Ghamasaan movie review: The arena is Bundelkhand, not Chambal, but Timanshu Dhulia knows his terrain. And that familiarity makes Ghamasaan stand out from the series of films shot on locations created on sets, their artifice seeping into the story-telling: the best part of this conflict between cops-and-robbers is the authenticity of the place, and the people.

Maharaj (Arshad Warsi) is Bundelkhand’s Bandit King, as opposed to Phoolan, Chambal’s Bandit Queen (in which Dhulia was casting director) , as well as Paan Singh Tomar (which Dhulia directed, turning it into one of his, and lead Irrfan’s, best collaborations) from the same area who famously gave us that line about ‘baaghis’ and ‘dakaaits’.

There’s no such nuance in the way Maharaj perceives himself: he is who he is, ruling with an iron hand which doesn’t bother hiding its fist. If you go against him, your head will be lopped off. Urging his loyal lieutenant (Jatin Goswami) to finish off a victim by pouring petrol (or is it diesel) over the body and throwing a burning match at it — Maharaj listens to the agonies of a dying man with pleasure.

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Up against Maharaj, based on real-life dacoit Dadua, whose deep connections with senior cops and politicians of the area was no secret, is Special Task Force head Aditya (Pratik Gandhi), sent into the area to launch an intensive comb-and-search operation.

It’s no easy task, as we see through the unhurried two hour thirty minutes run-time, stopping off at brutal massacres in villages, and zooming in on the faces of those who live in fear of both the lawless and the law, which itself is under pressure from those in power in state capitals, who depend on the fear they can generate when it comes to booth-capturing and vote-chori.

Dhulia’s dexterity with intertwining the politics of the land, and the brutality of the landscape is something that kept me watching through the narrative which sometimes becomes a bit uneven. The matter-of-factness with which the killings take place, and the orders given from those on the gaddi, leaches some of the tension, which can be both good and bad: these men, whichever side of the divide they may be, do what they do because that’s what they do; they don’t need swelling background music to aid them.

There are a couple of threads created specifically to distract from the job at hand. Aditya’s wife (Ishita Dutta) understands the gravity of his job, and is thrust into a situation — a face-off between Maharaj’s men and her — which could have turned ghastly: I was left asking why it didn’t, one of things that was left dangling.

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The other is Arshad Warsi as Maharaj, who didn’t make me believe all the way that he could be a cruel man with zero compassion. That’s rare for an actor who slides into his roles with joyful ease: in some places here, his smile becomes his own — likeable — rather than a bestial grin, as he lounges in his scenic hideout, which reminded me of Charas, one of Dhulia’s early films. But Pratik Gandhi’s stoic, steadfast cop, for whom duty comes first, more than makes up for Warsi’s occasional slip-ups: Aditya is a real hero, minus the cape and the clapping.

And there’s also Rajpal Yadav, in a striking supporting role, which leaves a mark.

Ghamasaan movie cast: Arshad Warsi, Pratik Gandhi, Ishita Dutta, Jatin Goswami, Rajpal Yadav


Ghamasaan movie director: Tigmanshu Dhulia


Ghamasaan movie rating: 2.5 stars