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Witness review: A hard-hitting social drama on the horrors of manual scavenging

Witness review: shraddha srinath and rohini bring a worthy watch about the horrors of manual scavenging..

Filmmaker Deepak’s Witness is one of those stories that deserves to be celebrated purely for its intent. 45 minutes into the film, the camera zooms in on a massive billboard of the Swachh Bharat Mission and quickly zooms back on a bunch of women who are cleaning the streets around midnight and talking about how they gasp for breath while on duty. Here’s a film that talks about the lives of an entire community, discriminated by their caste, that earns its livelihood from cleaning the waste around us. This is also a film where we, as a society, are witness to all the horrors that take place in the name of sanitation and human scavenging but don’t do anything. (Also read: Vadh movie review: Sanjay Mishra and Neena Gupta in a patchy yet well-acted drama about justifying murder)

The plot revolves around a mother, a sanitation worker, whose son dies while cleaning sewers in an apartment society. Convinced that her son was forced to do the job, the mother garners the help of a union worker, a lawyer and a resident of the apartment where the incident took place in her quest for justice.

The interesting aspect of the film is that it not only talks about the particular case in discussion in the story. It throws the spotlight on the state of such cases in India and how challenging it is to go against the system. In one of the most touching scenes of the movie, the lawyer tells the mother that it’s nearly impossible to win such a case and it would cost a lot. Without any regret, she says that it’s fine if she can’t win the case but she wants to see those people responsible for her son’s death to step into a court and answer why they forced a young boy to get into a septic tank. Most of these cases are usually not taken seriously as people give in for an out of court settlement. When the mother decides to fight the case, we become the witness to the challenges that usually one has to face in such cases.

The film has a very simple screenplay and sometimes feels like a documentary. Nevertheless, its intent to talk about the marginalised community fighting for justice against all odds makes it a compelling watch. Rohini, as the devastated mother fighting for justice is terrific. She proves once again why she’s one of the most versatile actors in the country today. Shraddha Srinath shines in another interesting character who, despite belonging to the urban working class, faces caste-based discrimination.

Witness, which is currently streaming on Sony Liv, will definitely go down as one of the most important films of the year.

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Witness Movie Review (2022)

Deepak's well-researched 'witness', on sonyliv, is a story about manual scavenging that's more earnest than emotional.

Witness Movie Cast & Crew

The crux of Deepak's Witness is this: a teenager can be a terrific swimmer, a lifeguard at a pool. And yet, because of his caste/community, this talent of his is seen as something that will make him a good manual scavenger. Parthiban (Thamizharasan) is that teenager. He lives with his mother Indrani, who's played by Rohini with her characteristic conviction. The screenplay places them in Semmanjeri and contrasts this locality with Adyar, where the residents of an apartment complex need their septic tank unblocked and cleaned. The other contrast is that these residents are the type who say "snanam" for a bath, and propose doing a "homam" for cleansing themselves of bad vibes and sin. The sin is the death of Parthiban. And we wonder: How did this college-going boy – this lifeguard – from Semmanjeri land up all the way in Adyar for this particular job?

The unravelling of this mystery becomes the film's tool in unravelling the complex chain of command in our cities: a judge rightly calls it "passing the buck". Deepak has done his research, and it is all up there on screen, packed in the form of a long-running court case. What was once the corporation's job – like cleaning drains, or the road-sanitation work that Indrani performs – has been farmed out to private firms. And these private firms end up exploiting people from a particular community, which is not named. But the cake for Ambedkar's birthday and the Christian rituals inform us at least about Parthiban's family – that they are Dalit Christians. Another important character is Shraddha Srinath, who plays a resident in that Adyar apartment complex. She is an architect, and she helps Indrani with the case. Unlike the others in the building, here is an upper-class woman with a conscience.

We have had some excellent films, recently, that dealt with social issues: Thamizh's Seththumaan , Gautham Ramachandran's Gargi , Franklin Jacob's Writer . These are films where the filmmaking transcended the issue, where the screenplay and craftsmanship and performances helped build a complex dramatic world around the issue. But the main weapon – and the main weakness – of Witness is its earnestness. That is certainly a good quality for a film to have, but it cannot be the only one – and for all the pluses we get in the form of information, there is the nagging feeling that so much more could have been done with the narrative and the characterisation. The Shraddha Srinath character, the way she meets Parthiban, her issues with her family – none of this is convincing. And the callousness of government agencies and the powerlessness of the layman were laid out with much more emotional impact in, say, Virumandi's Ka Pae Ranasingam . What Witness does well is to remind us that a city whose population is exploding needs to invest in civic infrastructure. That is its achievement.

