‘Manjhi: The Mountain Man’ Movie Review

Ketan Mehta has always been avant garde filmmaker with most of his films being art house fares that haven’t had a lot of appeal for the normal audience. But ‘Manjhi: The Mountain Man’ seems as commercial as it possibly could be. The trailers have been intriguing and with an actor like Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the central role, expectations are sure to be raised. Radhika Apte has also suddenly become a known actress. Does the film do justice to the promises?

Story: Manjhi tells the story of Dashrath Manjhi (Nawaz). Dashrath falls madly in love with a girl (Radhika Apte) in his native village in Gaya, Bihar and they get married soon thereafter. However tragedy strikes and his wife is not able to get proper healthcare because his village is cut off. After her death, he decides to take matters into his own hands, literally, as he embarks on cutting the mountain to make way, all by himself using a chisel and a hammer. Drought occurs, corruption arises but he remains undaunted and keeps chopping the mountain. His unwavering faith trudges him along for 22 years.

Screenplay and Direction: The screenplay of ‘Manjhi: The Mountain Man’ has been kept non-linear so as to not make it seem as if the movie is a drag. That style along with the authentic dialogues make ‘Manjhi: The Mountain Man’ such an endearing watch. Ketan directs Manjhi with a lot of heart and the effort and toil is clearly visible. Although, a few scenes feel disjointed, the film comes together like a jigsaw puzzle by the end. There were hardly any moments which bore the audience and it shows that if we tell stories of our real Indian heroes, we don’t need our psuedo Bollywood heroes! A commendable effort indeed.

The technical aspects of Manjhi are great considering the measly budget. Ketan has managed to squeeze out a technically deft movie. The editing is a highlight of Manjhi as the editing is what keeps the movie entertaining. The cinematography is grand in that it captures the monstrosity of the mountain without ever losing grip of reality. The costume design is authentic. The casting is brilliant even though there is a Gangs of Wasseypur hangover. The background score by Shandesh Shandilya is decent.

Acting: Nawazuddin Siddiqui is Manjhi. Both the man and the movie. He embodies the character from the get go and never loses track of the character’s journey. He lives Manjhi. It is a laudable performance which will make the audience clap involuntarily. Radhika Apte is fantastic in her scenes as she suits the role of Phaguniya to the tee. Ashraful Haque is inspired casting as Dashrath’s father. Pankaj Tripathi is good, and so is Tigmanshu Dhulia reprising his Gangs of Wasseypur character.

Conclusion: Manjhi is a must watch not just because of the entertainment quotient mixed with the realistic treatment but also because of the fact that everybody needs to be aware of Dashrath Manjhi’s real life story. The fact that we have heroes like him in our country who have gone unnoticed for so long is bewildering but films like ‘Manjhi: The Mountain Man’ can go a long way in giving them the due recognition. There are few disjointed scenes but the full journey is well worth the price of admission. By the end we couldn’t stop ourselves from repeating Dashrath Manjhi’s words to describe the movie: “Shandaar. Zabardast. Zindabad”.

Finally, a lot of effort goes into making films like ‘Manjhi: The Mountain Man’. Downloading films from the internet or renting a pirated DVD is illegal. We highly recommend a visit to the theatre to watch a film that celebrates an Indian hero. Such films need to be supported and the only way you can do so is by watching the film at a nearby theatre. If you can’t afford weekend ticket prices, watch it during the weekdays when tickets are much cheaper.

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