#SirfEkBandaaKaafiHai review: Manoj Bajpayee lives up to the film's title
What's the story
Manoj Bajpayee-led Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai literally translates to "only one man is enough" in English. There's nothing better that can describe Bajpayee's acting in the film than the title. Released on Tuesday on ZEE5, it is said to be inspired by a real-life incident where a self-styled godman raped a minor, and his trial. Read our review of this brilliant courtroom drama.
Plot
The courage of minor victim, her parents, and their lawyer
The story begins at Kamla Nagar Police Station in New Delhi when a minor, accompanied by her parents, files a complaint of sexual assault against an influential self-styled godman. The two-hour-long film then goes on to show the victim's journey to justice fought by a lawyer, PC Solanki (Bajpayee), over a period of five years in Jodhpur's sessions court.
Tight direction
It is no ordinary courtroom drama
Director Apoorv Singh Karki took the daunting task of narrating the victim's story in a tightly directed film of two hours. The director neither sensationalized nor over-dramatized the courtroom scenes, never drifting from the topic. The chase scene in the bylanes of Jodhpur city where goons are trying to attack Solanki, is a brilliantly shot scene, winning big on cinematography too.
The brightest star
Bajpayee delivered yet another power-packed performance
Needless to say, Bajpayee is an actor par excellence. He plays a simple man who is sensitive, isn't completely fearless (he fears for his son's safety) but is determined to not bow down to the wrong. Bajpayee has portrayed every nuance perfectly, including Solanki's star-struck moments while facing the whos-who of the legal fraternity in court, proving that he's meant for such meaty roles.
Casting
A master class in acting
Every other cast in the film, especially Adrija Singh as the victim Nu, performed their scenes with utmost conviction. Vipin Sharma as the defense lawyer is equally impressive, especially when he apologizes in the courtroom before asking an uncomfortable question to the victim. It directly goes to show that he has emotions too but is bound by his profession.
Real to reel
The transition from real to reel
The film's inspired by Asaram Bapu's 2013 rape case. What's interesting is that every character's name, including senior lawyers Ram Jethmalani, Subramanian Swamy, and Salman Khurshid who batted in defense for his bail, has been changed. Solanki's character name is the only one that hasn't been changed. Apart from this, Karki and his writer Deepak Kingrani, have stayed very close to the facts.
Writing
Deepak Kingrani's writing subtly nudges you
Solanki tells Nu that her only fault is that she put a self-styled godman behind bars who is worshiped by many. He explains how they're dealing with religion-obsessed people. Later, when he gives his closing statement, he makes religion his base to tell why the accused should be punished. These, and many other scenes are a reflection of good, crisp, and sensitive writing.
Verdict
Do not miss out on watching it
More than its brilliant direction, crisp screenplay, and dialogues, this film is a must-watch to see Bajpayee showing his acting prowess once again. The only place where it didn't make a cut is with its music - in a few places, it overpowered the dialogue. Karki's feature film debut gets 4 out of 5 stars from us.