About Author

Baradwaj Rangan

National Award-winning film critic Baradwaj Rangan, former deputy editor of The Hindu and senior editor of Film Companion, has carved a niche for himself over the years as a powerful voice in cinema, especially the Tamil film industry, with his reviews of films. While he was pursuing his chemical engineering degree, he was fascinated with the writing and analysis of world cinema by American critics. Baradwaj completed his Master’s degree in Advertising and Public Relations through scholarship. His first review was for the Hindi film Dum, published on January 30, 2003, in the Madras Plus supplement of The Economic Times. He then started critiquing Tamil films in 2014 and did a review on the film Subramaniapuram, while also debuting as a writer in the unreleased rom-com Kadhal 2 Kalyanam. Furthermore, Baradwaj has authored two books - Conversations with Mani Ratnam, 2012, and A Journey Through Indian Cinema, 2014. In 2017, he joined Film Companion South and continued to show his prowess in critiquing for the next five years garnering a wide viewership and a fan following of his own before announcing to be a part of Galatta Media in March 2022.

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Around deaths that happen due to manual scavenging. Around deaths that happen due to manual scavenging. Around deaths that happen due to manual scavenging.

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‘Witness’ movie review: Shraddha Srinath, Rohini in a powerful anti-caste film that doesn’t pull any punches

Through powerful storytelling, debutant director deepak’s film raises important questions and shows the sheer savagery that we, the collective society, are ‘witness’ to.

Published - December 09, 2022 01:51 pm IST

Rohini and Shraddha Srinath in a still from ‘Witness’ | Photo Credit: SonyLIV

It’s always been easy to turn a blind eye to the social evils around us and to live in an imagined reality. When you are not the victim, it is easy to shrug your shoulders and blame this overpowering system that crushes those who don’t have the privilege to shruff it off. Debutant director Deepak’s Witness doesn’t give you a false sense of victory against these evils; it isn’t meant to prick you and plead with you to look. Witness throws at you a big, thick book with ‘LOOK’ in bold letters, and asks how ridiculous it is that we are now accustomed to looking at some of these social evils, like manual scavenging, as just another news topic.

Witness tells the story of how a middle-aged single mother Indrani (Rohini), who loses her college-going son Parthiban (Thamizharasan) to forced manual scavenging, chooses to fight back and not be silenced by the ones responsible for his death. Though she is up against a host of powerful people — from the owners of the apartment to the contractor, the sub-contractors, and some corrupt cops — she finds hope and support from a few guardian angels who find their way into her life. One among them is Petharaj (Selva C), a communist union leader, who first figures out the ploy behind Parthiban’s death and supports Indrani in her legal battle. Shraddha Srinath plays a free-spirited, sharp-tongued young woman, Parvathy, who lives in the apartment in which Parthiban died. She defies her neighbours and helps the late Parthiban find justice. A lawyer named Sivaprakasam (a fantastic Shanmugarajan) takes Indrani’s case and spits fire at the courthouse.

Witness (Tamil)

From the structure of the screenplay, Witnes s seems like a whodunit in the form of a legal drama, but it works more as a social drama. The film doesn’t wait anywhere to establish the socio-political angles that are fundamentally at play in any case of manual scavenging in India. People, like the pivotal landlord character (Srinath), have always been guilty of exploiting the state of the oppressed without having to be accountable. Through the casteist undertones in dialogues, the slang of Tamil spoken by each character, and the mentality exhibited towards people from certain localities and social classes, the film maps out who is the oppressor and who is oppressed.

Minutes into the story, you begin to notice a few cinematic liberties, and how there is a lot of convenience in the progression of events — for instance, Parvathy not only happens to be living at the same apartment in which the tragedy occurred, she is also Parthi’s swimming classmate and she is also the one who gets pivotal incriminating evidence. However, these liberties don’t dent the experience of watching Witness even a bit.

