Shyam Singha Roy movie review: The film benefits from its lead performances, but is let down by a timeworn tale

Language: Telugu “Human consciousness is an ocean full of secrets,” says the professor of psychology played by Leena Sampson. The actor does have certain credibility about her, but not enough for the viewer to give up logic and believe everything the film says. I understand that every film creates a world with its own set of rules, but those need to be defined and justified. You cannot use a stray case about a Shanti Devi from the 1930s and dialogues like “Nijaanaythe nirupinchochu, idhi sathyam saakshyaalu undavu” (I cannot translate this because I don’t know how ‘Nijam’ and ‘Sathyam’ are two different things in this context.) that are deceptively grandiose to validate your central conflict. To be fair, we have seen enough films on reincarnation, so even if I accept the premise, it is still an underwhelming experience. The writers seem to be preoccupied with the period inhabited by the titular character, and it shows in the way the first half of the film is handled. Shyam Singha Roy  begins with Vasudev ( Nani ), an “upcoming filmmaker” trying to find a female protagonist for his short film named Varnam. He finds one girl but thinks that she is a cliche. He then sees Keerthi (Krithi Shetty) smoking a cigarette, and so impressed is he by her “body language”, he decides to pursue her even after she refuses to act in his film. Do you know what is a cliché? A man trying to blackmail a woman to get what he wants. The rest of the film is about a copy infringement case faced by Vasu and how it connects to Shyam Singha Roy.

It’s no surprise, then, that the film’s heart lies with Shyam (Nani) and Rosie/Maitreyi (Sai Pallavi).

Sai Pallavi is a treat to watch. She refuses to recognise the fact that she is being recorded, and onscreen it creates a gripping experience, where she is who the character is and not one thing more or less. Nani is as thoroughly impressive as both Vasu and Shyam. He is especially great in scenes where he is slowly moving away from Vasu and embarrassing his inner Shyam. Madonna Sebastian’s lawyer, Padhu, is the only memorable moment in the whole of the first half. You don’t see much of her either, but the way she looks at Murali Sharma’s prosecutor character in admiration, even if she is arguing for the other side, is perfectly-timed. Kriti Shetty is as adequate as she needed to be. So are Rahul Ravindran, Jisshu Sengupta, and Abhinav Gomatam.

I didn’t like the way Shyam is written. Even if you ignore the handlebar moustache that needs regular realignment because mannerisms are a big part of a star vehicle, he still reeks of saviour complex. A revolutionary writer who throws a Dalit man into a well to prove a point with the village’s bigheads is revolutionary in a bad way. I get that this character belongs to a different time, but the film is made now and the filmmaker can choose the gaze accordingly. But, and it’s a big but, he transforms into a sensitive and accommodating man in the presence of Rosie. Their relationship is marvellously written, and props to the screenwriter for writing Rosie not just as one single thing, a dancer. She is shown to be a polyglot, and that briefly conveys her intellect and multi-dimensionality. Rosie’s personhood isn’t also defined by Shyam. She is encouraged by the hero, and the film, to see her liberation as her journey, and not part of her love story with Shyam. Having said that, Satyadev Janga’s story is not original, and neither does it have enough drama to warrant the epicness of the filmmaking. Rahul Sankrityan is a capable filmmaker; his Taxiwala, despite the messy high-concept plot device, is a good film. But only equipped with a story that is just mostly exposition, there isn’t much a filmmaker can do. Despite that, he manages to create a technically-sound film. Navin Nooli’s editing, too, helps intertwine the two timelines to give the viewer a glimpse into Vasu’s psyche—what he is seeing and how unclear it all is. Sanu John Varughese’s cinematography and Kolla Avinash’s production design shoulder the film as well. While Sanu’s camera daftly manoeuvres between the two timelines—the way Sai Pallavi’s introduction song is shot, choreographed, and cut needs special mention, Avinash’s period detailing does transport the viewer to a time gone by. The film begins with a burning boat, floating in the middle of a river. In it are books and a message, which Sai Pallavi’s voiceover helpfully reads out to the audience. We are never shown what is being burnt in the boat and who did the burning. There is no reason for Rahul’s character to wait until the end to do what he does, except to drive the plot forward. The film should serve the characters and their motives, not the other way around. Even at the film’s end, when a Bengali woman tells us about Rosie’s whereabouts, we are not always provided with the Telugu translation. I don’t know if it’s a plot-driven choice, but I don’t think so. Even if the film does manage to tie everything together in the end, the lack of conflict makes it all seem like an expendable experience. A film can make one feel many things, but not indifferent. The film is running in theatres.  Rating: 3/5

Sankeertana Varma is an engineer who took a few years to realise that bringing two lovely things, movies and writing, together is as great as it sounds. Mainly writes about Telugu cinema.

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