(#24) Newton (2017) - [7.5/10]
Updated: Apr 8, 2019
An honest government official is assigned to conduct elections inside a jungle in central India.
How would I describe this film in one word?
Honest.
Note Honesty. That being the message echoed throughout the entirety of this film.
Review
It's a simple story about a man assigned to conduct an election in the middle of a central Indian jungle. There are numerous hurdles he has to pass right from the beginning that would've hindered the mission. But he keeps his ground and sticks to his duty right to the very end. Emotionally, the story does leave a fine impression on you of the honesty this man has to his duty and the resistance he imposes on intimidation. He is told several times that his punctuality to his job is excessively unnecessary but remains to follow the rulebook. And when one watches a Rajkumar Rao film, one must always commend his acting which was exceptional here as always, so too his supporting actors I should say.
That being said, the film really isn't all that inspiring and even technically, the film isn't without its flaws. There are several characters and groups that had been antagonized in the beginning and seemed to be a sort of foreshadowing but none of this was oddly seen in the film. Their message was honesty but also tried to tell us the we all have a certain duty as citizens of a country. And throughout the film, people were saying the triviality of the decisions but there was no counter argument. Which makes you wonder whether all his honest work and discipline was of any use. There was even nothing shown of the consequence or reward of his actions. I didn't really like the way movie ended so abruptly like that. Is this what the director intended to portray? That your honest work for an honest ideal will reap no harvest despite your efforts? The film had a good thing going addressing the issues of the country, but if you want to inspire someone, you have portray the film in a way which will show the people that taking risks and being honest is worthwhile and an ideal to strive for.
Nonetheless, it never seemed like a conventional Bollywood film which I am typically repulsed by. It adopted its own style. And was very enjoyable regardless.
RATING: 7.5/10
Director: Amit Masurkar Rated: UA Runtime: 1 hr 46 min Genre: Drama Starring: Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Anjali Patil