Chaitanya Tamhane's Court follows the plight of Narayan, an aging folk singer whose live performances draw the ire of the Indian government due to their activist nature. When a sewage worker's dead body is discovered in a manhole in Mumbai, the police bring charges against Narayan, accusing him of being the one who incited the workers' suicide due to his inflammatory song. Chaitanya Tamhane's Court is an intricate examination of the court proceedings that followed, being a film that paints a portrait of a country still steeped in ancient, outdated policies, specifically pertaining to censorship and activism. As the film progresses it becomes very clear that the case against Narayan is absurd, with the sewage workers death not being a suicide but a biproduct of state negligence, yet it hardly matters in the end. It becomes increasing clear that Narayan is in fact in trial from his "extremism" not this apparent suicide, with the film revealing the never-ending circular nature of a court system and government that is intent on silencing any voices of dissent. Through effective direction which consists almost completely of static compositions which give the film a naturalistic feel, Court reveals the coldness of the court system, a system that in itself feels more like an assembly line than a judicial authority. Following the draining and lengthy process of Narayan trial, the filmmakers make a brilliant decision of routinely letting the camera linger after Narayan's case has been dismissed for the day, giving the viewer glimpses into the cases that follow or precede his, exposing the overall mechanical process of the courts. Another interesting aspect is how the film spends time with every central figure in the trial, from the prosecutor to the defendant to the judge itself, humanizing these respective characters in a way that reminds the viewer that they are all cogs in a much bigger machine. Offering an intricate examination of how India's ancient policies of censorship simply don't belong in the post-colonialist society, Chaitanya Tamhane's Court is an impressively crafted piece of filmmaking full of insight.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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