ROAR: Tigers of Sunderbans
Genre : Adventure
Director : Kamal Sadanah
Cast : Abhinav Shukla, Himarsha Venkatsamy, Varinder Singh Ghuman, Subrat Dutta, Achnit Kaur
Action adventures involving big cats are an endangered species in Hindi cinema. Give it to lack of budgets or stringent laws governing the use of animals in films, filmmakers seldom capture the tumultuous relationship between man and animal.
Director Kamal Sadanah, whose father Brij was a master of B-grade adventures, takes the jump into this rather unknown territory, and with active support from his VFX team, manages to claw his way into popular imagination. In the beginning the narrative seems to be all over the place, with Kamal and writer-producer Abis Rizvi failing to provide a cogent reason for this ambitious Sunderban mission, but as Michael Watson’s camera crosses the mangroves and enter the brackish waters, the scenery and the scenario begin to fall into place. By the end it becomes an interesting mix of myths and facts that upholds the supremacy of nature.
For some it could be a modern day fable and for others it could be a dose of adrenaline rush in a part of the country that continues to be impregnable for tourists.
Kamal doesn’t approach the subject the “Haathi Mera Saathi” way. He gives the tiger emotions but doesn’t dilute its instincts to suit a universal audience. He doesn’t go for overkill, instead filling the narrative with some disturbing visuals to keep the fear of the beast going as he shows how the tiger can be easily manipulated by humans and circumstances. A wildlife photographer is mauled by a Royal Bengal white tigress even after he tries to save its cub from the poachers in the Sunderbans. His brother, a commando with the Indian army seeks revenge. He is advised against it but he turns it into a personal battle and with the help of his colleagues, a local guide and a female tracker (Himarsha) goes all out to hunt the tigress. Kamal touches on the place of animals in the local society and though the treatment is superficial it gives the film some much needed perspective.
Thankfully, he means business and avoids playing on the love angle and items numbers in the tribal territory and the background score by John Stewart adds to the proceedings but Kamal couldn’t resist the cleavage temptation. Though the cast is fresh and lot of acting is posturing, it is not such a bad thing, as there is no hierarchy as to who will be hunted first. Abhinav Shukla impresses as the commando Pundit and Varinder Singh Ghuman has the body to take on a tiger. Subrat Dutta is suitably cunning as the poacher.
And for the sake of animal lovers, Kamal gives the anatomy of the shooting with the end credits with trained tigers from Thailand walking down the green chroma carpet.
Bottomline : If you don’t approach the subject with too many expectations, chances are that you won’t mind this mission.
