Guilty
Cast: Kiara Advani, Gurfateh Singh Pirzada, Akansha Ranjan
Directed by: Ruchi Narain
Decades before MeToo became an official platform, Jodie Foster’s Oscar-winning act in the 1988 film “The Accused” had already tried to spark a conversation along the lines of that a woman cannot be shamed or the victim can be accused of assault or rape her, no matter what. In India, a few years ago, we had the brilliant ‘Pink’, which underlined the maxim that when a woman says that, no means no.
Touted as the brainchild of an all-female creative, “Guilty” tries to get the conversation going through a story about rape allegations set against the backdrop of MeToo, making it relevant. Any film that attempts to engage audiences on this subject should be considered significant, despite its cinematic merit or lack of it.
But while “Guilty” emphasizes its message, somehow you get the impression that instead of charting a new course, the creators are happy to just make another “Pink”, without the same creative edge or seriousness.
Ruchi Narain’s film, based on a script she co-wrote with Kanika Dhillon and Atika Chohan, kicks off. Your anticipation is heightened when a series of police investigations reveal a rape at a top school in Delhi during Valentine’s Day festivities. The accused VJ (Gurfateh Singh Pirzada) turns out to be the darling of the campus. No one is willing to believe the victim, an ordinary girl from Dhanbad named Tanu (Akansha Ranjan), who is clearly not the popular one.
That bit transfers clearly within the first 10 minutes or so. Narain saves the gradual dissection of the situation in the following scenes. Outside the uniformity of the classroom, the social differences are quietly exposed. VJ comes from a wealthy family. His father (Manurishi Chaddha) has a promising political future, while his mother, a former model, is a prominent face on the Delhi cocktail scene. For some reason, VJ’s dad isn’t completely convinced of his innocence, although everyone, including his girlfriend Nanki (Kiara Advani), is absolutely.
The story really gets going with Kiara’s Nanki Dutta. She is a bright college girl with a rebellious streak and a deceptive calmness on the outside. She shows off her “cool girl” tag in the outlandish makeup and peroxide hair color she wears. Nanki’s dislike for Tanu is clear from the start. It only gets worse as Tanu is very open about her obsession with getting VJ’s attention in college, a subtext that culminates in the fateful alleged incident. In the wake of the MeToo movement, Tanu posts on social media that VJ raped her on Valentine’s Day when no one was around to prove the crime.
“Guilty” would seem impressive in the way the characters turn. Tanu, for example, is introduced as a girl who can lie with a straight face for small benefits, so that becomes the biggest hurdle for people to fathom if she is indeed telling the truth. Kiara’s Nanki, too much the glamor girl in town when the first few minutes pass, wouldn’t quite look like a girl who would take up the batons on behalf of her cornered boyfriend. VJ himself is the sun boy to start with.
Unfortunately, the story fails to take advantage of the dynamics these characters foretell, as the layers around the story are peeled off.
Incidentally, the concept of “Guilty” is reminiscent of the 2008 Hollywood movie “Doubt” which, while completely different in storyline, also spoke of an impeccable protagonist who ended up in port over a sexual exploitation charge. “Doubt” was about a priest who has no blemish and is hugely popular with everyone, but is accused of sexually abusing a troubled boy who, according to many, could be lying.
However, unlike “doubt”, “Guilty” is let down by half-baked writing. A major reason the film doesn’t retain the initial element of intrigue is that, if you pay close attention, you won’t have any trouble figuring out which way the story is going and who’s actually lying. It’s one reason we somehow can’t empathize with the specificity that clearly demands such sentiment from us. A completely plastic assertion of a relevant comment is what you end up with.
“Guilty” boasts some fine performances from the cast — Kiara Advani in particular deserves a mention. But the actors are weighed down by mediocre storytelling and the film is a futile attempt. Despite all the trippy campus vibes, you’re left with an exuberantly slack climax that reminds you that this is a Karan Johar production.
Rating: 2.5/5
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