Manjunath,an IIM-Lucknow graduate whose murder in 2005 while on duty had stirred the nation , particularly the corporate hoipolloi is an earnest film that deserves to be told.In the hands of the first-time director Sandeep A Varma, whose style is reflective of Govind Nihalani and Prakash Jha, it chronicles the life of the unsung hero who dared to expose the adulteration scam and ultimately was silenced.
Set in the rustic milieu of the badlands of UP infested with goons and mafia, the drama unfolds with quite an intrigue where the protagonist - Manjunath Shanmugam,working as a sales officer for a reputed oil company, is terrorized with death threats by miscreants led by a wicked dealer, Golu Goyal (Yashpal Sharma,excellent)who is having a tough time dealing with the whistle-blower.
Manju soon becomes a victim of mental trauma and has to seek medical intervention along with emotional support of his parents , particularly his mother(Seema Biswas, in terrific form).Varma maintains a tense atmosphere throughout with continual appearances of the Parikrama rock band , the underlying tension keeps you gripped even when it frivolously cuts through flashbacks depicting Manju's life at the IIM campus and his camaraderie with his close friends.In a sudden quirk of events, things go horribly wrong and Manju pays a heavy price for standing against the prevailing corrupt practices.
The narrative however lacks the steam during the closing reels with the repeated confrontations of ideas and verbal duel between Manju's spirit and Golu Goyal.Somehow,I felt it was overdone to hit at your conscience. Varma also zip-zaps through the chronological hodgepodge of events following Manju's murder, subsequently diluting the impact of the candle-light protest and the final court verdict.But these are inevitable and minor glitches which are redeemed by the superlative performances from the star-cast.Newcomer Sasho Satish Saarthy playing the titular role is first-rate.With an unmatchable panache, he conveys Manju's pulsating rage, his apprehensions,his insecurities(for being a backward class)and the ultimate spirit for fight against injustice.Seema Biswas and Kishore Kadam as Manju's hapless parents are shockingly authentic.Yashpal Sharma is phenomenal and delivers a towering performance with evil personified.Divya Dutta impresses in a cameo.Anjori Alagh is effectual in a brief role.
The film, at the end,poses a paradoxical question for the discerning viewer - was Manjunath really an idiot,for what he did ? Vivid,brutally honest and deeply meaningful , Manjunath is a brave attempt passes a strong message.
Make your time for it - its worth every penny !
Set in the rustic milieu of the badlands of UP infested with goons and mafia, the drama unfolds with quite an intrigue where the protagonist - Manjunath Shanmugam,working as a sales officer for a reputed oil company, is terrorized with death threats by miscreants led by a wicked dealer, Golu Goyal (Yashpal Sharma,excellent)who is having a tough time dealing with the whistle-blower.
Manju soon becomes a victim of mental trauma and has to seek medical intervention along with emotional support of his parents , particularly his mother(Seema Biswas, in terrific form).Varma maintains a tense atmosphere throughout with continual appearances of the Parikrama rock band , the underlying tension keeps you gripped even when it frivolously cuts through flashbacks depicting Manju's life at the IIM campus and his camaraderie with his close friends.In a sudden quirk of events, things go horribly wrong and Manju pays a heavy price for standing against the prevailing corrupt practices.
The narrative however lacks the steam during the closing reels with the repeated confrontations of ideas and verbal duel between Manju's spirit and Golu Goyal.Somehow,I felt it was overdone to hit at your conscience. Varma also zip-zaps through the chronological hodgepodge of events following Manju's murder, subsequently diluting the impact of the candle-light protest and the final court verdict.But these are inevitable and minor glitches which are redeemed by the superlative performances from the star-cast.Newcomer Sasho Satish Saarthy playing the titular role is first-rate.With an unmatchable panache, he conveys Manju's pulsating rage, his apprehensions,his insecurities(for being a backward class)and the ultimate spirit for fight against injustice.Seema Biswas and Kishore Kadam as Manju's hapless parents are shockingly authentic.Yashpal Sharma is phenomenal and delivers a towering performance with evil personified.Divya Dutta impresses in a cameo.Anjori Alagh is effectual in a brief role.
The film, at the end,poses a paradoxical question for the discerning viewer - was Manjunath really an idiot,for what he did ? Vivid,brutally honest and deeply meaningful , Manjunath is a brave attempt passes a strong message.
Make your time for it - its worth every penny !