Zwigato: Comedy King Kapil Sharma charms while Shahana shines in a powerful, contemporary film

New India is multi-faceted, multi-optional with many of the well-heeled being spoilt for choices while choosing a vocation. But despite all the so-called growth, several other categories of middle-class young men and women reel under pressure to find themselves age- and skill-appropriate employment.
For the Alpha generation, the e-commerce food delivery companies are a blessing, for they cater to the needs and orders of the customers who are more demanding and have more convenience and control over how and when they order their food. But that’s for the customers; the employees of such businesses face the brunt of it. A double-edged sword for the unemployed in India, the sudden thriving numbers of delivery services have led to a Catch-22 situation. They have, in some ways, generated some income for those out of jobs, they barely earn the ‘delivery boys’ the respect that they deserve.
Nandita Das’s third directorial (after the critically acclaimed ‘Firaaq’ and an equally sensitive ‘Manto’), ‘Zwigato’ encapsulates all the alternating vicissitudes that India and its economy are facing today. She narrates a story without being overly judgemental and leaving the harsh and ugly realities as also the unmasked emotional moments as they ought to be.
That Nandita Das, an accomplished actor-director, would come up with a story that makes it compulsive viewing is a given. What is pleasantly surprising is the subject she has chosen as the theme of the film.
By using a trope that India is too familiar with — namely, the food delivery apps, she lays bare the challenges of common people in a social milieu that offers few options for strugglers. One gets to see an underlying political stagnation as well. Without being preachy, she lets the viewers figure out for themselves the ups and downs of the unbalanced society we live in.
Losing his floor manager’s job in a firm, he finds nothing substantial and is forced to work as a food delivery rider, grappling with the app on his phone and the world of ratings and incentives. His everyday struggle is painful as he tries hard to cope with keeping perfect timing for deliveries to make ends meet.On the face of it, the film presents itself as a story of an easy-going man who doesn’t let his frustrations get the better of him too often, except, perhaps, when his dignity is threatened to be compromised. A sharp comment here and an oblique — at times direct too — hint many a times at the class divide that’s so apparent in India, makes the film a much layered and incisive attempt.
Kapil Sharma as Manas lives the role not once falling prey to his much-adored status as the undisputed king of comedy. Viewers will be in for a pleasant surprise to see him stripped of his image that has earned him millions of fans worldwide. He slips into the character of Manas with such ease that it may force his admirers to do a double take. At places he performs like a seasoned actor.
His co-actor Shahana Goswami as Pratima is note-perfect and lets much of her silences and pauses speak for her undeniable talent as a consummate actor. If Kapil slips into playing Manas effortlessly, she, on her part, brings quiet dignity and unreserved sensitivity to her role. Cameos by Sayani Gupta and Gul Panag, though minuscule, are extremely believable too. (IANS)