Movie Review: “Gali Guleiyan” by Dipesh Jain

 

Source: IMDb

              

Movie - Gali Guleiyan ( In the Shadows)

Director- Dipesh Jain 

Language- Hindi 

Running time- 117 minutes 

About the Director 

Dipesh Jain is the winner of the Director's Guild of America [DGA]. He graduated from the University of South California film school. His thesis film at USC is "11 weeks", this film has screened at numerous film festivals and won many awards. Gali Guleiyan is his first full-length feature film. Dipesh remarks:

"I see old Delhi as a dark and mysterious place, which can trap you. My grandparents used to live in old Delhi. We spent our summer vacations there, the idea of being entrapped- it's something I've experienced being lost in those alleys, unlabel to find my way out. It is very challenging for a child. I tried to bring out those impressions and experiences in the film’s theme." 

It is a scathing critical story of a community that watches someone's struggle, and no one comes to the rescue. The film is inspired by a true story. The character 'Khuddoos' is also such a character who keeps living in the pain of trauma, and has not recovered from it. 

Showcasing the narrow lanes of Old Delhi, Gali Guleiyan ( in the shadows, 2018 ), may scare you with its tale of a man Khudoos, who gets lost in the labyrinth of his mind. You heard about the romanticism and charm of the people of Old Delhi। you might not have been there yourself, so with that maze setting of Gali Guleiyan, an attempt has been made to show the events affecting the life of a troubled man. 

Synopsis

The story is about 'Khuddos' (Manoj Bajpayee) who lives in a dilapidated house on narrow streets and there is a war going on in his mind. There is a net of wire in his house, there are some boxes and he has installed CCTV cameras in between so that he can keep an eye on the neighborhood sitting from his house. 

Khuddoos is no relation with anyone in the locality and rarely goes out of his house. His only friend Ganeshi (Ranvir Shorey) brings food for him and helps with money too. One day Khuddoos heard the voice of a crying child ( Idu), it seemed that someone was beating him badly. This scene of the movie draws your attention but also disturbs you. 

Idu (Om Singh) loves his pregnant mother ( Sadhna Goswami) very much. But his father Liyaka ( Neeraj Kabi) is a butcher, who beats him up and wants to make his 11- year- old son 'Idu' to be like him. Forcing him to mold himself to the sights and sounds of the slaughterhouses. 

In the film, there are many layers of the psychology of adults and children, which scare in many places. How an adult's stubbornness can push children into a dangerous world and can make a child a murderer. The film also shows the rift in the relationship between parents and children. 

Analysis 

Dipesh Jain has completely tied the film with his story, and the audience would like to know what will happen next. Both Idu and Khuddoos are mentally disturbed, and come from families where all is not well. It is a psychological Thriller. 

The film is disturbing and might not appeal to everyone. Khuddoos is a man who is cut off from people, he still feels the pain of Idu. An excellent film by Om Singh, who wants to run away from home after being thrashed by his father (Liakat) but does not want to leave his mother behind. Shahana Goswami brought alive the role of a mother (Saira) with sensitive images. 

The fear and torture of childhood have been shown together in the best way. In the film, Manoj Bajpayee's tired shoulders and sad extinguished eyes brought alive the actor and character. Neeraj Kabi is fine as a butcher, who tortured his son and wife. 

Public Verdict 

" Gali Guleiyan disturbs you, but story is powerful"

 

" Manoj Bajpayee on Gali Guleiyan - I was on verge of losing my mental stability"

Bottom line

The psychological drama premiered at the '22nd Busan International Film festival'. It received many nominations and won 4 awards from international and national film festivals. It received critical acclaim worldwide. This film was released at more than 20 film festivals. 

Manoj Bajpayee who played the Khuddoos says " the pain only reflected as a minute expression in his eyes. He was lost in his imaginary world. I wasn't approaching Khuddoos as an insane person. For me it was about looking into his mind. When he was trying to solve the puzzle, I was with him. I am not judging him. I am not judging the character and therefore I never spoke to any psychiatrist to help me with portrayal." 

Director Dipesh said " The film isn't about Morality issue but about unresolved things in the protagonist's mind and his descent into paranoia."

I rate this movie 4. 5 / 5

You can watch this movie on Amazon Prime Video. 

Written by Jyoti Malik