Although performances are good, especially that by Kapil Sharma, Zwigato is slow and its ending unimpressive
film: Zwigato
Director: Nandita Das
Cast: Kapil Sharma, Shahana Goswami, Tushar Acharya, Kishore Kumar Swain, Gargi Bhattacharya and Jaya Biswas
Sheetal
Zwigato is a film that moves you in bits and pieces. The director Nandita Das had said she needed a common man’s face for a hero and Kapil Sharma does not disappoint. It is more like a fare fit for a film festival and the climax leaves you wanting for something more. With an undertone of humour and rawness, it makes you travel with Manas Singh Mahto, a food delivery agent with a multi-billion dollar company Zwigato (read Zomato). As he goes from one customer to another, the contrast in people’s behaviour towards the less-privileged is highlighted.
How politicians or a company or for that matter the upper class take the daily-wager for granted is what the film is all about. But while putting forth the story of Manas, the film also underlines how people like him are still better than those who are without jobs.
As the wife of Manas, Shahana Goswami has given a powerful performance. Equally impressive is the cameo by Sayani Gupta, as the regional boss of Zwigato. There are curious instances that will help you draw a parallel to real-life entrepreneurs and politicians. Dialogues like ‘Ye India hai, yahan har cheej ke liye line lag jaati hai’ ring a bell too.
The scene wherein a millennial refuses to get a massage from Pratima (Shahana), as she sees her sweating, and she is sent back with Rs 20, was quite moving. Kapil Sharma has left an impression and proved that he should be taken seriously when it comes to acting! Certainly give it a skip if you are looking for Kapil’s comic timing though.
The film deals with an important subject, especially after what the pandemic has driven the economically weaker-sections to, and it has been handled with all seriousness.
The separate lift for service staff, them not being allowed to us washrooms in malls or the lifts, reflect class differences still prevalent in our society. Overall, the film has many messages but they are not for everybody. The pace is quite slow too.
