Starring: Adah Sharma, Indira Tiwari, Vijay Krishna, Shilpa Shukla, Yashpal Sharma, Subrat Dutta, Raima Sen, Anangsha Biswas, Kishor Kadam, Gopal K. Singh
Director: Sudipto Sen
‘Bastar: A Naxal Story’ – which recently had its digital premier on ZEE5 Global – deals with exactly what the title says: a Naxalite-Maoist insurgency in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, India, and how it affects the locals living the jungles of the region.
‘Bastar’ starts off with a group of locals hoisting the Indian flag and singing Jan Gan Man, prompting the Naxals to violently kill their leader and take his son Raman to train him as a future Naxal, leaving his wife Ratna and daughter Rama to fend for themselves.
When Ratna meets I.P.S. Neerja Madhavan (Sharma), she consoles her and advises her to join the Special Police Officers (aka Salwa Judum) – a military force employed by state police wherein they train tribal locals to combat Naxals – to avenge her husband and get back her son.
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Meanwhile, in Delhi, a courtroom hears arguments for and against Salwa Judum, Madhavan and the state’s handling of the Bastar situation. Also in the mix are authors who, under the garb of academics, have been supporting Naxals, organising funds, and coordinating with other national and international Maoist forces.
‘Bastar’ chronicles a story which is not only extremely important but also based on real events (Dantewada attacks of 2010). It alternates between three fronts to depict the multi-faceted war against Maoism i.e. the judiciary, the academic narrative-setting and the on-the-ground forces, who face the brunt of Maoist forces.
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Despite coming from the makers of the hugely successful ‘The Kerala Story’ and such a potent topic, the film lacks a certain nuance and storytelling which made ‘The Kerala Story’ a hit. Having Sharma’s acting prowess at their disposal and talented supporting cast like Tiwari should have made this production another powerful story but it somehow fails to deliver a tight-knit story.
Given the incredible potential of the story and premise, it is a real shame the film struggles to evoke strong emotions or, for that matter, even provide a satisfying conclusion.
