Hindi art film is a close adaptation of J B Priestley's play "An Inspector Calls." Surprisingly for a Hindi film, the "inspiration" of the Priestley drama *is* acknowledged, albeit only in the end credits.
If you know the play, you know the story. Wealthy businessman, fresh from celebrating the engagement of his daughter to the son of another industrial dynasty, is intruded upon by a police inspector. A young woman has hanged herself this evening in a Mumbai slum, and evidence at the scene suggests such a humble person had a significant connection to this family of movers and shakers. Each member of the clan is brought into the living room where the relentlessly interrogative cop brings out his or her links to the dead woman. Early on we get visual and dialogue clues that the inspector is something more than just Lt Columbo on the job.
I rented the film because it featured Neha Dubey, whom I liked a whole lot in "Monsoon Wedding" and wanted to see more of, and she didn't disappoint me, in a nice turn as the daughter of the millionaire. (Dubey's real-life mom plays her mother in the film, though the characters have little on-camera interaction -- but that's part of the point.) The ensemble cast all handle their roles well. The stage origins of the material are obvious but it's opened up via the film format and stays watchable and interesting throughout. Be advised that it's not a "Bollywood" film by any stretch -- rather, an Indian art picture with no musical interludes and a social message beyond the actual story. "Sau Jhooth Ek Sach" is the equivalent of a first-rate regional theater production of "An Inspector Calls," with localized Indian references.
If you know the play, you know the story. Wealthy businessman, fresh from celebrating the engagement of his daughter to the son of another industrial dynasty, is intruded upon by a police inspector. A young woman has hanged herself this evening in a Mumbai slum, and evidence at the scene suggests such a humble person had a significant connection to this family of movers and shakers. Each member of the clan is brought into the living room where the relentlessly interrogative cop brings out his or her links to the dead woman. Early on we get visual and dialogue clues that the inspector is something more than just Lt Columbo on the job.
I rented the film because it featured Neha Dubey, whom I liked a whole lot in "Monsoon Wedding" and wanted to see more of, and she didn't disappoint me, in a nice turn as the daughter of the millionaire. (Dubey's real-life mom plays her mother in the film, though the characters have little on-camera interaction -- but that's part of the point.) The ensemble cast all handle their roles well. The stage origins of the material are obvious but it's opened up via the film format and stays watchable and interesting throughout. Be advised that it's not a "Bollywood" film by any stretch -- rather, an Indian art picture with no musical interludes and a social message beyond the actual story. "Sau Jhooth Ek Sach" is the equivalent of a first-rate regional theater production of "An Inspector Calls," with localized Indian references.
