Cause and effect

Nonika Singh

However vehemently Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra may deny, Mere Pyare Prime Minister certainly is a toilet film; in the sense that it hovers around the same subject which formed the crux of Toilet Ek Prem Katha. 

Only while talking of the absence of basic sanitation facility in slum areas of Mumbai, it also throws in yet another pertinent concern— safety of women. Both issues are important and there is no doubt that absence of toilet facilities become a major cause of crimes against women.

Mehra not only looks at the issue in the eye, deals with the rape of this young mother and puts the onus fair and square on open defecation. Unlike Toilet...where the delightful story is woven around romantic dalliance, here the relationship of mother-son takes centre-stage. The bonding between National Award-winning Anjali Patil and child actor Om Kanojiya does have its moments yet many seem forced and stand out like interjections to impress upon their happiness. 

Not that post rape Mehra takes us into the miserable lives of the victim. Nor does he dwell too much on the trauma of rape, which is both a good thing and bad.

Certainly rape is not a full-stop in a woman’s life and there can be no issues about women picking up threads of life after the heinous sexual crime against her. The problem with the film is not the subject but how it is handled. The enthusiasm of the slum-dwellers too seems rather inorganic. Of course, kids and their acting do have a natural feel to it. The little boy Om who goes out of the way to build a toilet for his mother appears earnest and equally sincere are his friends who stand by him through thick and thin.

Their attempts to raise funds for building a toilet are imbued with humour. They beg, borrow and even take up a dubious odd job to raise money. Finally, they decide to hand-deliver the letter to the man at the highest position, the Prime Minister. The film’s title might be Mere Pyare Prime Minister, rest assured the current incumbent Modi does not figure anywhere. All we see is a well-meaning officer (Atul Kulkarni with a beatific smile) of the PMO who facilitates things for Kanu and his gang. 

The film too is well-intended but the balance between the cause and entertainment value is untenable. Even though Mehra tries to imbue the narrative with song, dance and a dash of romance, the joie de vivre is only fleeting. Yes, certain dialogues do crackle, at some points the film touches an emotive chord too, but overall the film is neither overwhelming nor overpowering. More like a cause gone into disarray. And, yes, it may not be a western perspective of slums, but one particular scene does remind you of Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire.