DANSH - an experimental, path-breaking film marked by good performances

Rating:- * *

Borrowing heavily from acclaimed director Roman Polanski's DEATH AND THE MAIDEN [1994; Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley, Stuart Wilson], Dansh was adapted on stage by I.P.T.A.in a play titled RAAT.

The film revolves around three characters primarily and tends to stagnate after a point.
What’s more, it has many dark shades, sometimes bordering on cruelty.

Based on the conflict between the Mizo National Front [M.N.F.] and the Indian armed forces, DANSH unfolds in a single night.

Mathew [Kay Kay] is the M.N.F. spokesman, an architect of the peace treaty signed by M.N.F. and the Indian authorities. Maria [Sonali Kulkarni], his wife, is a victim of the atrocities inflicted by the Indian army in the past.

Old wounds begin to resurface when Dr. John Sanga [Aditya Shrivastava] enters their world. The doctor has seen his share of misery: his father, a DIG, was killed at the hands of MNF. But forgetting the past, he has come to Mumbai to start life afresh. Some time afterwards, Mathew invites the doctor to spend the night at his house and after a few drinks, the doctor falls asleep there.

Maria feels that the doctor is the man who had once raped her in the army camp. So, she tortures the doctor, trying to make him confess that he had committed the heinous crime. The doctor claims to be innocent, but Maria trusts her instincts too well. She may have been blindfolded while being raped, but she strongly believes that the doctor is her rapist. Not only that, Maria wants Mathew to kill the doctor. Mathew is confused and does not know what to do?

Kudos to director Kanika Verma for attempting something new, something different. Not only that, she handles a few moments with flourish. The sequences involving Sonali's outburst and her scenes with the doctor are well executed. The film may find some favour on the festival circuit, but it’s unlikely to have much of commercial appeal. Cinematography of Chirantan Das is up to the mark.

Sonali Kulkarni and KaY Kay have given excellent performances.

Since the title of the film is rather infrequent, the filmmaker would do well to explain its meaning also.