Zwigato Movie Review: Kapil Sharma's heartbreaking story of survival roots from Nandita Das' dig on the gig economy
Zwigato Movie Review: We all get things delivered to our homes every now and then. Sometimes we interact with the delivery boys, and other times we ignore them. We hardly acknowledge how long and how hard they work in order to earn a small incentive which largely depends on our ratings of them. Nandita Das' Bollywood movie Zwigato brings to focus the same world where survival is conditioned not on the hard work of the character but on the frivolous nature of the customers. Set in Bhubaneshwar, the story revolves around Manas played by Kapil Sharma, and his wife Pratima (Shahana Goswami) and how they keep their body and soul together to pull through the financial crisis. Showing the plight of the migrant couple in the post-Covid era, the film is Nandita Das' thoughtful take on the gig economy.
While the movie title Zwigato appears to be a dig on food delivery giants - Zomato and Swiggy; the film is much more than that. Written by Nandita and Samir Patil, the film focuses on an omnipresent character who is an intrinsic part of our lives but never gets noticed. Since the film is set in the capital of Odisha, Nandita Das took great care of the degree of authenticity in the setting, in language as well as in conversations.
Kapil and Shahana are said to be from Jharkhand and they hold on to their language perfectly. Kapil effortlessly transitions into his character of Manas who is the victim of the system but also refuses to be one-- in contrast to his comedian image. Shahana on the other hand beautifully serves as the yin to Manas' yang. Where on one hand Manas is frustrated because of the invisible power forcing him to return to the cage of unemployment and poverty; Pratima is the voice of reason with her zeal to work and financially support her family. She is patient and dedicated and can even go against her husband to fulfill her family's financial needs. Both Kapil and Shahana justify their roles on the big screen.
While Nandita Das never blatantly accuses society of being hard on these characters or takes an extremely sympathetic route to show that they are miserable; she takes her moments to subtly highlight the divide between the rich and the poor. In those moments, she puts the spotlight on how exploitation works in the economic system. At one point, Manas even exclaims "Malik dikhai nahin deta par ghulami poori hai."
In order to let the characters establish themselves in the minds of the viewers, the film appears to be stretched at times. The first half is slow-paced and leaves us wanting for the moment when things will get better for Manas and Pratima. Will he quit his job and look for something else? Will Pratima go against his husband's wishes and take the job? Will the hardships lead to a fall of a family? As we look for answers and hope for a happy ending, Nandita Das reminds us that she never promised that.
The most beautiful part of Nandita Das' story is the ending. Without taking away from the hardships and struggles of the characters, Das manages to end the film on a happy note. There are no sudden dramatic twists and turns in Zwigato or a sudden change in the lives of the characters; yet without a happy ending it ends on a happy note. It exemplifies that sadness isn't eternal. You can still experience laughter and joy even when in pain. While Manas and Pratima's story will stay with you long after the film is over, you will leave with a small smile.
The film ends on the note 'Life continues to go on…'