#NewsBytesRecommends: 'Popcity' on YouTube—story of eccentric contract killer
Rohit Mittal's Popcity—soaked with zany humor of the kind we regularly see around us but not so often in films—is both an aspiring gangster's coming-of-age drama and a study of a troubled mind's frayed emotions that choke sans outlets. The 2021 film—available on YouTube—subverts societal and filmmaking tropes, and the result is a fast-paced thriller where surprises catch both us and the characters off-guard.
Film focuses on ambitious contract killer
The drama follows the life of Gulshan, a Tamilian settled in Mumbai, whose sole purpose in life is to become the number one hitman. Sounds bizarre, right? This is an ambition that has been hammered into Gulshan's brain, possibly ever since he reached adolescence, and everything—and everyone—who comes in his path is just collateral damage, ready to be dispatched to death's door.
Protagonist colored with shades of idiosyncrasies
Popcity's most unique aspect is its protagonist, Gulshan, played to perfection by Rocket Boys fame Arjun Radhakrishnan. This is a man who suffers from anxiety attacks and is unashamed about it, harbors fetishes he is unapologetic about, and reduces women to mere bodies to have intercourse with. His ambition is also coiled in extreme ludicrousness—he will either be a coveted hitman or nothing.
Gulshan's monologues are film's best part
Popcity is wet with internal monologues, and there are a lot of them—all of them expose the psyche and internal workings of Gulshan, who sometimes seems like a victim of his life's trappings but is also a morally abhorrent person who reeks of misogyny and self-centeredness. His monologues also serve as the film's exposition, helping us understand him but never root for Gulshan.
Movie leverages location as character, too
Mumbai discernibly doubles up as a character here, especially with its claustrophobic lanes that should have ideally seen better days. When chase sequences occur, one can't help but draw a comparison to how Gulshan is on the run, not just from his enemies but perhaps also from the ramifications of his past/choices. The style of filmmaking/tonal impressions are also somewhat redolent of Anurag Kashyap.
No weak, submissive women here!
While Gulshan's scath-filled monologues keep the show largely going, what's also instantly appealing is the representation of women and how Mittal subverts gender tropes. The women (who outnumber the men in the narrative) are not flimsy cardboard characters but women of authority, ones who are mostly, if not always, masters of their destinies and not at the mercy of the men in their lives.
Check out film on YouTube
Though I feel Popcity somehow lost its way while it was inching toward its conclusion, and we were robbed of a proper, conclusive ending, it still largely remains an enjoyable ride for the most part, especially when you hear Gulshan's thoughts out loud, and see how morally depraved, but defiant he is. Watch it for its peculiar characters and for Radhakrishnan's solid acting charisma.
