Anti Indian movie review: A scathing satire that doesn’t take sides

Express News Service

Not just fortune, even Tamil audiences, it seems, favour the bold. Irrespective of content quality, anything fearless—be it an intimate romantic scene or expletive dialogues—is usually met with praise. It’s in such brazenness that Anti Indian, the directorial debut of YouTuber C Elamaran, stands out. It revels in its audacity, even at the cost of being oversimplified. There is no ‘kuriyeedu’ here; everything is straightforward and brazen.

The film opens with a close-up of the face of Basha (Elemaran), who has been murdered by unknown people for unknown reasons. The film or the characters don’t care about finding the culprits. This is intentional and leaves us with a lot to ponder about. After a long delay, his brother-in-law Ezhumalai (Jayaraj), a local upcoming politician, gets the body for burial. ‘Ezhumalai’ as a brother-in-law to ‘Basha’? That’s because their mother is a Hindu while the father is a Muslim. Due to the mixed religious identity, his body gets neither accepted in a Muslim burial ground nor a Hindu crematory ground.

Parallelly, we see how the Chief Minister (Radha Ravi) and the police department are preparing for an upcoming by-election, which they are most likely to lose. The opposition has the upper hand, and only superstar actor ‘Kabali’ can tilt the scale. So, the CM and the police have to come up with a plan to either win or stop the election altogether. The sequences involving the CM and the police officials create a sense of unease, given that they discuss sinister plans very casually. When the case of Basha’s body gets media attention, these men in power plan to use it for their benefit.

Since the Jallikattu protest of 2017, Tamil cinema has shown quite a bit of interest in the idea of political conspiracy and police brutality. Yet, most films have done so with a sense of caution. Even the recent blockbuster Maanaadu focussed more on the entertainment and less on such social issues. This is where Anti Indian distinguishes itself from the rest. It doesn’t mince words and is always in your face. Ezhumalai bears a saffron tilak on his head. His party leader is named Raja. And yet, the film is careful not to take sides. It paints Hindus, Muslims, Christians, media, police, and everyone in the film with the same brush.

The problem then is, what’s really the voice of the director? Perhaps, the nameless, black-clad character (Ghilli Maran), who takes digs at everyone, is the voice? He wanders around asking questions, like the one he poses to Ezhumalai: “How are all the leaders in your party fair while the followers are dark?” However, I wondered why this film steered clear of caste issues. Surely, this is a conscious decision from a filmmaker, who makes every other issue a target.

The craft is straightforward. With a limited budget, Maran has pulled off a decent film that isn’t worried about nuances. No aesthetic brilliance, no compositions that draw attention. It may be technically inferior, but the content makes up for this. The film only cares about its story, and I liked how a lot of it is shown and not told. There are expositions, sure, but they are decently executed. For instance, the idea of juxtaposing the impromptu gaana singing session at the funeral, while police and politicians devise evil plans is well done. It reminded me of Kaala’s climax—maybe it was supposed to. However, there are tonal inconsistencies. Predominantly, the film tries to be a satire, but at times, it does turn sober and realistic. At the end, it left me feeling admiration for the loudness and the boldness of its voice.

As a YouTuber, Maran has been notorious for his impertinent take on films, directors, and actors. As a filmmaker, he has taken on men of all religions and all types of politics… and ultimately, those who wield power. Perhaps the film’s greatest value lies in setting a new benchmark when it comes to freedom of expression in Tamil cinema.