As does Bhumi Pednekar as the spirited Indu, the lone woman fighting the horrific patriarchy she is born into. Sushant Singh Rajput as Lakhna, a decent man whose dream is surrender, makes the role his own. Manoj gives Maan Singh a bruised dignity. This is a man who insists that the dakus give 101 rupees as shagun to a bride whose jewelry they are looting. Maan Singh is a benevolent killer who understands the Karmic burden he carries. Except the one in his debut film Bandit Queen was based on a real-life character and this one is fiction. It’s a pleasure to see Manoj Bajpayee return to where he started – playing a character named Maan Singh in a Chambal film. The action, directed by Anton Moon & Sunil Rodrigues, is masterfully staged with dollops of suspense and dread – in a key sequence, Diwali diyas are hurriedly put out before the mayhem begins. The camera is constantly swirling and weaving through crannies in the hillocks and corridors of homes the dakus are looting. Abhishek and DOP Anuj Rakesh Dhawan do a great job of plunging us into this universe. It is as if time stands still as the cycle of violence repeats itself. Sonchiriya is set in 1975 but apart from hearing the announcement that Emergency has been declared, the politics of the outside world barely impinge on this one. Instead, they are rebels with a cause and a conscience – personified by the golden bird in the title. But the twist is that the dakus defy the Bollywood cliché – they don’t ride horses and they aren’t murderous looters though they kill plenty. The close-up holds for much too long but from the first frame, director Abhishek Chaubey establishes two things – that we are in a lawless land and that he isn’t interested in making the ride comfortable for us. Sonchiriya begins with the sound of flies buzzing and then we get a close-up of the carcass they are hovering on. For miles, all you see are the merciless ravines. Of which there is plenty in this stunning, arid land. But the toxic fusion of caste, violence and jungle law ensures that eventually, everyone bites the dust. It’s apt because in Sonchiriya also, a ragtag team of doomed dakus try to create their own destiny. It’s from the iconic Chambal film – Bandit Queen. Baaghi apna bhagya khud hi banata hai. This dialogue isn’t from Sonchiriya.
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