Afwaah Movie Review: Truth is Around, Take it or Leave it!

Afwaah Movie Review: Two strangers are on a run. It may seem they are running from those trying to kill them, but it’s an escape from radicalism, extremism, and patriarchy. Sudhir Mishra’s no-holds-barred take on political opportunism!

Afwaah Movie Review: It only takes a piece of information to make you or break you. But, what if you become a victim of information that is both strange, nonexistent, and at the same time, is perceived as the ultimate truth? Afwaah, the latest from director Sudhir Mishra, gives you ample opportunities to ask such questions. In its two-hour-long narration, it puts you right in between its hustling characters and lets you experience the turmoil of living in a state where politics means opportunism and religion means social divisiveness.

Nivi (Bhumi Pednekar), the daughter of a senior political leader, elopes after realising that her fiance, Vicky Bana (Sumeet Vyas), the young face of the party, would not fear encouraging religious riots if that’s what it takes for him to show his power. Fate makes her bump into Rahab Ahmed (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), an NRI and a non-practising Muslim, who’s here for a casual homecoming experience and a literary festival in the state. A rumour – afwaah – puts them on a journey where they can either fight the sick power of religious hatred or save their lives but whatever they do, they have to stick together!

Sudhir Mishra, of ‘Hazaaron Khwahishein Aisi’, ‘Khoya Khoya Chaand’, and ‘Chameli’ fame, once again decides to not mince his words. Afwaah is both his aggression and disappointment with those blatantly misusing their political power to ignite communalism, and those being the mute spectators. He doesn’t take time to establish his intention and gets to the business – shows hatred chasing logic and sensitivity, a power-hungry man putting the state into flames because he’s unable to ‘contain’ his wife. Even with all its predictability, and twists that sometimes look forced, the director manages to build a conversation – his prime motive behind curating Afwaah.

In the film, Mishra, who’s also the co-writer, takes substantiated jibe on the WhatsApp universities, the paid trolls, meme-makers, and the social media armies aided by political parties to serve their agendas. While one half suffers being the victim of these rumours, the other half struggles to fight them back and simply gives in to believing them. When Rahab helps Nivi, the woman being attacked by the goons and henchmen of Vicky Bana in a market, his identity is only limited to being a Muslim trying to manipulate a Hindu girl. Right in the next scene, they are declared the ‘love-jihad’ couple by Vicky’s social media army. They now have to be caught, shamed, punished, fixed, and probably even killed. In the midst of the chasing is Vicky’s strongest hand, Chandan (Sharib Hashmi), in a saffron kurta and a red tilak. His claim to fame is his astute devotion to his master that makes him do the most villainous tasks – like killing an innocent butcher in a Muslim-majority neighbourhood.

Afwaah is laced with critical performances where everyone is hungry, some for power, fame, and money and some for freedom, normalcy, peace, and life. While Bhumi and Nawaz stick to the scene, Sumeet and Sharib ace it all. The film re-introduces Mishra as a fearless conversationalist. But, it is Sumeet and Sharib that come together in an unlikely way to give performances that keep you on the edge of your seat. In a scene where Chandan helps Nivi after one of Vicky’s goons accidentally shoots her with a pistol, he tells her ‘aap par goli chalane ka haq sirf Vicky Bana ka hai‘. Mishra never misses a chance to hit at social evils and keeps circling back to patriarchy while love jihad, communal violence, class difference, power struggle, political agendas, and even vigilante mobs and anti-beef movements continue to play.

In a strongly designed parallel story, there’s a female cop (TJ Bhanu) constantly trying to make sense of her identity and her importance in the regime. She makes a strong case for a woman who’s shuffling between doing the righteous thing, finding the easy way up, and exposing the patriarchal monster – his boss and also his partner in bed, Inspector Samar (Sumit Kaul).

Afwaah is Mishra’s honest attempt at calling out our innermost demons where we are at peace with not doing anything even as the world burns around us. ‘Acha insaan hona virtue nahi hai ab,’ says Rahab in a scene, and you are made to think even if someone really wants to be an ‘acha insaan’ anymore. When did we become so complacent? When did we stop asking ‘why’? And when did we stop unlearning? The film leaves you making sense of the world which is real and testing. It might not always be the right thing to sleep over something and it certainly isn’t okay if you think you aren’t a part of the problem. Afwaah, on its surface, is a road thriller, but it mirrors all the rocky bumps, the traffic jams, and the unpredictable u-turns that exist in our social reality. Take it or leave it!

Stars: 3