India Lockdown #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #filmmoviedoumentaryreviews #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit

#PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #filmmoviedoumentaryreviews #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit Film: #IndiaLockdown #Zee5 #AvianWE #PEN Cast: #PratiekBabbar #SaiTamhankar #ShwetaBasuPrasad #AahnaKumra #PrakashBelawadi #HrishitaBhatt #AishaSAiman #SatwikBhatiya Director: #MadhurBhandarkar Rating: * * 1/2 Runtime: 117 mins

There’s nothing hard-hitting about this attempt by Madhur Bhandarkar to document the travails and woes of some sections of the Indian citizenry following the unprecedented and unforgivable lockdown announced abruptly, soon after the corona pandemic began to spike. The four mini-plots are inspired by true stories but are treated with his typical lascivious gaze. Pratiek Babbar goes overboard on the facial expressions, Prakash Balewadi is irritatingly over-the-top but Shweta Prasad, Aahna Kumra, Sai Tamhane, and the bit players do a valiant job trying to give this effort some grit. Unfortunately, this is a very sterile attempt at an expose. There’s no attempt made to show the utter lack of responsibility/humanity exhibited by the powers that be, while ensuring a strict unforgiving lockdown. Though the stories reflect and resonate with the common man’s suffering they do not seem to have any greater purpose.