Thar has many elements that need our attention: a small outpost in a border town, a mysterious stranger, a few cops and a series of bodies draining for life blood, decaying, dying. But this is one of those movies where the frame is the real hero – ‘marusthal’ (the desert) that extends as far as the eye can see, crumbling forts, bare trees that provide sparse shade, irreconcilable, harsh beauty. This stunning landscape and the joking soundscape becomes the site of a ‘bawandar’ (storm), as a protagonist describes it, blowing everything away in its wake. These sights and sounds of Thar will stay with me even if I quarrel about some of it.
This movie would have been called a spaghetti western in the days when Sholay (1975) was released. The filmmakers are aware of how much Thar, going on in 1985, reminds us of OG desi western – a balcony with a woman looking over it, the blazing light of the desert, the armed men clattering on horses, and the sharp violins. And just in case we’ve lost sight of it, Inspector Surekha Singh (Anil Kapoor), who likes to be explanatory, ponders whether it’s not about the villain Gabbar anymore, but maybe about Jai and Veeru, or even Basanti, or you. do you know, Ramlal?
After thinking that he has muddied the water enough (the dialogues are credited to Anurag Kashyap, who probably laughed when he wrote this and other salty, invective-filled remarks in the film) the officer who has stuck to his job without getting a promotion , returns to the current job: who is behind the killings?
As in all good westerns, the needle of suspicion swings towards the almost silent outsider who frequents a small eatery run by a cheerful guy in braces. Siddharth (Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor) carries ‘khakee’ and ocher, which match the colors of the film, and cross the area in a muddy jeep. Who’s that guy? Is he really an antiques dealer that he claims to be? Or is there something more sinister going on? There are drug growers and smugglers around. Were they the ones responsible for the horrible deeds?
Meanwhile, we are presented with the most eerie, gruesome scenes of violence bordering on torture porn. And this is where the film begins to feel excessive: the victims hanging from the ceiling, blood running out of several openings (I will never be able to see a rat again in the same way), asking for mercy again and again. At what point are we numb and past caring. A well-judged mystery reveals its cards at the right time. In Thar, it’s just a little late. Occasionally a thread is thrown in with ‘afeem’ (opium) smugglers from Pakistan and their accomplices on the Indian side. But these threads do not fit really well enough, and despite all its brilliant technical specifications, the film feels overwhelming.
In a place that feels so real, many of the actors appear grafted. The crowd that was supposed to be the locals (Jitendra Joshi and Sanjay Bishnoi among them) looks like they could belong, but even they stand out when placed against the villagers scattered across several scenes. Fatima Sana Shaikh makes us aware that she has hidden feelings, but she calls for attention and her outfit feels like a costume. And harsh Varrdhan becomes too passive, even when he shares his unrest. In contrast, even though it does not seem rustic enough, Anil Kapoor glides smoothly through the film, zig-zagging, shooting, swearing fluently: he is the film’s worn, tired moral center, and he does not duck a single bullet.
The best performance comes from Satish Kaushik: as the lower caste, whose uniform is a shield in more ways than one, Bhure is one with the ‘thar’. This is where he came from, and this is where he goes.
Thar film director: Raj Singh Chaudhary
Thar film cast: Anil Kapoor, Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor, Satish Kaushik, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Jitendra Joshi, Sanjay Bishnoi, Sanjay Dadhich, Mukti Mohan
Thar movie star rating: 2.5 stars