Accused hailed a female alpha, but at what cost? Halfway through the film, you seem to ask yourself: Is this alpha female actually very different from the male alpha figures we have been seeing since ages?
Rather than using a man who has been successful in his field, has a number of positive attributes and has not been the subject of controversy as the main character, this movie has a leading female character.
Accused is a psychological drama that explores the dynamics of power and trust, the effects of bias and how reputations are established in both personal and public domains. This movie, written by Anubhuti Kashyap, stars Konkona Sen Sharma and Pratibha Ranta and is apparently intended to be thought provoking and elicit discussion. However, despite the fact that Accused features an interesting idea as a central theme and strong performances by the leading actresses, the movie has a tendency to fail to produce emotional satisfaction to the viewer.
So, what’s the plot?
Accused takes place in London. Dr. Geetika Sen (Konkona Sen Sharma) is a highly respected gynaecologist who appears to be nearing the pinnacle of her career. She is the youngest Head of Department in her hospital and is destined for even greater leadership. Every aspect of Geetika’s life, her job, her reputation, and her personal life is moving in a positive direction.
Geetika shares a home with her partner and wife, Dr. Meera (Pratibha Ranta). The two women live together and have stable careers, commitments to their jobs and have developed deep emotional connections to one another and their friends.
Initially Geetika’s situation seems to take off at full speed, as one accusation spirals into multiple rumors in the workplace; the press makes its judgement, as do peers; and as quickly as her reputation has been established, it begins collapsing at an unprecedented rate.
The focus of the narrative is not on the external dramatic events, but on Geetika’s internal struggle like her self-doubts; the conversations she has with people; her withdrawal from friends; and the deafening sound of silence that follows a serious accusation. The internal monologues and reflections throughout the film illustrate how quickly one’s reputation can come tumbling down in comparison to how long it might take to establish one.
Things that felt a lil…meh
Where’s the chemistry at?
Much has been written about the representation of same-sex relationships in Indian cinema, and the lesbian relationship in this film is no exception. The performances by Konkona and Pratibha as a lesbian couple, combined with the film’s overall LGBTQ+ framing, lead one to believe that the film will thoroughly explore topics of queer intimacy and identity in a respectful manner, but the momentum created by the beginning of the film give way to a more limited exploration as the narrative unfolds.
There is little to no real chemistry existing between Geetika and Meera. The only intimate connection to each other occurs when they share a half-hearted kiss at a dinner party and it feels more like an aside to the story than a believable connection. As a result of this lack of bonding, the film implies that the inclusion of lesbian relationships is to merely fulfill a token narrative device instead of being based on realities of emotional experiences.
Female Alpha won, but at what cost?
Konkona Sen Sharma carries the entire weight of the film. She is powerful, disciplined, and morally ambiguous as the lead, which makes it difficult to find any view point for critique concerning her. She is the embodiment of an intelligent and capable woman whose major flaw is not being weak, but more the control of emotion over the rational side of her brain. Not only is she intelligent but, there are numerous times in which she is able to convey a complex professional persona that can be intimidating and also invite intrigue by those in the audience.
Nevertheless, the film’s experiment of shifting typical power dynamics conversely displays the larger issue of more problems. The power shift from the addressing of the female character has not had an equal metamorphosis of identity or portrayal. The aspirational notion of this vertical battle of influences devolves into the unilateral power play of Geetika being in control, while Meera simply becomes loyal and/or passive.
The problem with Pratibha’s character…
Although for the overall story, Meera, played by Pratibha Ranta, was positioned as the story’s emotional epicenter; in practice, her internal experience of betrayal, loyalty, and waning sense of belonging places her in a wonderful mental space to lay for her relationship with Geetika.
By this being the foundation for Meera’s character, her expression of emotion during contrasting situations creates a need for emotional connection between her and viewers.
Ultimately, Meera’s portrayal has many strengths, but ultimately falls flat because of the lack of synergy created by Meera with Geetika (the most important relationship to Meera).
Many people criticise Accused for failing to live up to the tension and unpredictability it promises, as well as for lack of thematic twist or surprise. And man, we agree!
Psychological thrillers rely on layers of ambiguity through alternating loyalties, changing social standings of the characters and unexpected emotional shifts/challenges; but the real tension is centralised around the same dynamic power relationship: Geetika as the accused; Meera as the supportive character and, therefore lack of true subjectivity for the audience.
A more ambitious script could have provided Meera opportunities to create conflict against Geetika, or for Geetika to have been challenged from a position of vulnerability both publicly and/or interpersonally. In simple words, a little kalesh would have worked wonders here.
Additionally, as far as characters go, the musical interludes (for example, Mange Manzuriya) do not make any impact to write home about.
The film Accused is considered to be an audacious piece of cinema because it places on display many deep and probing inquiries that other mainstream filmmakers tend to avoid: Can a powerful woman face the same type of accusation/judgment as a powerful man? How do accusations damage our lives/professions/identities? What does loyalty mean to an individual who is involved in an accusation and does not know what is true?
The plot also wrestles with the biggest head turner of all times: What happens when the accused is a woman and so is the victim?