After getting eclipsed by the propaganda movie Kerala Story in theatres, Sudhir Mishra’s Afwaah is now making its OTT debut and will be screened on Netflix from June 30. Interestingly, despite being a top draw and hogging most shows at multiplexes, Kerala Story is now struggling to find an OTT release.
Set in a town in Rajasthan, Afwaah captures the burning issues of ‘new India’ such as communalism, misuse of social media to circulate and amplify fake news, beef politics, and the toll it takes on different strata of society. All of this is narrated by Mishra in his trademark riveting fashion, reminiscent of his suspense thriller Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin.
The opening scene sets the tone. A political rally passes through a communally sensitive area and a local politician (Sumeet Vyas) makes inflammatory speeches. This leads to communal violence, resulting in the killing of a meat seller by the politician’s henchman (Sharib Hashmi).
Mishra then weaves in many strands – the politician’s fiancé (Bhumi Pednekar), who is also the daughter of a veteran politician, is upset with the goings on and decides to cut asunder ties with family.
Her path crosses with a US-returned Indian Muslim advertising professional and TedX speaker (Nawazuddin Siddiqui). She tags on to him to escape from her family members and professed well-wishers. Meanwhile, after the riots, Hashmi is told by his boss to lie low. But he soon discovers that there is a danger to his life and decides to flee.
Both Siddiqui and Pednekar keep the high-voltage drama going and they are joined by Hashmi who too is on the run. Amid all this Mishra brings in love jihad, beef politics, and the rise in communal temperature. It climaxes with the dance drama of a high-brow literature festival coming face-to-face with the anarchy outside the fortified venue.
The movie’s theatre release coincided with that of Kerala Story, a film about some girls from Kerala joining ISIS. The film was economical on facts and high on propaganda.
But it had the blessing of the ruling establishment at the Centre. In fact, during his whistle-stop election tour in Karnataka, the prime minister had praised the film and taking cue many BJP-ruled states made Kerala Story tax-free. Many ministers made a beeline to theatres, with cameras in tow, to watch the film.
All this hype paid rich dividends for the movie’s producers at the box office. On the other hand, Afwaah had a modest opening in most cities. It opened to just single shows in some theatres (with many having screenings after 9 pm). Such a limited opening was a disaster foretold, as people were reluctant to go to theatres located far away and at odd times.
Hope the OTT release will provide the movie a new lease of life.
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