3.5/5
Manas Mahto (Kapil Sharma) loses his job as a manager during the lockdown and has to become a food delivery worker to make ends meet. His wife, Pratima (Shahana Goswami) tries to find a job as a cleaner in a shopping mall, despite his objections. She also works as an overtime massager and earns some extra money. Through his daily transactions, we know that delivery agents make almost no money. A negative review eats into their commission and persistent negative ratings can get them kicked out of the company. They have to endure the callous nature not only of the hotel owner but also of the guests. Sometimes they also fall victim to false complaints. The system is rigged against them and there’s really nothing they can do. They have become slaves to a system that exploits them from all directions. They face discrimination every day. For example, it turns out that some housing associations don’t allow them to use elevators, have no job security, and management doesn’t care about them either. It’s a situation that we’re probably all aware of but we deliberately turn a blind eye.
The fact that we are all somewhere collectively responsible for their plight is probably why Zwigato doesn’t make a watch easy. The director perfectly captures the helplessness of the marginalized section of society. The lesson here is that if we can’t help them in any way, we shouldn’t cause them any more trouble. The least we can do is be nice to them and acknowledge they are human and not cyborgs. The greater fear is that by not acknowledging their existence, we are somewhere endangering our own humanity.
But their life is not only sadness and darkness. There is joy and light there as well. Manas happily jokes with his children even on the harshest of days. He loves interacting with his wife at the end of the day. Their smiles carry a deep meaning for each other. At the end of the movie, they ride a motorbike parallel to the tracks, race against a train, laughing. It was their escape from reality. A small win but still a win…
Kapil Sharma is known for his habit of standing up but has broken the mold here and has excelled as a man who is losing a fight but not giving in. He’s lost himself in the character and seems ripe for drama in future roles. Shahana Goswami is as reliable as ever and never makes a mistake. She accomplished everything the role asked for and more. We should see more of her in the movies.
Check out the film for the reality of the invisible people it captures, as well as the stellar performances by both Kapil Sharma and Shahana Goswami.
Trailer : Zwigato Zwigato Zwigato
Dhaval Roy, March 17, 2023, 11:30 a.m. IST
3.5/5
Zwigato story: Manas lost his job as a floor manager at a factory and got a delivery contract for a food delivery app. The movie is about his daily life, which is full of ratings, punishments and running after incentives. Things take a turn for the worse in his already tumultuous home life when his wife Pratima decides to work as a cleaner for a shopping mall.
Review Zwigato: Food delivery people have become an integral part of our lives. We might rate and tip them, but how much do we know about what goes on behind the scenes as we wait for our food to arrive? Director and co-writer Nandita Das gives an insight into that through Manas Mahto (Kapil Sharma). But it is also a means to talk about the trials and tribulations faced by a certain class of society (the working class) due to not having enough job opportunities.
The film takes viewers through the hustle and bustle of Manas’ daily life as his wife, Pratima (Shahana Goswami), finds work to support the family financially, despite his objections. We soon discovered aspects like carrot-hanging app companies called ‘incentives’ that drove drivers down the rabbit hole to make maximum daily deliveries, and how they were delivered. mining at different levels. As Manas lamented, ‘Woh majboor hai, is liye mazdoor hai,’ (He is a laborer because he is helpless) corrects a slogan that reads: ‘Woh mazdoor hai, is liye majboor hai‘ (He was helpless because he was a laborer).
The film also touches sensitively on the class and gender distinctions that are ingrained in our society. The tension of hardship and despair is felt throughout the film, making it a must-see. Although it is known that the economy, social system, and politics are interrelated, Zwigato includes too much. Sometimes it seems like a bunch of events are pieced together, which impedes the flow of the story. While the first half builds the world at its own pace, the second also moves things forward slowly, even protracted in many cases. Some scenes, such as activist Govindraj (Swanand Kirkire) organizing a protest, another man of faith being targeted, etc., seem a bit forced.
While Nandita and co-screenwriter Samir Patil adeptly present an easy-to-understand story, cinematographer Ranjan Palit masterfully portrays the world of the common people through the shabby streets of Bhubaneshwar, which takes story context. Odisha’s majestic structures and eerie beauty add to the film’s realism. The motion animation that stops when the credits roll as Yeh Raat closes deserves a special mention.
People are already familiar with Shahana’s performance, and again, she does it well — from her local Jharkhand accent and body language to her style and expression. Kapil, however, is a revelation in this one. He plays a loving but conditional man who has to become a womanizing husband, a cranky father, a frustrated worker, and a desperate man. You’ll never get a glimpse of the over-the-top comedian as he usually does.
Manas shows great disappointment with his situation, but to show that life goes on for people like them, the ending is too simple, abrupt, and therefore, unconvincing.
Overall, the movie plays out at a lazy pace, which can leave you jittery. Still, it’s worth a look for its purpose and good performance. On top of that, what the movie effectively does is leave you with empathy for people who do odd or trivial jobs to make our lives simpler. Think about it.
