Aakrosh

Revisited the 1980 Govind Nihalani arthouse movie Aakrosh starring Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Amrish Puri, Smita Patil (in a brief role). Written by Vijay Tendulkar the film revolves around the alleged murder of his wife by an adivasi wood cutter. Naseer takes up the case as his first lawyerly assignment as the court assigned defence counsel with Amrish Puri acting as the prosecution counsel. There are a series of mysterious incidents involving Naseer which leads him to believe that all that is related to the case. Nihalani has managed to put in an under current of Hitchcockian suspense throughout the movie. Classic case of upper caste domination over the adivasis and trampling of their rights to justice. It is a deadly movie by any standards. The intensity of Naseer and Om Puri is stunning in its magnificience. Superb screenplay and camera work. Govind Nihalani has gone on to direct such brilliant movies as Ardh Satya, Tamas, Party among others. 

Genesis

Genesis - a 1986 movie starring Nazeeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Shabana Azmi and MK Raina. Nazeer and Om are leftovers in a remote, barren, desert and their only contact with the outside world is a trader MK Raina who comes weekly to take their products which is woven blankets and supplies them with food items and all. Nazeer discovers a human skull while digging the ground one day which bemuses both of them. Then Shabana comes out of nowhere - hungry, emaciated, desolate and narrates her story of her family lost in the floods. The three of them bond together until the sexual desire overpowers them and Shabana gets pregnant in the movie. There is a kind of eeriness to the movie more so to do with the discovery of the human skull. The landscape is true to plot and of course when you have three power houses acting in one movie, it is bound to be dramatic. Mrinal uses a lot of natural light in the scenes and his direction is of course outstanding. Rating 5/5