Streaming on Zee5
Rating: ** ½
Manoj Bajpayee shoulders this predictable court procedural with an unmanageable ugly title.Whoever named this film Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai deserves a prize for lack of imagination: a common prevalent ailment in Hindi cinema.
Luckily the film is not as baggy as its title. Interesting in parts, the plot walks on solid but slippery ground. Solid, as we know the outcome of the real-life case of the slimy selfstyled godman who did unthinkable things to his young female devotees(probably to the boys too, though male molestation is not widely reported in our country).
But the writing(Deepak Kingrani) and direction(Apoorv Singh Karki) are way too trope-centric. We know every move that the storytelling will make . Nonetheless survival stories, be they the aftermath of manmade or natural catastrophes , can never fail unless put into wrong hands. This one doesn’t fall into wrong hands.
Karki’s direction is somewhat stiff around the edges. But he has his arc in the right place.Then there is Manoj Bajpayee . He plays Solanki(considering Manoj’s reed-thin appearance so-lanky would be more appropriate) a humble godfearing sessions court lawyer with a jovial mom and a little son who calls his dad ‘Buddy’(cute!) , who dares to take on the case of a sexually abused girl Nu(Adrija) .
From the time the abused girl’s parents step into Solanki’s office to the moment of triumph in the court, it’s all fairly predictable. The court proceedings are attempted to be spruced up by introducing potentially interesting defence lawyers for the accused,a Ram Jethmalani lookalike and a Subramanian Swamy clone played by actors who seem burdened by selfimportance . Solanki’s fanboy act in front of the two is a little bit too much.
Luckily for the rest, the characters remain within the precincts of the believable. The outdoors in Jodhpur are used effectively to create the required mood.One chase sequence where Solanki on a scootie is pursued by bike-ridden hoodlums through narrow lanes, is interesting, though again we have seem this smalltown intrigue and mofussil mayhem repeatedly in films of the past five years.
At a higher level, this film offers the comfort of the familiar. It is always gratifying to see a slimy sociopath masquerading as a guru, being brought to book. At the lowest level, Sirf Ek Banda Kaafi Hai is tolerable because of Bajpai’s performance. But none of the supporting cast is impressive. So no, ek bandaa kaafi nahin hai.
