Pottel Movie Review

This is a quiet and full weekend at the box office, as release weekends before a big festival tend to be. In this lull of a period, Sahit Mothkuri’s intense social drama Pottel hits the theatres. The film stars newcomer Yuva Chandra Krishna in the lead role, while Vakeel Saab-fame actress Ananya Nagalla plays the female lead. Ajay, who has especially gained a lot of acclaim and pop culture cred with his work in Mathu Vadhalara 2 and Devara, plays the chief antagonist of the film.

What is it about?

Pottel is a sad tale on the struggle between education and superstition taking place in a remote village on the Telangana-Maharashtra border. Gangadhar (Yuva Chandra Krishna) belongs to a disadvantaged community which is forbidden from going to school. As a result of his family’s illiteracy, Ganga loses his twin brother as a child. The town’s overall lack of literacy also contributes to them believing that all the cholera deaths happening around them are a result of their local goddess being angry with them. This village is ruled by generations of ooru peddas/zamindars titled Patelas, who go into a trance-like state called siggam, where they deliver messages of their goddess Balamma to the people.

Ajay, who plays the village Patel, uses the villagers’ belief in the practice of Siggam to his advantage, keeping the villagers dumb and uneducated. What happens when Ganga wants to give his young daughter Saraswathi an education, forms the core conflict of the film here, while highlighting the exploitation as well the need to eradicate social evils through education.

Performances:

Yuva Chandra Krishna is earnest and sincere in his portrayal of Ganga, a simple guy who just wants a better life for himself, his family and his villagers, in that order. Ananya Nagalla, who plays Ganga’s wife Bujjamma, does not have much to do here. Ananya’s performance as village belle is decent.

Ajay plays a classic zamindari villain with the chutzpah it deserves but the role’s overall potential is shortcircuited by the film’s poor writing of its characters, especially its villain. Srikanth Iyengar plays the village teacher. His character evolves in an interesting manner through the course of his film.

Technicalities

As noble as the intentions of the film are, the technical aspects of this film do not enhance its source material in any way possible. The efforts that went behind making this film are evident but the craft is completely missing in this dynamic.The film plays out like an overly melodramatic TV serial, offering little respite to its audience. The production design are by and large ok.

Thumbs up

Telangana nativity
Unique premise
Sincere performances

Thumbs down

Dull screenplay
Uninspiring narrative
Generic production values

Analysis

The makers of Pottel need to be lauded for tackling such a sensitive and pertinent subject. The issue of education, combined with an even graver issue of superstitious practices and caste-based oppression, is not only a timely reminder of the strides we have made in terms of social justice, but it is also a sobering reflection of how bad things can be without education and solidarity. But noble intentions alone do not make for a great film.

While the subject matter of Pottel is worth pondering about, its resultant treatment leaves a lot to be desired. Throughout the film, all Sahit Mothkuri and team do is depict, display and dispense great amounts of pity and sadness. There is no redemption, no heroism, no entertainment (even the “content oriented” kind) anywhere in the film.

Pottel shows the life of this one village in the 80s with authenticity and realism, but the storytelling beyond this surface is not only lifeless but also infuriating. It is all the more important for social justice films to show the oppressed class fighting back but that never happens here. Even the more serious parts of the film do not get the in-depth writing or multi-dimensionality it deserves. For people who want an unflinching look at the horrors of our society, Pottel might be the film they want to check out.

Verdict – Pottel Is Weak

Rating: 2.5/5

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