India Lockdown, a Zee5 film, stars Shweta Basu Prasad as Mehrunissa, Prateik Babbar as Madhav, Prakash Belawadi as M Nageshwar Rao, Aahana Kumar as Moon Alves, Saw Tamhankar as Phoolmati, Satvik Bhatia as Dev, Sarin Shihab as Palak and others. Written by Amit Joshi and Aradhana Saw, the film is directed by Madhur Bhandarkar.
The synopsis reads, “India Lockdown follows the stories of Indians who had their lives turned upside down due to the pandemic. A female pilot, a retired father, a prostitute, and a migrant worker try to find their way.”
India Lockdown Movie Review Contains Mild Spoilers
Madhur Bhandarkar’s India Lockdown story is set a few days before the lockdown when the news of coronavirus or COVID-19 was just making headlines. Some people are aware of it, while many aren’t. His story is set on the characters in Mumbai. The people in focus are – a sex worker, a migrant couple and their kids, a young college-going couple, a pilot and a retired older man.
In the movie, no one is aware of the virus except for the character of Mr Rao, who can’t wait to visit his pregnant daughter in Hyderabad. Mr Rao took all the precautions even before it was officially announced to wear a mask and maintain social distancing. While the migrant couple is trying to meet ends with the little they earn, the rest of the characters care only about sex.
Indians woke up to the news of lockdown one day, and everything around was shut. Madhur Bhandarkar’s story takes off quite well while showing the shock that everyone got when the lockdown was announced. But the entire seriousness is taken away when the whole narrative is about sex. Shweta Basu Prasad’s Mehrunissa and other sex workers find ways to earn money by treating sex-deprived men virtually.
There’s a very disturbing scene where Mehru and her friend have sex with ministers in an ambulance. It’s aggravating to watch something like this on screen when in reality, people were trying to survive a deadly pandemic and a virus that caused millions of deaths.
Also Read: India Lockdown Review: Why is Everyone Desperate for Sex in This Pandemic Drama?
The story also focuses on a young couple – Dev and Palak, who care about nothing but losing their virginity as soon as possible. The pandemic becomes a villain in their plans to get laid. Aahana’s Moon Alves, a pilot, is shown as an independent woman who finds her purpose after she kisses a boy… I am still trying to make sense of everything. It is the stupidest subplot with some immature characters.
Every lockdown in 2020 was a scary time for every Indian. The migrant workers suffered in ways no one could imagine. With no means to earn money, many decided to walk for days and weeks to return to their villages. There were reports of deaths due to starvation. But in Bhandarkar’s story, even the migrant workers’ predicament is exploited. According to him, these workers cared more about forcefully having sex with Madhav’s wife instead of reaching home and being safe.
India Lockdown Review: Final Thoughts
India Lockdown ridicules the struggles, pain, and loss the Indians went through due to the pandemic and the multiple lockdowns. But according to the writers and directors, people didn’t care about survival or safety but only about having sex. It mocks how common people functioned during the lockdown, which was a new way of living for each of us. Considering how it’s mentioned that it is inspired by real events, there’s no reality in the story except for the existence of the virus in the background.
The makers had a chance to actually highlight how difficult those times were for everyone, including the frontliners like doctors, nurses and police officers. But instead, we see a story where everyone is horny, and every subplot has a happy ending. Sadly, in reality, many are yet to recover from the emotional trauma and financial loss they suffered during that time.
The movie is now streaming on Zee5.
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