LSD – Tu nangi achi lagti hai!!!

Although this line had been changed to “Tu gandi achchi ...” I feel this line speaks volumes about this Dibakar Banerjee masterpiece. No masala, no SFX, no celebrity, it’s as real as reality. Opening sequence gives a you a feel of the ads shown on the local cable channel. Irrespective of what the product is it always starts with “Aa gaya aa gaya aaya.....”. You can’t help but smile at that scene.

Love: A story about Rahul – An Aditya Chopra paedophile film maker, who is planning to shoot his diploma film. During the auditions, he meets Shruti and falls in love. What differentiates their love story from any other Raj-Simran or Rahul-Anjali story is the execution. The entire film is shot from Rahul’s camera’s perspective. The unconventional angles and the non-celebrity faces make you feel as if you are watching you friend’s story. But what’s really stunning is the climax. The Chopras and the Johars of the world could never have imagined it. As the story flows, you do predict the climax, but not even your worst fears can match the brutality with which it ends. As the great writer/pathetic director says – “Some love stories have blood written over them”

Sex: A prequel to Chanda’s character in Anurag Kashyap’s DevD, this story is about Rashmi and Adarsh. Their story takes place in a 24X7 departmental store. Adarsh is in need of money and that’s when his friend suggests him to make an MMS clip. Rashmi was of course the scapegoat. It’s during this story that you also realise that Shruti is a friend of Rashmi. This of course wouldn’t have been possible if there were celebrities involved. The super hyped 7 minute long sex scene was cut down to 20 seconds but tells the story. A few voyeurs got disappointed, but I’m sure DB’s intention wasn’t to satisfy porn lovers. Overall this plot achieves its aim in showcasing the efforts that goes into making an MMS clip.

Dhoka: With Tehelka creating such hype, how could it not catch the interest of DB. A story about Prabhat a sting operator who has become a laughing stock for his colleagues since the time he failed to deliver Miss Meerut’s scandalous footage. To redeem his position in his company he tags along with Naina (typical shit-headed model) to unveil the truth of Loki Local a Punjabi pop star. Entire film has been shot through spy cameras and it feels like you are actually seeing a sting operation. The scene where Prabhat falls off a bridge is absolutely outstanding. This story is bound to sting you as any India TV footage does. The last shot of the film brings together the central characters of all the 3 stories.

In a time when Reality TV and India TV were gaining TRPs it was just a matter of time when someone explores voyeurism on celluloid. Thank God it was Dibakar Banerjee.

Yes this is not the first of its kind. We can’t forget the likes of The Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield and Paranormal Activity. But LSD is as Desi as it can get. Taking the 3 topics that target everyone, DB has weaved it into a masterpiece. But it wouldn’t have been possible without the extremely talented cinematographer Nikos Andritsakis. His sense of camera angles is perfect.

Urmi Juvekar along with Dibakar has written an amazing screenplay. Their work is definitely a case study. And of course how can one forget the music of the film. Sneha Khanwalker produces an absolute brilliance. DB’s lyrics along with Kailash Kher’s voice sets the tone perfect for such a film. When was the last time you justified voyeurism by saying things like “Jo kehte hai yeh qufr-khata, qafir kya hain unko kya pata”. Simply brilliant.

For an aspiring film maker like me I am simply blown away by this effort. I would like to thank Dibakar Banerjee for taking Indian Cinema to that stratospheric level where Gurudutt had left. Also, I would like to forgive Ekta Kapoor for spoiling my Mom and for launching Tushar Kapoor.