A One Mann’s Movies review of “Santosh” (2024) (From the 2024 London Film Festival).
“Santosh” is yet another interesting film with a female director, Sandhya Suri, that takes a female perspective on a very male-dominated world…. the police force in a rural area.
Bob the Movie Rating:
“Santosh” Plot Summary:
Santosh Saini (Shahana Goswami) is in a bind. Her husband, an officer in the police force, has been killed during a riot and she is about to be evicted from the ‘police house’. Her in-laws do not want to help, pouring distain on her as being an extravagent wastrel. Her husband only had two years service, so her widow’s pension is tiny. But a way forward is available. Under a government scheme – the “law of compassion” – she is able to ‘adopt’ the role of her husband, at his rate of pay, and become a female police officer. Assigned to a rural police station, she is quickly embroiled in the case of the murder of a teenage girl.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (At the time of writing, this film was not reviewed by the BBFC. I would expect it to be a ’15’ based on language and violence.)
Talent:
Starring: Shahana Goswami, Sunita Rajwar.
Directed by: Sandhya Suri.
Written by: Sandhya Suri.
Running Time: 2h 0m.
“Santosh” Summary:
Positives:
- Interesting twisty-turny story that will have you burning with judicial outrage.
- Shines a light on the deep social and religious divisions holding India back.
- Some extremely clever shot choices and a cinematography award for bravery!
Negatives:
- Throws some terms at you which are clearly known to locals, but not to me.
Review of “Santosh”:
A well-rounded character
Santosh is a really well-rounded character and perfectly played by Shahana Goswami. She has a good heart but also an underlying toughness: we see her first job as a police officer is to scrub the blood off her husband’s old jacket. But she also displays insecurity and naivety in her dealings with her police colleagues. With great acting from Goswami, this insecurity is displayed through a delightful flash of pride crossing her eyes after praise from a superior:
Outrageous.
The story is engaging with Santosh as a strong female role model at the heart of it (well… up to a point!). I can’t really outline why the story is outrageous without giving too much away, but let’s just say that I was left burning with anger by the end of the film.
This is really not a great advert for the Indian police force either in their dealings with women (who are given “female police officer duties to do”) but particularly in the sort of casual racism (against Muslims) and in their disdain of those in the lower levels of the caste system. The father of the missing 15-year-old girl, Devika Pippal, can’t even get a roomful of officers to bother to even take the report when he tells them his daughter is missing. “She’s probably out taking a shit in the fields” is the response, and they are amazed when he replies that no, that can’t be the case as they have an inside toilet. Whatever next? Untouchable peasants with the inside loo! Santosh is clearly for the people but, with her junior role, unable to influence events. “We’re illiterate” he complains to her, “Isn’t that why the police are deaf to us?”
Really interesting shot choices.
Firstly, if there was an Oscar for “Bravery in Cinematography”, it should be awarded to Lennert Hillege, since we start the film in the middle of the street of a busy town during rush hour. I can only assume he had a team of people just out of shot swinging baseball bats at any Tuk-Tuk or motorbike that threatened to wipe him out!
Elsewhere, director Sandhya Suri (in her first fiction feature… she has made documentaries before) picks some really innovative shots. In my favourite, two characters (no names, no pack-drill) are shown on an opposite platform as a freight train rattles through the station. The figures flash in animation like Eadweard Muybridge’s famous zoopraxiscope of the galloping horse. A superb sequence.
Terms I Didn’t Understand
As might be expected in a realistic depiction of an Indian law case, there were a number of terms thrown at me as the viewer that I didn’t understand and left me a bit confused. Not desperately confused. But a bit confused!
Summary Thoughts on “Santosh”
This is a very well made and thought-provoking slice of Indian life. India is aiming to be a huge global super-power at some point, but this work of fiction, based on fact, ilustrates that they need to sort a lot of basic societal infrastructure out first before they can get there.
Rather surprisingly, given the location, this is the UK’s entry for next year’s International Film Oscar. Ah, the old Empire is not yet dead and gone! 😉
Where to Watch it (Powered by Justwatch)
Trailer for “Santosh”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9pmVqcMbcc .
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