Ghamasaan (action thriller,2026, Zee5)
Writer, Director – Tigmanshu Dhulia
Cast – Arshad Warsi, Pratik Gandhi, Ishita Dutta, Jatin Goswami, Rajpal Yadav
As far as Dacoit Sagas are concerned, three films decide my relative scale. Every bandit story that I watch will inevitably be juxtaposed against them.
Bandit Queen, Paan Singh Tomar and Sonchiriya – three top notch, phenomenal and impactful films.
Ghamasaan unfortunately doesn’t reach even half way. What is more disappointing is that it comes from the man who gave us a dacoit saga like Paan Singh Tomar.
The story is based around a bandit like character named Maharaj (Arshad Warsi).He is an enigmatic man that the police and most people have never seen.He is a terror in that region whose clout works by sheer name.His gang is brutal. He is a sadist who enjoys violence and is pretty powerful in terms of political nexus of the state.
All this menace that my words are trying to portray unfortunately never gets translated by the narrative into a feeling of terror , like it should ideally have.
That I feel was the biggest flaw. Maharaj’s terror was the pivot of the story. I love Arshad Warsi. But I am sorry to say that I found him a miscast. He tried to play this casteist, ruthless , maverick dacoit.But it just did not land.
On the other hand, Pratik Gandhi as the cop chasing him, gives the best parts of the film. I find him amazingly effortless in portraying emotions and characters, no matter how varied.
Jatin Goswami is good as the rugged, brutal henchman to Maharaj.
What Tigmanshu Dhulia does capture well is the backdrop of Bundelkhand, the villages, locations and people. He creates a milieu that looks disturbingly real.That and the chase to bait and capture Maharaj were the two positive factors for me. The film is engaging especially in second half. The music by Anuj Garg needs a mention for the rustic touch it adds. It reminded me of Piyush Mishra’s music.
The film remains engaging enough for you to remain interested but fails to revv up emotions of any sort. No fear,no pity ,no racing heartbeats or happiness of conquest. I felt the screenplay lets the film down. There were parts which seemed illogical and convenient.
I have seen some positive reviews as well . Maybe it’s just me who expected to be more connected. Or maybe the comparison was tough.
There was no dread like Bandit Queen. The repression and desperation couldn’t create the tension like in Paan Singh Tomar. There was no emotional connect like Sonchiriya.
The film is mildly engaging but be prepared to be in a disconnected state and keep wondering what is missing.
Or maybe you could just give it a go and decide for yourself.
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