420 IPC is a crime drama film which was released on Zee5 on 17th December. Written and directed by Manish Gupta, the film stars Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Shorey, Rohan Vinod Mehra, Arif Zakaria, Gul Panag and others in various roles. The synopsis of the film on ZEE5 reads as, “In this ZEE5 Original film, CA Keswani is arrested for bank fraud and forgery. Keswani hires Birbal, a lawyer, to fight his case, but Birbal realises that there’s more to it than meets the eye.”
Section 420 of IPC (Indian Penal Code) deals with cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property. The maximum punishment which can be awarded under this section is imprisonment for a term of 7 years and a fine.
– 420 IPC Review does not contain any spoilers –
The film 420 IPC opens at the Mumbai Metropolitan Road Development Authority office. The office has Bansi Keswani (played by Vinay Pathak) a chartered accountant and his client Deputy Director, Sandesh Bhonsale (played by Mahesh Pillai) to discuss tax return filing and other official processes for him and his family. However, things go downhill for him as he visits his family after his dealing is over. His family consists of his wife Pooja (played by Gul Panag) and son Amit (played Shush Kalra). Pooja informs him that the bank has issued an eviction notice to him as he had failed to pay the instalments for his home loan for the last few sessions.
As he is trying to figure out his way of this crisis, the CBI comes knocking at the door and asks him to accompany them to his office. But, the proceedings and the things that are revealed during his official visit is not quite what he expected. Soon he has to hire Birbal Choudhary (played by Rohan Vinod Mehra) to rescue him from this mess.
420 IPC does a wonderful job of depicting the hardships and conflicts of the Indian middle class. Director Manish Gupta’s eye for details wins the viewer over. It is quite obvious that the director has done his fair share of research and probably more to portray the court scenes and the legal procedures involved in an investigation. The screenplay is maintained quite efficiently and the film does not feel boring at any point. It keeps you glued to your screen.
Vinay Pathak’s acting skills, although not sufficiently used, shine throughout the film. He keeps his head down and tries to portray Banshi, a restricted CA official. He suffers through his trauma just like an Indian middle class. Gul Panag, who plays Banshi’s wife also does a very good job and the dynamic between both of them is maintained quite well. The public Prosecutor Sewak Jamshedji ( played Ranvir Shorey), who is representing the opponent in the case, will also keep you hooked to the screen.
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“There should be different rules for the family members of government servants, no?” a line from the film 420 IPC, sums up the entire film in very few words. Bansi’s struggles, as he is acquitted (more than once) makes the film quite sympathetic towards the causes of the Government officials. Birbal (played by Rohan Vinod Mehra) is a newcomer. However, his handling of the complicated role and his easy demeanour on the screen comes as a big surprise.
Summing up: 420 IPC
420 IPC is a film made for the Indian middle class. The film is not very dramatic but uses the undertone aura to its advantage. Sometimes the movie does stretch out of dramatic moments, it also is mindful to keep the plot going without it becoming too boring. All in all, it is a film worth giving a try.
420 IPC is now streaming on ZEE5.
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