For most Indians the Indian courtroom is almost a mystery. Whats with the filming or recording being not allowed inside the courtroom. Therefore, the typical courtroom that is part of our imagination is the one we have seen in our films and TV. Now, that courtroom of a film or TV set, albeit old, looks appealing and pretty much organized. But do courtrooms really look the way they are depicted on screens? Not really if Chaitanya Tamhane’s ‘Court’ is to be believed.
I was curious to watch this film since last year when I read an article about it in the newspaper. When the film finally hit the theaters it had already toured at several international film festivals. I managed to catch up Court when it was already in its second week in cinemas. This piece is all about what I felt about this film. Before I proceed let me tell you that I don’t claim to be a film expert nor can I boast that I have watched tons of films in my lifetime. This post is not a review but just a commentary, my opinion. 🙂 Now that we are clear on that let’s being with the beginning first.
Court begins with a powerful ballad (powada) being sung by Narayan kamble in a locality somewhere in Mumbai. The performance is disrupted by police. Kamble gets arrested. And we are drawn into Court-the film. I am not sure if this film can be categorized as a Courtroom drama, since in large parts the drama lies outside and behind the courtroom. The focus of this film is not really what is happening inside the courtroom but outside it. It explores the lives of critical people who make up the very judiciary system- mainly the two lawyers and the session’s court judge (at least in this film).
Courtroom drama as a genre can be very thrilling and full of suspense, but that may not be the case when a real case is tried in a court of law. It can go on for months, years and even decades.
Coming back to Court. Charges of abatement of suicide under IPC 306 are slapped on the lokshaheer (folk singer) Narayan Kamble. Reason- a manhole worker, Vasudev Pawar commits suicide by choking himself in a sewer after watching Kamble allegedly sing on these lines–
“ Manhole workers, all of us should commit suicide by suffocating inside the gutter. “
And in this manner the film revolves around the incredulousness of the accusation and the whole case itself. And in many ways the incredulousness of the entire state machinery as well, drawing me as a viewer in its various shades, along with its serious and not so serious moments. Take this scene for instance, in which the accused Narayan Kamble’s lawyer, Vinay Vora is addressing an audience at an event . He is talking serious stuff but suddenly a door opens and two men enter with a fan and excusing themselves start placing the fan angling it not at the lawyer who is on the podium but at the other guests seated on the stage! And there the scene ends letting his sentence hang incomplete. For some reason I enjoyed this scene very much.
The film unravels or progresses just like a court case in an Indian court. Sometimes slowly, taking its own time. I am not even sure if the film is supposed to ‘progress’, because it does not follow a usual format of story, i.e, a beginning, the problem and the resolution. Nor does it follow the conventional techniques in terms of cinematography. For instance the film does not have any fillers, the ones we see in between two scenes. It directly cuts into the next scene instead. This film is more of an exploration.
Now, we have seen lawyers and judges before on screen, in their complete form, being all dynamic with almost impeccable oratory skills. But in real life lawyers may or may not be ‘good’ speakers. Moreover, what do lawyers and judges do when they are not in the court? Just like us do they go to the theaters with their families, cook food, take care of their children? The prosecution lawyer, Nutan is shown doing exactly all of this. It seemed as if this is just like any other job that she is doing in order to earn a living. All she hopes for is a speedy conclusion of the case.
“Just sentence him for 20 years and finish it off”, is what she says to another colleague in one scene. She doesn’t appear to be involved in the case as deeply as Vora, against whom she is fighting this case. Vora visits the deceased’s locality whereas Nutan discusses her family’s diet in the local train. Vora is sympathetic to the folksinger whereas Nutan serves dinner to her family (does it reflect the story of many Indian women who at the end of the day, are expected to cook dinner after a long day at work?). Vora hangs out with his friends at clubs/pubs whereas Nutan enjoys a Marathi play with her family. At the same time Vora has his share of pesky parents he deals with who keep pestering him to get married. These and many other such moments are part of this film.
And then there is the honorable judge Sadavarte who dishes out tarikh pe tarikh and while on a family picnic also dishes out suggestions that has some superstitious connotations.
The fact that almost all of the actors were new, and were not ‘acting’ but appeared quite natural with their dialogues was quite refreshing. Court is a bold film, however I think it should have explored the characters more. I was left wanting more. It felt as if the moment the characters started displaying some interesting shades it all ended, and ended rather abruptly. What must not be forgotten is that the film indirectly has managed to highlight the issue of safety of sanitation workers. It’s interesting how those light-hearted moments in the film also had the capacity to make the viewers uncomfortable.
Interestingly, I have come across people who have either enjoyed the film or hated it! And I think its not difficult to see why. Court is a different kind of cinema altogether and not really an “entertainment” package per se. But if you are looking for something different then you should definitely try this one. Having said that, it does not mean that it is not engaging-simple dialogues and the rawness of the actors being some of the reasons for that. Now that this multi-lingual film has won so much national and international acclaim I really hope more such rule-defying cinema comes out of our country’s film factories.