This is because there’s a clear signal that this isn’t a film that is meant to up the suspense or shock you with twists and turns. Through a straightforward story, it shows the sheer savagery that we, the collective society, are ‘witness’ to. Narratively, it has minimum struggle and maximum heart, and it never pulls its punches. The entire film is a series of quick, powerful jabs that raise many thought-provoking questions. Yes, it is message-y, and yes, it isn’t subtle. But that seems to be the whole point of the film; to make it as real as it can get, and to raise questions that are as real as they can be. To add to its credit, the film also doesn’t milk emotions out of you with a sudden tragedy — because everything that happens in the film is a tragedy on its own. There aren’t any melodramatic scenes of Parthiban that undermines the emotional intelligence of the audience; notice how the film uses a beautifully penned and composed song (‘Paravayaai Naam Parakkirom’) to tell so much about Parthiban, the love for his mother and the ideals he fights for.

Through a fantastic subplot for Shraddha Srinath and Rohini — both of them are excellent in the film — we also see how this system made by men tends to affect women more, and how some decisions of men, in a personal and professional capacity, create a long-lasting impact on the women.

Witness makes you point at yourself quite a lot. For instance, every time we come across a sloganeer/revolutionist/protester like Petharaj, it is easy to dismiss our involvement in their cause by blaming the hopelessness of such protests. But notice how the case of Parthiban would have been just one of the fifteen deaths that year had Petharaj not intervenedThe film does tell you the repercussions that come out of the set structures that this caste-obsessed and exploitative society has built for generations. It tells you that you are not always fighting to win, but you are also fighting to fight, to be allowed to raise your voice.

If you think all this will never concern you, think about this: Have you ever thought of what you would do if your landlord employs another human to clean your septic tank? Would you risk your comfortable stay at your home by antagonising your landlord? Or would you choose to be like Indrani or Parvathy, and start cleaning the rut? Witness may not be a film made with finesse, but it manages to point fingers at everyone, especially the witnesses.

Witness is currently streaming on Sony Liv

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Tamil cinema / Indian cinema / social problems / social issues (general) / Caste

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Witness review: The film has strong content but fails to connect emotionally

The dreadfully-written script and poor narrative washed out the total intensity of the content in this Deepak’s directorial.

Published:Dec 09, 2022

Shraddha Srinath and Rohini's 'Witness' deals with the issues faced by manual scavengers. (SonyLIV/Twitter)

Impressive Shraddha Srinath & Rohini.

Witness (Tamil)

• Cast: Shraddha Srinath, Rohini, Subrata Robert, Shanmugarajan, G Selva, Rajeev Anand, Azhagam Perumal, Tamilarasan, and Srinath
• Director: Deepak
• Producer: TG Vishwa Prasad
• Music: Ramesh Thamilmani
• Duration: 2 hours 3 minutes
• OTT platform: Sony LIV
• Cast: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Emraan Hashmi, and Revathy
• Director: Maneesh Sharma
• Producer: Aditya Chopra
• Music: Pritam Chakraborty
• Runtime: 2 hours 35 minutes

Even as the country continues to witness deaths in sewers, despite a ban on manual scavenging in 2013, Deepak’s latest directorial venture Witness discusses in depth the issues faced by manual scavengers.

The film’s story, written by Muthuvel and JP Sanakya, revolves around a mother — a sanitation worker — and her manual scavenger son.

The mother, played by Rohini, seeks justice for her son who died while cleaning sewers. The system plays the antagonist in the movie.

Witness is not an easy film to watch, for it talks about the struggles manual scavengers face while living/growing up in the marginalised neighbourhoods. For them, it’s survival every day.

The best part of the film is its content. It is not exactly about a specific case, rather it’s a commentary on how such cases are treated in India.

Narrative stumbles

The content deserves a much stronger narration. The film presents themes but doesn’t deal with them.

There was nothing gripping and remotely interesting, other than the basic plot.

There are scenes just for the sake of a punch dialogue. The uneven and dreadfully-written script washed out the intensity of the content.

You can guess what the following line will be at times, which is reinforced by the camera and music.

The narrative stumbles slightly under the weight of its own socio-economic and political messaging.

Shraddha & Rohini are impressive

The performances by the actors, especially Shraddha Srinath as Parvathi and Rohini as Indrani Amma, are really impressive.

