Yeah I liked it! Great cyberpunk film. I agree with beef_curds that the censorship was puzzling because the political message was so obvious. But then again, right-wingers aren’t exactly the smartest so maybe it really was enough for them. I loved how Baba Shakti used the language of non-violence for what it often is - a way to violently roll over the oppressed. There’s certainly an aspect of futility to the film - all of our heroes are as good as dead and the BJP still wins, but that’s the reality of political terrorism like this. It doesn’t contradict that what they did was just.
One thing that occurred to me is that the trans representation is not something you normally get to see in film/tv. Normally/recently all you really see is young, very fem, and rich enough to get any work done.
It was kind of refreshing to see a community with a bunch of people who look a little more mixed. And that community has joy, is engaged, and supports eachother. Seemed more real.
I haven’t looked into who the actors are, so I’m afraid to find out if it was cis playing trans. But I really liked it at first glance.
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I had heard there was studio tampering with the film. They hue shifted the orange flags to red. But if that’s true, it’s funny because the message is still obviously, “the leaders of the BJP must be violently dealt with by those they oppress.”
Also, if it’s true, there’s also malicious compliance because only foreground flags are shifted. The orange clothes and background flags remain orange.
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Edit: I realized that I didn’t comment on anything but the politics. But the structure is really satisfying too.
It ends like John Wick or something, but the first third you’re dropped into a situation that you have to slowly put together. Meanwhile the protag has been setting up to strike the whole time.
It’s just a really good way to set up an action flick, imo. It makes the middle really pop. And the Hanuman framing is like icing that holds it all together in a cool way.
Think it’s the only movie I’ve ever seen whose message is essentially - violence in the hands of the poor can be used to justly end oppression by the wealthy. Nobody got slapped down by karma for using violence. Multiple communities helped him to do violence without us being made to feel mixed about those communities or about that violence. No, the violence from the very beginning is explicitly justified and your are only made to feel even more on his side as the movie goes on.
And then just the cinematography and general quality of the movie was incredible. Absolutely loved it
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