What Is the Story About?
In the ’90s, as India awaits the arrival of Russian president Boris Yeltsin, the Intelligence Bureau arrests a deaf-mute waiter Ashok, over his alleged bid to assassinate the former. Pushkin, a sign language interpreter, working in a local school, is asked to interrogate Ashok, in the presence of an intelligence man Jagdish. Through the interrogation, Ashok and Pushkin develop a strange bond.
Performances?
Ishwak Singh sinks his teeth into the portrayal of Ashok and brings an organic charisma to the performance due to his lively expressions. Aparshakti Khurana is a tad too subdued and lost in his cocoon, but makes an earnest effort to bring Pushkin to life.
Rahul Bose, in an unusually loud performance, looks out of place and doesn’t do anything out of the blue to make an impact. Anupriya Goenka is impressive in an extended appearance, whereas veterans Deepak Qazir, Nitesh Pandey, Kabir Bedi, sleepwalk through their brief roles.
Analysis
Atul Sabharwal, the director behind terrific outings like Class of 83 and Aurangzeb, helms a unique exploration of the system through his new spy drama, Berlin, set in 1993, named after an iconic cafe in New Delhi. The simplistic yet tense drama progresses in an interrogative room, where an interpreter Pushkin is under pressure to decode the motive behind a deaf man’s alleged ploy to kill the Russian president.
While the heavy premise shifts from national security to spies to covert operations and precise questioning involving specific jargon, the narrative gradually builds the warm equation between an interpreter and an alleged deaf-mute agent. The duo looks beyond the crisis and forges an uncanny bond through sign language, trying to understand each other better.
Despite its ambitious ideas – of setting up an entire film in a tense interrogation room, where the scope for verbose dialogue remains little – Berlin struggles to hold the narrative together. The staging is dull and monotonous while the drama takes too long to reach its boiling point. Time and again, Ashok pleads innocence and it takes Pushkin a couple of ‘rough’ episodes to understand the gravity of the situation.
More than its narrative, Berlin’s edgy, quirky pivotal characters do a better job at holding your attention. Both Ashok and Pushkin are empathetic, good-hearted yet ordinary people. They may have barely done anything eventful in their lives and overcome the prying eyes around them to communicate with each other. Despite being at either end of the law, they’re equally livid with the system.
While the first hour sets the foundation for the characters neatly, offering a brief peek into the worlds of Jagdish, Ashok and Pushkin and the mystery woman connecting their lives, the film primarily gets going only in the last 30-40 minutes. Why does Ashok land in a soup? Is he a mere scapegoat to cover up an infamous episode in an officer’s life? How far can Pushkin go to save Ashok?
There’s nothing really revelatory and emphatic in the culmination, (it doesn’t come together effectively) but the ending is still cheeky and it works more for its sensitive portrayal of an unusual camaraderie. Pushkin is naturally overwhelmed while Ashok has the last laugh.
Berlin is an intriguing narrative experiment. It employs several interesting tricks, has potent ideas, but remains in hibernation mode for a long time to make any substantial impact.
Music and Other Departments?
K Krishna Kumar’s anxious, brooding score is one of the film’s major highlights. Cinematographer Shree Namjoshi, in collaboration with the production and costume designers (Ashok Lokare, Sandeep Shelar, Divvya Gambhir, Nidhi Gambhir) opts for a minimalistic yet effective approach in transporting a viewer to the 90s. The length, even under two hours, still feels long for the genre and the script’s limitations.
Highlights?
Ishwak Singh’s performance
Superb background score
Well etched characters
Drawbacks?
The dull, nauseating treatment
The absence of strong drama/conflict
Simplistic culmination
Did I Enjoy It?
Only in parts
Will You Recommend It?
Provided you have the patience to stomach an abstract, under-wrought spy drama
Berlin Movie Review by Binged Bureau