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Shashi and his wife live in a Delhi slum. Shashi works as a security guard and the pregnant wife repacks farsaan to earn some additional income. Into their lives comes her brother, Anjani, from the village, seeking a job. Shashi manages to get him one as a "monkey chaser". The stage is thus set for a deep dive into the psyche of a migrant worker. The not so bright Anjani hates his demeaning job with all his guts, yet clings on. Through a series of tragic-comic events, he finally gets dehumanised.
There is an interesting side story about Shashi, when he is given a rifle. His wife cannot stand the sight of it and screams her heart out asking him to hide it somewhere. It is a terrific commentary on power and violence.
Strip the film off its thin comic veneer and you have a great satire. The monkey business is squarely placed in the heart of power in New Delhi. The film is replete with metaphors. There are constant references to the "other" and the various schisms that riddle our society. Trains crisscrossing the frame reinforce this divide firmly. Robots taking away jobs is alluded to.
The film has a documentary feel most of the time. It is difficult to distinguish between actors and real characters. Anjani (Shardul Bharadwaj) and his sister (Nutan Sinha) literally live their role.
Eeb, allay, ooo are the sounds made to scare away the monkeys.
score 8/10
chemingineer 19 July 2020
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw5917625/ |
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2-4-2021 02:47:03