The actors who played Thozhar and his wife Kalpana’s roles did a good job. Kalpana comes only in a couple of scenes but leaves an impact.

It’s good to see Shanmugarajan back in a noticeable role after a long time.

தீபக்-ன் இயக்கத்தில் ஷ்ரத்தா ஸ்ரீநாத் மற்றும் ரோகிணியின் நடிப்பில் உண்மைக்கு நெருக்கமான #Witness 🔥 காணுங்கள் உங்கள் Sony LIV ல் மட்டும் #SonyLIV #WitnessOnSonyLIV @shraddhasrinath @rohinimolleti @vishwaprasadtg @vivekkuchibotla @peoplemediafcy @negativespace04 #Muthuvel pic.twitter.com/OsedFkcCPK — Sony LIV (@SonyLIV) December 8, 2022

Even with uneven scenes and dialogues, these actors try hard to embody the respective characters with the restored telecast’s emotion and realism.

The rest of the cast is stereotypical, insistent, and uninteresting. That showed a complete lack of attention to casting.

Character development is important in a slow-moving drama like this. But it wasn’t. A sensitive subject alone does not make a film good.

Clever music, good cinematography

On the technical front, the music is cleverly mixed and is haunting and fluid.

Shraddha Srinath in a still from ‘Witness’. (Supplied)

Deepak’s cinematography allows us to ponder the surroundings. The artwork and the costume designs are perfect.

The meaning of a film needn’t always be significant, but if it’s advertised as having an emotional impact, the audience will expect more than what Witness provides.

Unfortunately, the film sounds better than it is. The screenplay is underdeveloped. In short, Witness is a poorly narrated strong subject that sounds profound.

In a nutshell, its content is strong like Ammu and  Jai Bhim . But movies like these work on an emotional level and that’s where Witness falls flat!

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The Witness (Shahed) Review: Poignant & Powerful

• Claire Fulton
• September 5, 2024

Nader Saeiver’s The Witness ( Shahed ) clinically and powerfully portrays the bravery of those who stand up and refuse to be intimidated.

Director: Nader Saeiver Genre: Drama Run Time: 100′ Venice World Premiere: September 5, 2024 Release Date: TBA

The Witness ( Shahed ) quite subtly delivers an incredibly impactful message. It’s an example of pointed, powerful filmmaking, in which writer/director Nader Saeivar highlights a wider issue through a personal lens, encapsulating the struggles of many through an Iranian woman who dares to disagree, challenge and disobey the ‘powers that be’ .

When retired teacher Tarlan (Maryam Boubani) accidentally witnesses a murder , one committed by a man with very influential connections, she refuses to be intimidated into remaining silent. As her past political activism is used against her by a regime that is complicit in covering up the crimes of those in power, Tarlan must decide whether to bow to the incessant pressure or continue to pursue justice.

The Witness is an example of pointed, powerful filmmaking . In simply telling a story like this, there’s inevitably an inherent tension and political presence. Saeivar, alongside co-writer Jafar Panahi – another director that’s no stranger to using film as a political tool –, doesn’t necessarily engage directly with the upper echelons of the regime, but The Witness ’ purpose is to highlight how no-one is free from intimidation if their actions go against the grain.

Tarlan is a formidable figure. A spokesperson for the teacher’s union at school with a record of jail time for protesting, she is not a woman who’s inclined to acquiesce. She’s an inherently good person who won’t be intimidated into losing her dignity, even at the insistence of those closest to her. Boubani is a solid centre point for the film to revolve around , tough and stoic whilst also being nurturing and emotive, and she delivers a truly captivating performance.

The film itself doesn’t particularly build towards any dramatics, nor does it waste much time on irrelevant details. Instead, it is almost clinical in its focus on storytelling , because the point Saeivar is making is that situations like this are not unusual. Women like Tarlan are coerced, intimidated, threatened and, in the worst of cases, killed for not complying. And The Witness ’ final scene plays out as almost a way of honouring them, of recognising their sacrifices and struggles, and relaying the message that their voices are being heard.

It’s an unexpectedly emotional way to end a film that is, for the most part, pretty low-key. Saeivar clearly understands that the power is in acknowledging these stories thoughtfully, poignantly and respectfully. As such, The Witness is powerful, emotional, infuriating and hopeful, all at the same time . It’s dedicated to honouring the women who are brave enough to fight for their rights and their freedoms. Not just in Iran, but all around the world.

