Content Warning: animal violence/abuse, rape, murder & heavy violence
Set in the hinterlands of Northern India, Sandhya Suri has written and directed a harrowing and gripping tale of a 28-year-old, recently widowed woman who has the same penchant for justice that a common man has, attempting to navigate through her now job as a policewoman within the moral confines of the justice system. Little does she know about the dark secrets it hides and the people it protects.
What makes it interesting is the female perspective of events. Sandhya Suri writes a cryptic mystery where you are led by your own sense of righteousness and are met with more disappointments as you uncover the story.
The carefully crafted narrative sheds light on the nitty gritties of all the dichotomies that exist between the rich and the poor, the educated and not, the police and ones without judicial power.
We see the narration through the lens of how the world ‘should’ work versus its realities. We see all of this be described by the eyes of Santosh, whose name should be indicative of how the story shows the complete contrasts.
Shahana Goswami’s ability to play a witness is immaculate here as she does an amazing job of communicating the pulse of every scene. Her ability to tone her temper, patience, shock or the troubled exploration of the web she gets into while she is investigating the death of a Dalit girl. The people she meets gives us as the audience an idea of the shades of contrast that actually exists in the world in this web of lies.
With each piece she puzzles, we get a sight of the internal battles she begins to endure and how far the rot has taken root. She finds herself increasingly unable to go back to her innocence and this begins to take a toll on her psyche.
The vapid exploration of all these themes is what makes Santosh a story for the times.
The movie does not hold back on its harshness towards some of its characters. It is unabashedly violent and taxing on the audience at times—especially during some of the more descriptive parts of the rape, the animal violence and police brutality—but you are left wanting to stay for the answers as conflicted as you feel.
What the protagonist uncovers will shock and terrify you, if not just leaving you helpless in the end.
Overall, it is a story that is a must watch for everyone who isn’t afraid to unveil the truths that Sandhya Suri has interspersed between the actual plotline.
You will be left thinking about the actual foundations of the justice system and the ones who run it.
Given the timing of recent events in India, I think the movie does a splendid job of giving you the view from within the system and all the elements we fall short of.
By Nithya Niranjani Nagaraja
Header image via MIFF // Commonstate Media