BOTTOM LINE
Bajpayee Too Can’t Save This Bore
RATING
1.75/5
PLATFORM
ZEE5
What Is the Film About?
Joy, a crime reporter at a struggling daily Despatch, is anxious about his identity and place in an ever-evolving media landscape. On the personal front, his marriage with Shweta is falling apart and he is in a relationship with an author Prerna. When a drug lord is murdered in the city, Joy is perilously close to establishing a link between a real estate scam and the 2G spectrum scandal. Where’s his destiny headed?
Performances
Manoj Bajpayee, with the wealth of his experience, does his bit to lend a personality to Joy, though the inconsistent narrative never lets him or the character make a solid impact. Shahana Goswami and Arrchita Agarwal are wasted in inconsequential parts, bereft of a strong identity. There’s only so much that Anand Alkunte, Riju Bajaj, Arun Behl, Abhishek Bhalerao and others could do with their brief appearances.
Also Read – Vikkatakavi Review: Intriguing Concept, Weak Execution
Analysis
Also Read – Lubber Pandhu: A Rooted, Emotional Watch
Despatch is a story of a middle-aged journalist whose professional and personal worlds are on the brink of a collapse. Joy struggles to redeem himself and stay true to the times in the new media age and unsurprisingly, his anxieties wreak havoc on his marriage as well. He’s in an extramarital relationship with an author and finds himself drowning in work, unaware of any hope in sight.
The USP of Despatch is the unflinching portrayal of messiness and uncertainty in Joy’s life. Joy is unsure of what’s in store for him at work and marriage. As he navigates through the inner workings of a corrupt system, he tries to connect the dots among a murder, real estate group and a financial scandal that could rock a nation. In a quest for truth, he loses his direction in a dangerous web of white-collar crime.
Also Read – Nayanthara Wedding Docu – Exaggerated, Emotionless
The slow-burn investigative thriller doesn’t tread the beaten-to-death path and is largely willing to portray the nuances of a financial scam in all its complexity. The journalist’s journey towards a path-breaking story is immensely slow, where the dots don’t connect quite easily. There’s no effort to make Joy ‘likeable’. Even though he’s a sincere professional, his decision-making in personal life isn’t all that sound.
The director strives to provide a sense of the hopelessness in Joy’s life, but it doesn’t translate into a fulfilling viewing experience. There’s hardly a strong reason to invest in Joy’s pursuits. The character establishment is weak and the attempt to capture the inefficiency and the corruption within the system is too monotonous, half-baked to draw your attention. The ‘ordinariness’ becomes harder to handle over time.
None of the other characters beyond Joy get well-defined roles – entering and exiting the proceedings as per their convenience, not doing much to alter your perception of the story. There are too many vague, undercooked subplots, characters contributing to the confusion. As much as you appreciate Joy’s persistence in finding answers, you stop caring for the film. The storytelling is bland and boring.
Despatch is the film that loses sight of the thin line that separates uncanny from eccentric. The emotional links in the story are frail and all over the place. While focusing on the larger picture, it fails to construct the small details that make up its universe. At a point, you feel the director forgets that he’s making the film for a target audience and perhaps, it could’ve been a result of budgetary constraints too.
Music and Other Departments?
The technicians do their bit in trying to enhance the scope of the material with their contributions. Sneha Kanwalkar’s score blends well with the story, exploring its various tonal changes effectively. Siddhart Diwan’s cinematography captures the tension and restlessness in Joy’s world without going overboard. The film’s narrative structure is one of its main issues (screenplay and editing problems maybe?), it’s an ordeal to sit through it.
Highlights?
To an extent, Manoj Bajpayee’s performance
Good story, detailing
A few contributions from the crew, technical appeal
Drawbacks?
No emotional impact
Clumsy narrative
Poorly established ambience, characters
Did I Enjoy It?
No
Will You Recommend It?
No
Despatch Zee5 Movie OTT Review by M9
