and you are left gaping with awe. The spinner of a climax in the end is bound to stun everybody.
Script- be it the Hyderabad tinged lines of Nagya, the passionate yet lifeless poetry of Jaggu, or Ishaan’s eccentric sense of humour, those intricate and tactful lines for Chandrika, absolutely to the point, apt and brilliantly written. Quite a few dialogues in English too.
Performances – Each actor fully transformed himself into the character he/she played, Naseer’s delivery in this movie sure lands him a nominee for a National Award. Juhi Chawla gives a wonderful performance, cannot believe that this was the same belle dancing to Tu tu tu tu tu taara some few years ago. The scene in which she gives has the final word with her husband is hair-raising.
Jackie too proved his mettle, a fine actor, needs such “Wholesome” roles instead of just asking him to say “Da se devdas, da se daaru “. Kachra (from Lagaan )too in a small role, does his bit. Nagesh himself as Nagya and Gulshan Grover as jailor do justice to their roles.
Cinematography- Shooting an entire movie in a prison can get pretty monotonous. But kudos to Ajayan Vicent, to potray the prison life in good cheer. A person who can shoot a prison and yet make it look charming doesn’t need foreign locales , exotic sceneries, to prove himself.
Music - No songs as such, I was too engrossed in the movie to have paid attention to the background scores.
Editing - -razor sharp, no slackening at all.
To sum it all, 3 Deewarein has all the ingredients for an excellent movie. Movies like this make us feel proud that Indian Cinema has finally come of age and maturity. One word of caution though, it is meant for a mature audience only. The prison scene of sodomy left a thick skinned person like me also, too shaken for words. Do not miss this movie for anything- and catch this early, they don’t run too long in theatres. Next time you get to see this in theatre will probably be next year, after it clinches the NATIONAL AWARD.
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