The Witness (Shahed) had its World Premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 5, 2024 . Read our list of films to watch at the 2024 Venice Film Festival !

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• 'GOAT' Twitter review: Blockbuster written all over Vijay’s film, say netizens

'GOAT' Twitter review: Blockbuster written all over Vijay’s film, say netizens

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GOAT review: This Vijay film is a nostalgic throwback to the full-meals entertainer

Goat (tamil) ( 3 / 5).

The issue that most people arguably have with tentpole star films is that the said star is always seen doing some more of the same. In Venkat Prabhu and Vijay’s first collaboration, The Greatest Of All Time ( GOAT ), there definitely is more of the same — star kicks butt in dual form (Vijay as MS Gandhi and Jeevan in this case), some ironic comedy to cut the tension (Yogi Babu when written wisely is a thing of delight), the routine song-and-dance, and family sentiment. But at a time when Tamil cinema is well on its way to desensitising fans to bloodshed, and when assisted by the director’s innovative touch, the more of the same doesn’t seem so bad. It perhaps is even a throwback to a jolly full-meals film that a generation of millennials grew up watching. 

Don’t get us wrong, GOAT is in no way a blood-free source of serenity. The ahimsa is all but limited to the name of the hero: Gandhi. The film revolves around an anti-terrorism squad officer who works with top-secret RAW stuff — so hush-hush that Gandhi is forced to hide his identity from his wife and kids (a Leo Das without the gaslighting). Gandhi’s work makes him a stressy globetrotter. So even as he brings his very pregnant wife and son to celebrate their “second honeymoon” to Thailand as a remixed track of Ilaiyaraaja’s very cool ‘Sorgame Endralum’ engulfs our ears, we know something bad is lurking around the corner. When his job brings doom to his door, he hangs up his boots. Well, almost.

The first half comes off as a movie in itself because so many things happen way too soon. We barely register anything about a character, including Gandhi. But this is not a film about details to gnaw at or character development. GOAT is all about the events. So, as it leaps from an  expecting family in Delhi to an anti-India riot in Russia to a swarming IPL crowd at Chepauk stadium, we realise that the Venkat Prabhu film rides a lot on its breakneck pace. 

The film manages to leverage this pace in most places — the train fight gets a euphoric action set piece treatment. The director leaves his stamp not just in how he frames scenes — notice how DOP Siddhartha Nuni’s camera frames Gandhi’s eyes just when he realises why a man’s eyes look familiar — but also how he frames conflict. The sound of the evening azaan reveals an important truth while the CSK jersey conceals another truth. It also helps that Vijay glides through this dizzyingly fast ride with ease, de-aged face and all. 

We also don’t see too much about Gandhi. Instead, Venkat Prabhu, in typical fashion, shows us his gang of boys. While these friends aren’t as convincing as the often hilarious motley group of bros from his earlier movies, they still form the foundation of Gandhi’s life. Especially Prashanth, (playing fellow special agent Sunil) who tries hard to make his presence felt. Among a lot of the superfluous wife jokes, he surprises with declarations like “I believe in you” and “I’m there for you” that are rare to come by in dude-bro films. But one wishes the same perceptiveness would’ve been extended to the women, or even the villain for that matter, in the film. While Sneha’s role is limited to writing the groceries list for the Gandhi household, Mohan stars as the good-guy-turned-bad who needed a stronger backstory.

GOAT , in many ways, is nostalgic. Venkat Prabhu gives us a reminder of why the full-meals entertainer was once a successful model. A framed picture of Vijay and Sneha from Vaseegara (2001), all of the Captain Vijayakanth references, and the hat-tip to the likes of Mankatha and Ghilli act as tiny time capsules that bring smiles. 

But it is also a film that packs in surprises with meta commentary about Kollywood’s future. While all of this can very easily border on “cringe”, GOAT is also one of those films that can laugh at itself when it occasionally gets cringe. It is the full-meals model done almost right.

If there’s anything Sruthi loves more than watching films, it’s writing about it. Sruthi Ganapathy Raman’s words can also be read in Film Companion, Scroll.in, and The Times of India.

Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Neither TNM nor any of its reviewers have any sort of business relationship with the film’s producers or any other members of its cast and crew.

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The Witness (Shahed, 2024) ‘Venice’ Movie Review: Maryam Boubani is captivating in this scathing and complex look at modern-day Iran 

Nader Saeivar’s “The Witness (Shahed),” or for that matter, any film from Iran that has come out in the past couple of years, has been incredibly critical of the systemic oppression that people face on a daily basis. In other words, it’s not possible to make a film without it being knee-deep in socio-political subtext, with stories often leading to a point where hope feels like a distant possibility. 

Take co-writer Jafar Panhai’s 2022 film, “ No Bears ,” for example. The writer/director’s resilience to keep making movies despite facing government bans has been a testament to all modern filmmakers in the country, including Saeivar himself.  However, the anger and isolation he must have faced all these years have slowly crept in. The unforgettable and unforgiving finale of his latest film and the desperation to find justice in Saeivar’s film make it feel like they are cut out of the same cloth. But this is where the ending of “The Witness” leaves you stunned because when the dust washes over you, a gush of wind will leave you dangling for freedom, wishing that fiction could soon turn to reality. 

The film, which is a scathing and complex look at modern-day Iran, follows Tarlan (Maryam Boubani), a retired dance teacher who unknowingly becomes the witness to a murder so personal that she is ready to put everything on the line to get justice. However, she isn’t the kind of person who would put everything on the line just when it is personal. Being the union leader of a group that is fighting the big fight of getting the government to cave in and release the teachers they have unreasonably put behind bars is only one of her projects. Her life also oscillates between trying to find the money to pay the debt collectors who put her son behind bars while also trying her best to get him out before the cut-throat environment of the jail kills him. 

However, most of her time is spent with the girls who she holds dear despite them not being related to her by blood. Zara and her daughter are like her own, and when Tarlan realizes that Zara’s husband is abusing her, she tries to intervene in vain. But not after the worst of worst happens, and Tarlan is forced again to face the harsh truth of living in a society that is ruled by a regime that writes its own repressive rules as it moves along. More importantly, the film allows us to become witness to how desperate and isolating the idea of justice can be when you are not allowed to voice your truths as your social standing is slowly closing up on you.  

In a way, Nader Saeivar uses the mice-infested house of Tarlan to insinuate the manipulative and brainwashed nature of the apolitical bystanders in a society ruled by men. In one of my favorite scenes, we witness a woman forcing her mugged-up idealogy of wearing a burkha to a modern-day woman. You would think that the oppression only comes from the vile minds of men in power, but it is heartbreaking to see just how blinding these orthodox dogma rules have made everyone after seeping through generations. 

Maryam Boubani’s performance is so captivating that you do not miss a single complex beat that the director throws her way. Her desperation and frustration at not being able to find the right footing and people to help her reveal the truth are shown with such dedication that you feel that no one else would have taken the role and done justice to it as she does. However, you can also see her quietly braving all the bullying and threats to seek out what she believes in. This shows not only the resilient nature of this woman alone but also all the courageous women that Saeivar’s film pays homage to. After all, justice not served is not equal to justice denied because at least one person cared to be brave enough to question it. 

The Witness (Shahed) premiered at the 2024 Venice Film Festival .

The witness (shahed) movie links: imdb , mubi , letterboxd the witness (shahed) movie cast: nader naderpour, abbas imani, ghazal shojaei, maryam boubani the witness (shahed) movie runtime: 1h 40 mins | genre: drama.

Getting fat with the wife. Absolutely loves the all-consuming, indulgent world of cinema.

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VENICE 2024 Orizzonti Extra

Review: The Witness

by  Susanne Gottlieb

06/09/2024 - VENICE 2024: Iranian director Nader Saeivar celebrates the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in his tale of an elderly teacher seeking justice

Tarlan Ghorbani ( Maryam Bobani ) is an elderly teacher at an Iranian girl’s school, a union member and a women’s activist since the Iranian Revolution. She has been to prison so often that her biological son resents her. She is also the protagonist of Nader Saeivar ’s drama The Witness , which has premiered in the Orizzonti Extra section of the 81st Venice Film Festival .

