I’m curious why Madhur Bhandarkar’s “India Lockdown” exists. The first 15 to 20 days of the statewide lockdown that was declared in March 2020 due to the Covid epidemic are attempted to be captured in the movie. Although there are several songs running simultaneously, there is no overarching narrative.
The character of Rao, played by Prakash Belawadi, is an elderly man whose daughter (Hrishitaa Bhatt) is pregnant and expected in a few weeks. Rao is cautious about sanitary standards and societal conventions of distance. To attend the birth of his daughter, he plans to travel to Hyderabad.
Rao pays his domestic helper (Sai Tamhankar) for two months’ salary and instructs her not to report to work until the limitations are relaxed. She resides with her spouse (Prateik Babbar), two daughters, and two sons. The husband manages a food stand for which he has borrowed money. This immigrant family is forced to walk all the way to their hamlet because to the lockout.
Mehrunisa (Shweta Basu Prasad), a sex prostitute, has had her employment put on hold. She is misrepresenting herself as a nurse to her mother, who lives in a secluded village. A villager has threatened Mehrunisa with exposing her secret to her mother, so Mehrunisa engages in sexual activity with him to silence him.
A couple of eager teenagers are preparing to become virgins. For a week, the youngster lives alone at his uncle’s apartment because the uncle is travelling. A pilot from his uncle’s society is introduced to the youngster. Aahana Kumra portrays Moon Alves, the pilot. She finds herself stranded at home with nothing to do after taking frequent flights. She only wears her uniform because it makes her feel wonderful. The child and Moon seem strangely close to one another.
The fact is, whether in significant or insignificant ways, we have all been affected by the pandemic’s trauma. A lot of us have lost loved ones. There have been anthologies shot during the pandemic, such as Unpaused on Prime Video. By the end of 2022, though, things still aren’t as normal as one might expect. Seeing what we have already witnessed or experienced in reality is nevertheless challenging. When you choose to create a movie or television series about the epidemic and its effects, what do you hope to convey to the audience? a sense of completion, comprehension, or even healing? But Bhandarkar’s India Lockdown doesn’t provide anything like that. It only records what we had, and in a poor manner at that.
The recording of the migrant family travelling back to their village is the most moving one in this collection. Sai Tamhankar is earnest as the domestic worker, while Bhandarkar mostly maintains it true in this tune. Despite his honest efforts, Prateik Babbar’s performance comes out as forced. As a migrant labourer, the city kid nevertheless failed to win me over. He surprised everyone by being excellent and convincing as a laundryman/rat killer from the Dharavi slums in Kiran Rao’s Dhobi Ghat (2011).
The done-to-death role of a cheery (and unpleasant) sex worker with a kind heart is played by Shweta Basu Prasad. Even though she is a brave performer, Aahana Kumra gets to deliver the script’s least believable lines. Her video is a shining illustration of amateur filmmaking.
