Bheed review: Anubhav Sinha shows the grim side of Incredible India

Filmmaker Anubhav Sinha's new film Bheed brings back the terrible memories of 2020 when the world was under a lockdown. This was the first wave of the pandemic, when most were clueless of what they were fighting for, and the extent of the disease. The misinformation and lack of awareness were in plenty. In India, the lockdown also led to a mass exodus of immigrants from big cities attempting to return to their villages after being left without shelter and jobs overnight. The situation was unprecedented, with authorities unable to tackle the sea of humans struggling to reach home through various means, resulting in several tragic deaths and arbitrary arrests. In Bheed, Sinha takes various news snippets to weave a story of an India that we seldom talk about but one that exists within all of us. One of discrimination, of privileges, of caste divisions. 

Starring an ensemble cast of Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Kapur, Bhumi Pednekar, Ashutosh Rana, Dia Mirza, Kritika Kamra and Aditya Srivastava- Bheed is an amalgamation of the migrant crisis that gripped India and showed us the other side of our country which is often overlooked. 

Rao plays a junior cop, who is given a charge of a police picket of a state border as the Indian government announced total lockdown. The police picket is a temporary one with Rao as its temporary in-charge. Born in a lower caste family, Rao's Surya Kumar Singh Tikas wants to make the most of the opportunity at hand. He is a law-enforcing authority and aware of his powers but ever so often stumbles in front of those who have upper-caste surnames- even if they may be from lower strata of the society. 

With a handful of aides, Tikka has to prevent a huge crown from crossing the border until further orders come in. There are buses full of immigrants, some who have walked for miles for days, kins of politicians,  and the urban elite- all gathered at that picket Tikas is 'in-charge' of. All hungry, tired, and easily agitable - and he along with fellow cop Singh Ji has to manage them there until he gets clearance from the top bosses. 

Written by Anubhav Sinha, Saumya Tiwari, and Sonali Jain, - the picket serves as a way to represent India, ridden by disparities, by caste, and class politics where a Brahmin watchman is pitted against a Dalit cop, an urban elite forces her driver to follow a young girl on a bicycle through the fields in order to reach her daughter's hostel. A health worker has to intervene when a bus full of Muslims is forced to sit inside in the heat because they have been labeled as 'super-spreaders' by the news agencies and a journalist has to look beyond her TRPs, perfect visually moving to understand the plight of the people around her. 

In a way, Bheed serves as a spiritual sequel to Sinha's previous two films- Article 15 and Mulk. Both talking of minorities in India. And Sinha seems to have taken note of the criticism that came his way when Article 15 had released and had an upper caste as an agent of change in a caste-ridden police station. In Bheed the lead is from the minority, fighting inner demons even as he yields power and authority over those who have oppressed his community for a long. 

The film opens with gut-wrenching incidents when a train ran over a bunch of sleepy and tired labourers. The scene is a grim reminder of how the country had failed most of its people and yet, two years on- the same people are back in cities, serving the privileged- a fact that a disgruntled cameraperson of a media outlet poignantly points out to the idealist journalist. 

Shot entirely in black and white by Soumik Mukherjee, the canvas doesn't take any middle ground and shows the two extremes of society effectively. 

Performances by the entire cast is praiseworthy but Rao and Pankaj Kapur are scene stealers in their respective roles. Anguished, helpless, and in pain- both display myriad emotions through their stellar work. 

The film, after -several cuts that take out 'controversial' scenes of brutality, does not get into the blame-game business. The stories and incidents are known, but Sinha deftly handles sensitive issues of the pandemic that leave a defining mark on the viewer. 

Bheed is not to be missed at any cost. It is gut-wrenching, and brings back horrific memories but still an important film of our times. 

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.