wooWhen you walk into the theatre, knowing that you are going to see two thieves on screen – the late Soumitra Chatterjee and Naseeruddin Shah – you know you will see something of essence. a holy conspiracy What could have been a great movie, for the most part, it’s still a good movie. but like a lot Cardamom In Biryani, the raucous background music and complex dialogues leave you with a strange taste.
The heart of the trilingual (Bengali, Hindi, English) film is at the right place. Director Saibal Mitra has delivered a thought-provoking court drama that will be respected for its representation of marginalized communities and commentary on the socio-political climate of the country, if not so much for its cinematic craft.
a holy conspiracy Dives into the contentious debate over what should be religion or science, and the right to think freely. With two legends of Indian cinema anchoring the story, it will make you think and wonder where our country is headed.
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suggestive plot
The film is set against the backdrop of a tribal Christian dominated area called Hillolganj somewhere in India. Kunal Joseph Baske (Shraman Chatterjee), a science teacher who happens to be an atheist and Santhal, refuses to teach the Genesis chapter of the Bible before Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution – therefore, going against school rules.
He chooses to teach what he claims to believe in and is well versed in perfect scientific knowledge as opposed to teaching science from a Vedic textbook. In one chapter, the book claims that some sage Karnad discovered the laws of motion long before Isaac Newton. Subsequently, Baske was suspended and imprisoned.
Two months later, when he is produced in court, he pleads not guilty. Former Supreme Court advocate Anton D’Souza (Naseeruddin Shah) comes out of retirement to defend Baske. Reverend Basant Kumar Chatterjee (Soumitra Chatterjee), a renowned lawyer and Member of Parliament, is hired by the church’s pastor. From here, courtroom drama and an argument between two old-timers stand for the rest of the film.
The film is adapted from the famous American drama heir of the wind, by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. The story fictionalizes the 1925 case – the Scopes “Monkey” Trial – that took place in Tennessee, USA, in which a school teacher was prosecuted for teaching evolution theory at a church-funded school.
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representation matters
At times, in the more than two-hour long film, Baske, who belongs to a tribal community, is mocked and abused because of his identity. At one point, a journalist jokingly addressed him as “Rohit Vemula of Hillolganj”. Vemula, a Dalit research scholar at Hyderabad Central University, died by suicide in 2016.
As the film progresses, we are shown how Baske was targeted and a sinister plan was hatched to punish him for his thoughts and ideas. In one scene, her fiancé Reshmi (Amrita Chattopadhyay) is called in for questioning by the state prosecutor and is asked to bask on her tribal identity and reveal her private conversations. At this point, Buske requested her not to disclose because she anticipated that the court would misinterpret. And he misinterpreted.
much like malayalam film Jan Gan Man (2022), defense lawyer D’Souza called for the double standards of majority classes and the adversities faced by marginalized communities. “The right to think is being tested,” says D’Souza, giving voice to the dumb and downtrodden sections of the society.
Baske, who represents the tribal community in the film, delivers a speech towards the climax, expressing his pride in being a Santhal and the inner turmoil. It’s refreshing to see a tribal character portrayed beyond clichés and regressive stereotypes.
a holy conspiracy Full of potential and could have been an iconic film if only the background score and the plethora of dialogues had been left out.