Being a “witness” does not only refer to the almost 50 years of repression; it is also connected to Tarlan’s foster daughter Zara ( Hana Kamkar ). The passionate dancer, who also runs a little dance studio, fills Tarlan with pride. She is, however, causing problems elsewhere. Back in the day, when Zara’s husband, Solat, was a nobody, he was happy with her being the breadwinner for the family, which also includes Zara’s daughter Ghazal ( Ghazal Shojaei ). Now that he has a job with ties to the government, her dancing has become a nuisance, a liberal pipe dream that has to cease.

“If she obeys me, she will have a happy life,” he states to Tarlan, who has come to talk to him at Zara’s behest. The bruises on her body speak to the fact that the home life of a traditional Iranian wife is not what she wants to settle for. Dancing without a hijab is a popular contemporary form of nonviolent protest on social media, yet a dangerous one. As the film shows in the end credits, many of these women have been killed. While this type of protest is mostly associated with young women, Saeivar has chosen an elderly woman as his protagonist, allowing him to build a bridge between the Revolution of 1978 and the current movement.

When Zara turns up dead as well, Solat suggests that she took her own life after being in an unhappy affair with another man. But Tarlan suspects something else. A few days earlier, when letting herself into Solat’s house, she saw a lifeless body in his bedroom, before being ushered out by him. “A friend of his” was the explanation. Now, Tarlan is having suspicions that the body could have been someone else entirely and that the supposed suicide was actually murder.

But in modern-day Iran, nobody is interested in hearing about a man killing his dancing, possibly unfaithful wife. When Tarlan does call the police, there are repercussions. Not only is Solat talking about a smear campaign, but her son and some shady government officials are trying to put a stop to her inquiries. While these men in suits do instil uneasiness, it is the elusive allegiances with allies and family, the lies being spread and the general hopelessness that weigh down on the protagonist.

Having written the script with the “godfather” of Iranian underground cinema, Jafar Panahi , who also served as the movie’s editor, Saeivar offers a pointed observation of the stifling of female voices. As Tarlan is ready to bring Zara’s murderer to justice, the movie opens up a debate on what form this justice can take. Is it violence against violence? Revenge driven by decades-old anger? Or will Tarlan take a leaf out of Ghazal’s book? Will she be like the younger generation and keep on going with her head held high, no matter how many blows are still out there waiting for her?

The Witness was produced by Germany’s ArtHood Films , Austria’s Golden Girls Films and Turkey’s Sky Films. It is being sold internationally by ArtHood Entertainment .

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more about: The Witness

VENICE 2024: Iranian director Nader Saeivar celebrates the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in his tale of an elderly teacher seeking justice   

06/09/2024 | Venice 2024 | Orizzonti Extra

Alexandros Avranas, Mehdi Bersaoui and Peter Kerekes amongst the filmmakers in competition in Venice's Orizzonti

The Orizzonti competition will include 19 titles while the Orizzonti Extra competition will feature 9   

23/07/2024 | Venice 2024 | Orizzonti/Orizzonti Extra

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PATHU THALA MOVIE REVIEW

Pathu Thala is a film written and directed by Obeli N Krishna, and bankrolled by KE Gnanavel Raja and Jayantilal Gada under the banners Studio Green and Pen Studios respectively. The film has Silambarasan TR, Priya Bhavani Shankar, and Gautham Karthik in the lead roles while the supporting cast is filled with talents like Gautham Vasudev Menon, Anu Sithara, Kalaiyarasan, Teejay Arunasalam, Santhosh Prathap and Redin Kingsley. The music is composed by AR Rahman and the cinematography is handled by Farook J Basha.

AGR (Silambarasan TR) is the head of an extremely powerful gang that is as influential as deciding every single move in Tamil Nadu politics. Meanwhile Guna (Gautham Karthik) is an important member of a gang in Vizag, and gets involved in shooting a police officer. He seeks refuge in AGR's camp and it is revealed that Guna is actually an undercover cop. Does Guna and the police manage to nab AGR? Why is AGR involved in all the crimes? These questions are what Pathu Thala is all about.

Pathu Thala is the official Tamil adaptation of the critically acclaimed Kannada film Mufti. It seems like director Obeli N Krishna has made changes to the screenplay. While it has been done before in Vikram, it is indeed a brave decision by STR, director Krishna and the team of writers to not show Simbu's face till the interval block. And that makes the first half very gripping because every moment makes you think - will this be the introduction for Simbu. And the reveal is also shot in a fantastic way.

