Movie recommendation: Teen Deewarein (Three Walls)

Tweet

Note: I had no expectations of this movie. In fact, I wanted to catch a bit of Hyderabad Blues today. I was surprised that Teen Deewarein was the only movie of Nagesh Kukunoor's that I haven't watched. So I gave it a shot. And boy was I surprised!

IMDB Entry: Teen Deewarein (Three Walls)

Genre: Crime, Suspense, Drama

I love watching experimental cinema. I like to give myself a break from the usual, predictable Bollywood plots. That's when I lookout for some offbeat movies like this one. Of course, the more non-Bollywood it is, the more patience you need. Sometimes these movies don't end well and you are left with a bitter taste. This movie is definitely not one of those. The plot is unfolded slowly but it all ties in well and makes sense in a revealing climax.

This is a story of three prisoners facing a death sentence and a filmmaker (Juhi Chawla) who wants to shoot a documentary of their lives in the prison. Each of them have murdered a woman in their life. As Juhi gains trust of each of these men, their stories unfold and give us a perspective of their circumstances. Since all of the movie is inside a prison, you get a glimpse of what goes on in an Indian prison. What happens inside the prison and how Juhi turns around their lives forms the rest of the story.

Jackie Shroff, Naseeruddin Shah and Nagesh Kukunoor play the three prisoners and fit into their roles perfectly. Naseeruddin Shah gets the meatiest role - he plays a small time crook who is also a smooth talker and has escaped several prisons before. Jackie doesn't get much footage, but he is good in the limited role he has. Nagesh Kukunoor is a natural when it comes to playing a Hyderabadi, so this was an easy part for him. Juhi is a revelation! I have never thought of her as a "serious" actress - she was wasted in far too many ridiculous roles in her career and wish she did more of such roles. Because she is indeed a fine actress. The first 30 minutes of the movie runs at a slow pace. It continues in the same pace, but characters and events are blended well in the rest of the movie that you forget the pace after some time.

To a careful viewer, you will get subtle hints throughout the movie on what might happen later. Although the end isn't shocking, it wasn't predictable either. The twist at the end neatly ties in with the the story - i.e nothing in the movie happens without a reason. The fresh take at storytelling surprised me. Definitely a few shades of Tarantino style screenplay - with crime scenes switched in and out as the prisoners open up to Juhi; like pieces of a puzzle fitting together. The dialogues have been written in a mix of Hindi, English and Hyderabadi slangs to give authenticity to the characters - which I liked. Jackie's poetry on life and prison remind me of Red's narration in The Shawshank Redemption. 

There are a few scenes that can be hard to watch for an average Indian cinema lover. And definitely not recommended for family watching. The movie runs like a short film (under 2 hours duration) and this keeps the movie on track without swaying too much away from the main plot. i.e it fits in subjects like adultery, domestic abuse, prison hardships, love and betrayal etc.

This movie might not be a Shawshank Redemption in terms of impact, but it definitely proves that there are so many talented directors in Bollywood who can tell a story and an original one at that. A must watch if you are willing to take a break from Bollywood masala movies.