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There have been several films about the lives and times of dacoits in Bollywood, right from the times of Mother India to Gunga Jumna ; Jis Desh Mein Ganga B

Beehad – The Ravines- Documentary that gets stuck half way Movie Review

Beehad – The Ravines Movie Review Hindi Movie Review
Review for the film " Beehad – The Ravines"
Runtime: 2 Hours 30 Minutes
Certificate: U
Released: 17-05-2013
Genre: Drama
2 / 5.0
3.51 / 5.0

There have been several films about the lives and times of dacoits in Bollywood, right from the times of “Mother India” to “Gunga Jumna”; “Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai” and right up to the iconic “Sholay”. Although not specifically by name, most of them talked about the dreaded Chambal Valley. There have been biopics too specifically about Chambal and its more notorious dacoits like Phoolan Devi in “Bandit Queen”. The current movie attempts to tell the story about the more well-known, or more appropriately “the more notorious” dacoits of the region, many of whose tales have been part of the folk lore of these territories.

Plot: For those who are familiar with the vast ravines across central parts of India, covering the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and commonly referred to as the Chambal Valley, the immediate recollection is that of notorious dacoits. The ravines of the Chambal valley have for long harboured the fugitives from the heartlands who later on turned into hard grown bandits. The film aims to trace the true life stories of such dreaded figures like Man Singh, Putli Bai, Phoolan Devi, Kusuma Nain and Mohar Singh Bio coming soon... >> Read More... amongst others.

While showcasing some of the more daring dacoities of these bandits, the film juxtaposes the same with their earlier lives, highlighting the events and the injustices suffered by them which drove them to become hardened bandits. In a way, the film also aims to draw attention to the social and political system that sometimes makes simple ordinary people turn into heartless criminals. While it focuses on the stories of others in the background, the film takes up in greater details the case of Kusuma Nain, supposedly the biggest female bandit of current times, whose tale of suffering, deprivation and humiliation forces her to revenge.

Review: The film could have easily been made into a more watchable one with a proper storyline. Where the film flounders is the indecision shown by director Krishan Mishra in making up his mind whether this should be more on the lines of a documentary or a dramatised narration of the lives of dacoits. He ends up making a film which is neither of these. In one part of the film, he even gets the real character to narrate his story, while for the rest of the film he uses actors and actresses to enact the characters. In the process, he also overdoes the drama in many places – even mistaking high pitched shouting for strong acting. The actors and actresses are mostly unknown and appear not sure of the requirements of their roles – all that they seem to be good at is displaying their decibel levels to the fullest. For a film shot largely in open areas with the advantage of varied natural landscapes, the camera work could have been better than what it is, and what also is jarring are the song and dance numbers which seem complete out of sync with the rest of the happenings.

Verdict: Dealing with a subject which has in the past delivered so many great movies, it is expected that cine-goers may get attracted by the name and the theme, but not all may get impressed with the fare that would ultimately be dished out.


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