‘Ghaath’ review: A nihilistic cops-and-Maoists thriller

Chhatrapal Ninawe’s Ghaath follows its three principal characters through chapters that gets their titles from the Adivasi slogan “Jal Jangal Zameen”. Over water, in the forest and on land, Ninawe’s screenplay offers a withering view of a revolutionary movement that had set out to wrest justice for the historically oppressed.

In an uneasy corner of Central India, three men strive to change their realities. Former revolutionary Falgun (Dhananjay Mandaokar) is on a mission to murder Nagpure (Jitendra Joshi), a police officer reputed for killing Maoists. Nagpure himself is pursuing Falgun’s elusive brother Raghunath, hoping that Raghunath’s surrender will win him the transfer he seeks.

Raghunath wants out too. Fed up with his predicament and in love with a local woman (Suruchi Adarkar), Raghunath comes up with a risky ploy to leave behind a life on the run.

An Adivasi from the Halba community, Ninawe has crafted a grim film that eschews any romanticism for or hope in the Maoist cause. Ghaath is structured like a nihilistic heist thriller, the kind in which the characters as are dubious as the spoils are unworthy – more Aaranya Kandam than Kosa or Newton.

Deft performances and superb camerawork by Udit Khurana steer the Marathi-language movie, which is out in cinemas after being premiered at the Berlin...

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