Anwar Ka Ajab Kissa review: A savouring cinema

What: Anwar Ka Ajab Kissa (English title: Sniffer 2013) - The genius of renowned filmmaker Buddhadev Dasgupta and the mastery of actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui in this dark comedy finally gets an OTT release after a wait of seven years.

Anwar Ka Ajab Kissa synopsis

Anwar (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), a maverick detective, a Labrador, Anwar’s cases and the case of Anwar. Buddhadev Dasgupta’s Anwar Ka Ajab Kissa is a chronicle of life, its miseries, its gain, pain and more.

OTT movie Anwar Ka Ajab Kissa review

The poetic genius of Buddhadev Dasgupta’s storytelling and the mastery of emotions on screen by Nawazuddin Siddiqui results in a cinema that should be seen, savoured and thoughtfully appreciated. The rare sangam (meeting point) of a renowned filmmaker Buddhadev Dasgupta who has his own universal language of cinema (Phera - 1988, Bagh Bahadur – 1989, Charachar – 1994, Uttara – 2000, Mondo Meyer Upakhyan – 2002, Kalpurush – 2005) and an actor with refined nuances Nawazuddin Siddiqui create an exquisitely beautiful and beguilingly poetic chronicle of life, people, places, spaces, loneliness, togetherness, longing, belonging, allusions, reality, faith, fate and more.

The journey of Anwar (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) a maverick detective working in a small detective agency, ‘Inner Eye’ in Kolkata. He peeps into the life of complete strangers for a living sporting a black hat, dark glasses, a still camera for gathering evidence and flashes an intense, firm, serious look. Anwar is damned serious about his job and is thoroughly loyal to his principles and believes. In his encounters with those strangers, Anwar finds some connections in his lonely life where a Labrador is his only company. The Labrador is also his drinking partner.

The world of Anwar which has its good influences from the world of Ray and Ghatak (the side characters – the people), Buddhadev Dasgupta creates a dreamy world for his protagonist who goes on a retreat of hope, despair, pain, suffering, longing and finally comes home.

Dasgupta's meticulous script primarily dwells on the irony of a big city which offers shelter but no space for individuals who have an open mind and are above the rigid common beliefs. The less privileged and more open village can in fact provide the freedom and the much-needed solace.

The mystic world of Anwar sees him accepting gay relationship without any fuss, walking drunk at night with his Labrador friend and encountering people who are facing basic problems like lack of sleep, digestion etc.

The world is in doldrums so are the clients of his agency and so is humanity and so is life.

Anwar’s striking quality of finding hope is astonishing. The encounter with that old lady played by Farrukh Jaffar (incredible) and the nostalgia that follows is enriching.

Adapting a one layer at a time approach, Buddhadev Dasgupta’s Anwar Ka Ajab Kissa sees people crossing paths with Anwar and Anwar in the bargain finding his way of solace.

The genius of Buddhadev Dasgupta is in display over here and that 3+ minute-long shot during the end reels is a master class.

Performances

Nawazuddin Siddiqui is class apart.  

Pankaj Tripathi in a cameo is a sheer delight.

Niharika Singh is fantastic.

Ananya Chatterjee is fabulous.

Makrand Brahme and Sohini Paul lend good support.

Technical

Spanish cinematographer Diego Romero lensing is lyrical and seems like watching a soothing ballad. The liberating musical score by Alokananda Dasgupta makes the journey calm and soothingly mesmerising.

Flaws

A refreshing art house material, those pure entertainment hungry souls won’t find any solace.

Scene that should be deleted at once

Not a single

Bottom line

When did we last had an Indian cinema that propelled by the genius of a filmmaker and mastery of an actor powered by beguiling camerawork, soothing background score dwelling on the urban chaos we all are in.? Finding hope and solace and taking the viewer on a poetic journey that ends with a final image so quiet and beautiful which we rarely see in Indian cinema.