Title: India Lockdown

Cast: Prakash Belawadi, Pratiek Babbar, Sai Tamhankar, Shweta Basu Prasad, Aahana Kumra

Director: Madhur Bhandarkar

The COVID-19 pandemic was an event that all will remember for the rest of their lives. Our daily routines were thrown astray as we had to stay locked down. Due to this, people across all demographics were affected in unique ways. India Lockdown is a way to follow some of these unique stories to create a relatable portrayal of lockdown life.

2 years after the first countrywide lockdown in India, director Madhur Bhandarkar and his writers (Amit Joshi and Aradhana Sah) came up with a compilation of stories that follow four different story lines. It takes a micro approach to what happened during the pandemic across demographics. Our character are a retired senior citizen L Nageshwar Rao (Prakash Belawadi), a poor couple Madhav (Pratiek Babbar) and Phoolmati (Sai Tamhankar) doing odd jobs and struggling to make ends meet, a sex worker Mehrunnisa (Shweta Basu Prasad), a pilot, Moon Alves (Aahana Kumra) and testosterone-charged young lovers Dev (Satvik Bhatiaa) and Palak (Zarin Shihab), who are separated physically, due to the lockdown.

Most of these situations that our characters find themselves in are very relatable to the audience. However, the story is predictable and also filled with quite a few cliches. A few talented actors like Prakash Belawadi, and Sai Tamhankar excel in their respective parts. Prateik Babbar makes an honest attempt but still doesn’t come across as convincing as he should while Shweta Prasad Basu is loud and over-the-top. Aahana Kumra, Satvik Bhatiaa and Zarin Shihab are good in their respective roles.

While this Madhur Bhandarkar directorial lacks the depth and layering in characters like we saw in some of his finest works (‘Page 3’, ‘Chandni Bar’ and ‘Fashion’), it does have moments that will touch your heart and remind you of the helplessness of the time. In the end, the fact that you can watch this film and perhaps see yourself in one of its characters, is a rewarding feeling of being alive.

All in all, this movie is a quick watch with plots that are predictable. It is interesting to see movies start to take motifs from COVID-19, but besides that, this movie was a little cheesy for my liking. I did think there was some great performances across the ensemble of actors and I give props to the acting team.