STORY: Citing ‘circus is dying’ as the reason, Masterji’s (Salima Raza) son shuts down their family business – which meant a lot more to the old lady – and so performer Ram Singh (better known as Charlie) is now left to fend for himself. But, it’s not just unemployment that is eating him up from the inside; Charlie is a true artiste and his heart is entwined with Jango Circus, and the feeling of being on stage.
REVIEW: Ram Singh (Kumud Mishra) boasts of having earned the moniker ‘Charlie’ in the world of circus for his excellent impersonation of the late Charlie Chaplin. And yet, in the opening frame, we see him pulling a rickshaw while sweat beads trickle down his forehead – frustrated – and showing magic tricks to school kids perhaps to remind himself of the life he once led.
In its glory days, Jango Circus – where Charlie’s father was the first salaried employee – opened to full houses and thunderous applause. But the ushering in of the digital age and e-entertainment meant that human clowns no longer appealed to the masses. One fine day, on the pretext of holding a meeting, Masterji’s son announces the inevitable and the employees are forced to ‘face the circus of life’ on their own. Sure, the money was tight at Jango Circus but Charlie and his fellow artiste/wife Kajri (Divya Dutta) were happy. And so was master Chintu: self-proclaimed ‘chota Charlie’ of the family.
Charlie is now burdened with the responsibility of bringing food to the table and the odd jobs he does manage to land, never seem to work out. Despite numerous attempts to silence the burning desire to return to stage, the former performer clings to his current situation – both literally and figuratively. Will he break-free from the shackles of his purposeless existence and do what he loves? Or, will he give in to the belief that not all dreams are meant to be realised and melt into oblivion? ‘Ram Singh Charlie’ goes beyond the bright and glossy setting of this supposedly dying art form in question; it’s a catalyst for introspection.
Directed by Nitin Kakkar and co-written with Sharib Hashmi, this drama sheds light on a plethora of social evils that serve as underlying themes. Illustratively, disrespect towards creative arts and artists and ill-treatment of anything that does not fit into one’s idea of ‘normal’ are two of the recurring motifs (hint: watch out for the very charming Lilliput in the movie). Kakkar’s Charlie is a simple, gullible man who’s dedicated his life to his craft so much so that even minutes before leaving the circus for good, he is seen honing his act; a trope that’s been explored in biopics and coming-of-age films before but the execution stands out for its freshness. The actors are bankable and so the storyline flows without any major hurdles. However, there are a few flaws in the screenplay that are hard to ignore. Get this: as audience, we are made to believe that Ram Singh is second best to Charlie Chaplin himself – a declaration of this magnitude needed some grand display of theatrics on screen but Kumud Mishra is never really made to pull off an iconic act/scene by one of the greatest comics of all time to substantiate that claim. Instead, the veteran actor is only seen walking around in his signature black-and-white costume, twirling his cane and mimicking the legend’s countenances. Also, Divya Dutta’s character, which plays a crucial part in plot progression, remains more or less under-explored.
Just recently, the news of touring carnival Rambo Circus being faced with a dire economic situation owing to the pandemic had surfaced and so this social drama’s most definitely a flickering ray of hope in their lives. And it is this very subject that makes ‘Ram Singh Charlie’ work: the state of circus in this era of technology and fast-paced digital entertainment and how this once fascinating creative variety is slowly but surely perishing. And, of course, its actors. Mishra playing a dejected man looking for an outlet in ill-meaning friends and alcohol, while grappling with flashbacks from his previous life, is an absolute gem to watch. His expressions more than make up for the passable dialogue, while Divya Dutta marches on with conviction as Kajri. Even in her brief role, Dutta holds her own and emotes the sadness of a woman whose life is slipping through the cracks in a way only a fine actor can. Others like Farrukh Seyer as friend-turned-foe Shahjehan, is impactful and so is Salima Raza as Mishra’s mentor Masterji.
Musicians Troy Arif and Arijit Datta add the right amount of drama and despair to the movie with that mellow background score and brownie points to them for the apt inclusion of ‘Jeena Yahan, Marna Yahan’ as the credits roll away. And costume designer Payal Ashar brings the 90s back with her circus-y attires.
‘Ram Singh Charlie’ is a serious attempt at reviving circus and reminding people of what they are missing out on. But while the intent is noble, the script could have been more novel. In conclusion, we hope to see an ardent zeal in the young and the old for those bright, red-nosed clowns and jokers who once filled our lives with humour and joy.