Date:08/04/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/04/08/stories/2007040801160200.htm

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Karnataka - Bangalore

Not thought provoking enough

GOOD JOB: Aishwarya Rai essays the role of Kiranjeet Ahluwalia in the Mundhra venture

Provoked

Director: Jagmohan

Mundhra

Cast: Naveen Andrews, Aishwarya Rai, Nandita Das

PERHAPS THE only thing one could say about Provoked, directed by Jagmohan Mundhra ("Bawandar", "Kamla"), is that it's a pity a story that sorely needed telling could not be rendered by more capable hands.

As it stands, however, the film that has received a lot of hype for its subject matter, the true story of a Kiranjeet Ahluwalia whose murder trial helped change the way domestic abuse was interpreted, fails to live up to its full potential.

One of the primary reasons is a lack of directorial restraint on the part of Mundhra, who overstuffs the film with rather amateurish scenes that could easily have been removed in editing.

As a result, what could have been a tight, engaging drama that pushes the audience towards asking the questions that need asking, becomes a damp squib instead, tending to tread the beaten path quite contentedly. There are important, valid points in the film, such as the admittance (rather rare for Indian or diaspora films) that domestic rape exists and is a valid concern.

However, this and other important issues like it get buried in more obvious tugs at heart strings that incidentally fail to do their job too.

Compounding this problem is the failure of the script by Carl Austin and Rahila Gupta to satisfactorily explore the various characters, particularly that of Deepak Ahluwalia (Naveen Andrews), who is portrayed as nothing more than a monster.

In a sense, Aishwarya Rai, never known for portrayals of depth, fits in with a script that certainly gets many of its basics right, but trips up as it tries to scratch beyond the surface. Still, this role is a definite step up for the actress, far better than those of other recent movies like the deplorable "Mistress of Spices" or "Bride and Prejudice"

But the real disappointment is Nandita Das as an activist of the Southall Black Sisters who helps Kiranjeet Ahluwalia win her freedom, as she hams her way through much of the film. One of the few saving graces in the film is Andrews, although one wishes he were given more of a role to play with.

Make no mistake about it, in large parts Provoked manages to capture the essence of the real life story perfectly. But one only wishes that Mundhra had spent less time trying to milk melodrama out of the story and concentrated more on the important whys and wherefores, which were what made the case and the story behind it so important.

Rakesh Mehar