A SIMPLE, REALISTIC EYE-OPENER

Newton

STARRING: Rajkummar Rao, Anjali Patil, Pankaj Tripathi, Raghubir Yadav, Sanjay Mishra and Mukesh Prajapati

DIRECTOR: Amit Masurkar

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Low-concept and modestly-scaled films are always hard to sell, but authentic passion and a steady accumulation of detail, sets writers Amit Masurkar and Mayank Tiwari’s Newton apart. Set against the backdrop of elections in the world’s largest democracy, Newton is an exemplary indie drama. It is the portrait of an idealistic man surviving in a society that is corrupt by tradition and lethargy.

Wanting to make a difference in society and to standout, Nutan Kumar (Rajkummar Rao) who has completed his Masters in Physics, rechristens himself as Newton.

He is now working for the Indian government. During elections, despite being a standby, he is named the presiding officer of a booth situated deep in the jungles where 76 voters reside. The area is purported to be infested with Maoists. How Newton deals with the administration and the security forces to conduct the elections there despite the constant threat of an ambush from the Naxalites, forms the crux of the tale.

Projected in a fair and balanced manner, Newton’s journey is truly an eye-opener. Initially, his gullibility is suspect, it borderlines to stupidity but Rajkummar Rao as Newton carries it with elan. You chuckle at his idiosyncrasies and conversations with his superiors and counterparts, especially when he attempts to conduct the elections by the book during the absurd circumstances. But it is his sincerity that touches the right emotional chord. It throws open questions about the democratic procedures adopted in the area and its projection by the administration to the media and the world thereby.

Rao is aptly supported by Anjali Patil as his assistant during the election process.

As Malko Neetham, the teacher in a local school, she is a perfect balance to Rao’s naive beliefs. As a local, she gives an appropriate insight into the plight of the oppressed tribals.

Raghubir Yadav and Pankaj Tripathi add some spark to the otherwise staid narrative. Yadav as Newton’s laid-back colleague, the near retiring Loknath is excellent. He keeps you entertained with his constant complaining of how he is forced to work under strenuous circumstances despite his diabetes and various health issues.

Tension brews with Pankaj Tripathi as Atma Singh, the leader of the platoon deployed to provide security for Newton and his team members. He is a natural with his patronising tone trying to done it all. There is the comfort of the familiar about the presentation which is something quite the opposite of nostalgia. Speaking of which, I wish Salman’s cameo had been better written into the plot. It is disappointingly glib and lacking magic.

Holding the crunchy crisp saga of mistaken identities together is Varun. He is so perky and on-the-ball, this film is bound to take his stardom many steps ahead. Without making a song and dance about it, he manages as an actor to connect both with the child within himself and the audience.

With two ladies more than willing to swoon over him, Varun has himself a whale of a time. While Tapsee Pannu brings a kind of sobriety even to the wackiest incidents, Jacqueline Fernandez’s giggly sexiness is becoming tiresome. A crash course in restraint is seriously recommended.

But everyone in the film quickly cottons on to the impetuous mood of the presentation.

So do we, actually. Don’t think about why and how the two Varuns end up where they do. There is a remarkable absence of apology about the David Dhawan kind of film. It exists for the sole purpose of providing mass entertainment. That Varun Dhawan proves to be such a chip off the old block is providential for David Dhawan. Subhash K. Jha demoralise Newton. And, it is interesting to watch him become submissive every time he tries to get his way around.

Apart from the performances, the few things that stay with you after you leave the auditorium are the visuals and the background score. Swapnil S Sonawane’s cinematography captures the rustic set-up with flourish. Music by Naren Chandavarkar and Benedict Taylor adds a subtle undertone to the sombre note of the narrative.

Overall, this simple, slice-of-life tale is interesting, engaging and educative.

Troy Ribeiro