When you talk about the drawbacks of the film, it is again the same screenplay. What worked in the first half, starts lagging in the second half. After the film ends, we still don't have the answer as to why STR wasn't revealed for the entire first half.

Simbu carries the entire film on his shoulders despite missing in action for half the runtime. His screen presence makes the fans scream till their throats dry, and his performance is a testament as to why his fans are loyal to him. Gautham Karthik is brilliant as Guna, and comes up with a restrained performance that requires a lot of underplay. Priya Bhavani Shankar 's role could have been written better as it looks inconsequential to the narrative.

Among the supporting cast, Gauthan Vasudev Menon is seen in another antagonist role and it feels like he's being typecast as a villain. But his performance convinces us to a great extent. Redin Kingsley and Teejay also offer a lot of meat to the film. Redin's counters are also on point and crack you up instantly. For example, when he is attacked by someone and bleeds, he retorts saying "Irunga da, raththam ethitu vandhu ungala adikaren".

Technically, AR Rahman's music supports the film so much. It's almost like the spine of the film. He gives the film everything when it comes to music. Farook Basha's visuals complement the film so well and his choice of colours needs to be appreciated.

Overall, Pathu Thala is an engaging action film with great stunt choreography and performances. It sets a certain bar in the music and cinematography and never goes below it. It does justice to the original story without going overboard at any place. Had the pacing of the second half, and the screenplay in general been a little better, this would have been a must watch film. Nevertheless, it is a good watch for the weekend.

PATHU THALA VIDEO REVIEW

BEHINDWOODS REVIEW BOARD RATING

Public review board rating, review rating explanation.

பிரேக்கிங் சினிமா செய்திகள், திரை விமர்சனம், பாடல் விமர்சனம், ஃபோட்டோ கேலரி, பாக்ஸ் ஆபிஸ் செய்திகள், ஸ்லைடு ஷோ, போன்ற பல்வேறு சுவாரஸியமான தகவல்களை தமிழில் படிக்க இங்கு கிளிக் செய்யவும்      

PATHU THALA NEWS STORIES

• Rohini Theatre on why Narikurava people not allowed for movie
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PATHU THALA RELATED NEWS STORIES

• Pathu Thala satellite rights Bagged by Zee Tamil tv deets
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• Simbhu starrer Pathu thala Movie Raawadi video song Released
• Gautham Karthik about Manjima Mohan after marriage
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• Simbu Pathu Thala satellite rights acquired by sun tv deets
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• Actor Silambarasan TR New Mass Look image Released
• Silambarasan TR Pathu Thala Movie Shooting at Karaikudi Kovilur
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• Makers of STR's much-awaited NEXT drops a mass official update with pic ft Pathu Thala, Gautham Karthik
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• "A New Beginning...": Popular actor's tweet on acting for Silambarasan's next is grabbing eyeballs
• Big news for STR fans; time to witness Simbu rage again; no red card ft Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu
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• சிம்பு படத்தில் நடிக்கும் கௌதம் மேனன் | Popular director to act in silambarasan tr pathu thala
• Major exciting breaking update from STR and Gautham Karthik’s Pathu Thala ft Gautham Menon
• STR Gautham Karthik Pathu Thala first look posters
• STR’s next big film gets a popular actor onboard ft Pathu Thala ft Gautham Karthik & Kalaiyarasan
• STR’s Pathu Thala with Gautham Karthik gets bigger with this latest addition ft Manushya Puthiran
• After Dhanush, it’s STR for this Asuran star; new and mass look goes viral ft Teejay Arunasalam
• சிம்பு நடிக்கும் அடுத்தடுத்த படங்கள் | Silambarasan tr upcoming movies exclusive details
• This heroine joins STR Gautham Karthik's Pathu Thala
• சிம்பு படத்தின் இணையும் பிரியா பவானி ஷங்கர் | popular tamil actress joins the team of silambarasan pathuthala
• AR Rahman to compose music for Pathu Thala ft STR
• சிம்பு படத்தில் ஏ.ஆர்.ரகுமான் | ar rahman joins for silambarasan upcoming film

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Pathu Thala (aka) Paththu Thala

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