War and courtroom dramas based on true stories have an innate thrill in them. Raag Desh is based on a premise that combines the two, recounting the story of the Indian National Army (INA) at the Red Fort trials of 1945, a story that’s as widely known as obscure. But the tension, excitement and exhilaration in a story so potent is diluted by a choppy narrative that is reminiscent of a soporific history class.
- Director: Tigmanshu Dhulia
- Cast: Kunal Kapoor, Amit Sadh, Mohit Marwah, Kenneth Desai, Mrudula Murali, Kenny Basumatary, Kanwaljit Singh
- Storyline: Period drama detailing the involvement of the Indian National Army and the Red Fort trails.
The period drama chronicles the efforts of the INA, set up by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose (Kenny Basumatary), in fighting against the British on the battle field in Burma and in a court in Delhi. The film ushers in its viewers with an assumption that they know little about the history of the INA, and thereby finds it imperative to inform. It works well up to a point where the complete abstinence from humanising any of the three leads – Major General Shah Nawaz Khan (Kunal Kapoor), Colonel Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon (Amit Sadh) and Colonel Prem Sahgal (Mohit Marwah) – begins to obtrude. The second half of the film brings in the missing elements of motivation, fear, anxiety and a fleeting glimpse of romance, with a surfeit of information and historic facts.
A still from the movie Raag Desh
Keeping up with the traditional characteristic of a war drama, Tigmanshu Dhulia’s film is an unflinching story of gore, gun shots and blood. It is a narrative that is woven in the clean and systematic environment of a courtroom but takes flight on the battlefield. Cinematographer Rishi Punjabi captures the looming fear of the enemy and the stifling confines of a courtroom through shots that allow details to emerge.
Dhulia ensures authenticity in his storytelling by retaining the multiplicity of languages in a film that has British, Punjabi, Tamil, Japanese, Bengali and Burmese characters. The three lead actors embody their patriotic characters with adequate amount of fervour. Basumatary in his short role plays Netaji Bose with conviction. But a special mention to Kenneth Desai, playing the acclaimed lawyer Bhulabhai Desai, who delivers lengthy courtroom arguments while trying to retain the audience’s attention.
A patriotic story of revolt against the British, Raag Desh is bound to glorify war and murder, and in doing so it stirs nationalistic sentiments through dialogues and music, but thankfully doesn’t fall into the trap of establishing national identity based on religion. In that regard, it emphasises on the representation of Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims as well women in the rebellion.
It is rather disappointing to see a film that ticks all the right boxes, fall apart because of the lack of a captivating narrative. With Raag Desh , you may walk home with more facts about the INA and the Red Fort trials than previously known, but not with indelible emotions of admiration and awe that the film could have generated.
