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This is a rare week when you have two releases, both realistic. Black Friday on the 1993 Bombay blasts, and Undertrial directed by Aziz Khan, based on the life of Asgar Hussain accused of raping his three daughters.
What is the plot of the movie? It's the story of Asgar Hussain (Rajpal Yadav) beaten by police, public, jail inmates as he is accused of raping his three daughters. Nobody is ready to help or listen to him. His own lawyer Vishnoi (Kader Khan) never appears in court, while one of his fellow inmates Nazir (Mukesh Tiwari) helps him by writing a letter to Hussain's lawyer. It is only during the courtroom sequence that the actual truth unfolds.
'Undertrial gave me goose pimples'
Hussain has married Sabina Begum (Monica Castellino) without knowing she was already married and has a child from her first marriage. Hussain doesn't make this an issue, but continues staying with his wife and also Sabina's daughter from earlier marriage. But as the daughters grow up they go astray. Hussain tries to stop them, but lands himself in jail. Has he actually committed the crime?
The movie starts really slow, with nothing actually happening in the first half. The actual story starts late, that is post-interval. The first half is used just to establish the jail environment, which proves eventually irrelevant to the movie.
Though the plot is good, the movie fails to impress. For such topics you need actors who are more effective and dramatic. The actors who have great fan following. Why will anyone go to watch a movie with Rajpal Yadav in it? I am not saying he is a bad actor. But audience wants a glamorous face.
Secondly the dialogues were very cheap and vulgar at times. It is understandable that Asgar Hussain must have come from such background, but there is something called adaptation so this movie could have been based in better environment. Do you think such things don't happen in a middle or upper middle class family?
The budget further cripples the production, and the movie is shot shoddily.
In my opinion, the biggest drawback of the film is that Rajpal doesn't have enough dialogue to even express Hussain's character properly.
Forget great dialogues, half the time he is just staring at people. Yes he has acted well in the movie but great dialogues could have added to his performance. There is a good performance by Prem Chopra as Sabina's lawyer, and Kader Khan is impressive. Mukesh Tiwari in a small role is okay. Monica Castellino is loud but effective.
Overall I felt the movie had a good plot, but was wasted. The very purpose why this movie was made will not be served. Audience will not go to the theatre to watch Rajpal Yadav as an old haggard old man. But it is indeed a good effort to make public aware of what is happening in our society.
Rediff Rating: 