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‘Saat Uchakkey’: Rude, raunchy, foul-mouthed and fun
Film: “Saat Uchakkey”; Director: Sanjeev Sharma; Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Kay Kay Menon, Aditi Sharma, Vijay Raaz, Annu Kapoor, Nitin Bhasin and Anupam Kher; Rating: ***1/2
Before things fall apart in this saga of the chaos that is the aspirational north Indian middle-class which wants it all (and that includes the latest version of the iPhone) and they want it fast, the goings-on are great fun in squirmy discomforting kind of way.
Debutant director Sanjeev Sharma captures with joy and relish, the chaos of the acquisitive class in the narrow ancient gullis of Old Delhi where criminal aspirations fester. Sharma and his co-writer Sandeep Saket take charge of this scrambled world of dirty doings and murky dealings with a relish that borders on nirvanic joy.
He enters the lives of his characters noisily and leaves them at the end looking hopelessly compromised and inescapably trapped in their milieu.
Not that we feel sorry for these people with their squalid lives.
How do I describe the anxious yet risible chaos of “Saat Uchakkey”? Let’s say, if “Titli” was a fun film instead of a road-rage version of a dysfunctional family, this is what we would get. A film that never forsakes its appetite for gusto even when the characters cross all limits of decorum and even plain decency.
These are despicably lowdown people, so inured in self-interest that they can’t see below their noses, or beyond their ever-restless libido. In this lusciously lewd environment, women are not just objectified, they are happy to be treated as sex objects as long as their lifestyle doesn’t betray their slut mentality.
So we have Sona (Aditi Sharma doing a lipsmaking hip-swaying go-getter), the film’s only female protagonist who threatens to stuff a ‘lauki’ up a vegetable seller’s orifice and then walks away with it.
Then we have Sona flirting to the point of near-fornication with a smitten cop Tejpal (Kay Kay Menon, devastatingly brilliant) while going steady with the film’s principal protagonist Pappi (Manoj Bajpayee). And Sona’s mother (Lushin Dubey) talks to both her daughters’ admirers with her pallu falling off her shoulder.
Accidently, I am sure.
To his advantage, the director gets a dream cast to play out the nightmare scenario. The greed and the grab mentality are so vividly mapped on these sweaty sun-scorched slyly self-serving acrimonious yet defiant faces, you feel you’ve entered a lot more than just their homes. Every actor is so into the milieu, it’s like watching porn-poverty without the comfort of an orgasm.
Manoj Bajpayee and Kay Kay Menon as adversaries of the law and in lust, pitch marvelously reined in performances into a plot that dares them to go over-the-top. They wisely refrain from biting the bait. Their close encounters of the hurt kind are priceless.
“Whenever I see him, my ears stand alert,” Kay Kay tells Sona about Pappi.
“And when he sees you?” Pappi asks Sona.
It must be hard. To be so desperate.
The other actors Aparshakti Khurrana, Jatin Sarna, Vipul Vig, Nitin Bhasin and the redoubtable Vijay Raaz as Bajpayee’s accomplices in an outrageous heist plan (akin to what the young teenagers attempted in the recent horror film “Don’t Breathe” with far more sinister results), these are players who know the game from the inside and can unlock the doors leading to the crime world’s underbelly without a care for the ramifications.
Every character — minor or major had me intrigued.
The only character and the performance that fails to work was Annu Kapoor as some kind of a transcendental prophet on the prowl. His clairvoyant act becomes repetitive and distracting after a point, and falls apart in the climax where the hoodlums (or uchhakeys, if you prefer) enter a demented zamindaar’s (Anupam Kher, pricelessly demented) haveli in search of gold.
“Saat Uchakkey”, with its profusion of profanities and an abundance of audacity, hits all the right notes for most of its playing time. Cinematographer John Jacob Payapalli shoots old Delhi with a keen eye for decadence and debauchery in conflict with a world of techno-driven instant gratification that has seeped into the crumbling walls of havelis that have seen better times.
And are determined to see some more. This is an original and often engaging drama of the damned who refuse to be doomed.
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.