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Release
date:
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January 19, 2018
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Director:
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Sanjay Patel
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Cast:
Language:
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Rahul Bhat,
Tillotama Shome, Tirth Sharma, Haresh Dagiya, Chetan
Daiya, Jay Bhatt, Vivek Ghamande, Jay Vithlani, Jayesh More
Hindi
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The workers at Apollo Chemicals,
a chromium sulfate factory in Gujarat, are falling like ninepins. Many have
developed respiratory disorders and ulcers, others cancer, some have died as a
result. The head of their union is indifferent to their plight since he has
sold his soul to the management. As more men succumb to the unsafe conditions
in which they operate, another leader emerges from their midst. Reluctantly at
first, and then more decisively, Jay Gohil (Rahul Bhat) takes it upon himself
to ensure that his colleagues get justice and Apollo is set in order.
India-born, Canada-based director Sanjay Patel’s Union Leader goes
where few Hindi films have bothered to tread in the past two decades: to the
area of workers’ rights, once the favoured destination of parallel cinema and
the pre-1990s mainstream. Union Leader’s
strength is that it is committed to its cause, it seems to have some knowledge
about the inner workings of a chemical factory and its weight rests on the
capable shoulders of Rahul Bhat, an actor of tremendous talent who has
inexplicably been largely ignored by mainstream Bollywood.
Bhat was fantastic in Anurag
Kashyap’s underrated 2014 film Ugly.
Here in Union Leader, he brings an X
factor to his performance that rises above the limitations of the screenplay. Even
before we are told that Jay is in physical pain, it is possible to sense an
underlying suffering that he is not revealing to us, to sense that there is
more to that furrowed brow than just his worries for his co-workers and his
family.
Bhat’s charisma and Patel’s
evident good intentions help Union Leader
pull through despite the pale writing of several promising supporting
characters and the too convenient resolution of the workers’ issues. In truth,
labour unions in India are up against the rarely-surmounted combined might of
unscrupulous industrialists, corrupt politicians and bureaucrats in addition to
double agents in their midst, with their troubles compounded by caste and
regional divides. Union Leader fails
to convey the extreme complexity of the circumstances in which the country’s
poor factory hands find themselves.
In addition to Jay’s colleagues,
we are also introduced to his wife Geeta (Tillotama Shome) and teenaged son
Harsh (Tirth Sharma). Shome here carries forward her reputation as a dependable
actor. Sharma made a mark as the heroine’s schoolmate in Advait Chandan’s Secret Superstar just a few months back,
and lives up to that promise here. The warmth in the trio’s equation, Harsh’s
fledgling interest in Gandhian values and his influence over his initially
cynical father give the film its relatability.
It is also nice that though the
screenplay portrays Jay’s journey from hesitation to complete involvement in
the workers’ struggles, it does not feel the need to show him metamorphosing
into a ferocious sloganeer and orator. He remains, till the end, a low-key man
whose fierceness lies entirely within.
Where the film falters is in its
exploration of the battles at Apollo Chemicals. In the engaging first half, the
conversations between Jay and his co-workers feel real, the actors playing
those supporting parts feel not like actors at all and Darren Fung’s music sets
a muted mood that serves to highlight the despair and turmoil in their midst.
As it progresses though, Union Leader
is unable to effectively tap its supporting cast. I wanted to be better
acquainted with Jay’s colleagues beyond the realm of their problems that are
discussed at length pre-interval, but after the break the writers add little to
our understanding of them as persons. This robs Union Leader of the emotional stirrings that should be a given in
such a story.
The screenplay by Patel himself
and John
Winston Rainey is also
unable to capture the magnitude of the problem at hand, the years of
back-breaking, dispiriting toil that go into procuring workers their rights.
This is not to say that the labour scenario is entirely hopeless or that no
legislative and judicial battles have ever been won, but that the ease with
which victory is achieved is unconvincing in Union Leader. The film’s portrayal of trade unionism is too
simplistic then for it to be considered a serious study of the subject or for
it to leave a lasting impression.
Still, this is clearly a
heartfelt film. Whatever be its weaknesses, the genuineness of Patel’s concern
and Bhat’s sincerity make Union Leader
watchable.
Rating
(out of five stars): *1/2
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CBFC Rating (India):
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UA
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Running time:
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106 minutes 20 seconds
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This review was also published on Firstpost:
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