Plot:
This love story Hurdang is played against the framework of the Allahabad student agitation opposing caste-based quota in the 1990s.
The plot centers on Sunny’s character Daddu Thakur, an aspirant for the IAS, and his relationship with Jhulan (Nushrat). They have a sporadic relationship and are unable to wed before one of them is appointed to the IAS.
Daddu is the ideal person to cause trouble because he is a complete lafanga. He is persuaded into heading the anti-reservation movement by cunning and deceptive student leader Loha Singh rather than concentrating on passing the exam (Vijay Varma).
After that the Mandal Commission’s decision is implemented, Loha persuades Daddu that maybe he should organize the student body to oppose caste reservation in order to avoid losing his seat.
In the meantime, Jhulan is about to wed someone else, leaving Daddu conflicted between his love life and his commitment to the student uprising!
REVIEW:
There is no better moment than now to produce a responsible and in-depth movie about caste- and class-based student politics in the 1990s. However, when someone makes an attempt to make a movie about this important issue without fully immersing themselves in the subject, the historical events of the time, and the setting of the important events of the century, the outcome resembles Hurdang, produced by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat.
Over through the course of its 122-minute running duration, the movie sets up the romantic drama against the background of the 1990 student uprising in Allahabad (now Prayagraj) against the execution of the Mandal Commission report. Neither the background has been thoroughly explored and presented, since when has the love story been developed in a way that makes your insides spin.
Even when the actors performed their parts flawlessly, they were limited by the written material. It is difficult to ignore that actors like Vijay Verma lacked a compelling character to portray, a compelling storyline or sufficient material to improve their performances. Consistency problems and the many dialect shifts throughout the movie stick out like sore thumbs.
This same film will indeed have been much more layered through its approach, had much more etched-out personalities, deeper confusion and stronger agreements, some humor, and a message which would commute far and wide in the nation today if the issue inside the backdrop had already been thoroughly investigated and used more effectively both visually and otherwise.
Despite everyone’s best efforts and the performers’ valiant attempts to inject some life into an otherwise lifeless drama, the movie fails from the writing stage all the way through to the finished product. Although it would have the potential to develop into something far greater, this.
I will give a rating of 4 out of 5.
