We are not sure whether the title of this film is a description of its quality or some sort of insult to waste itself. There are ways to reduce, reuse and recycle some parts of garbage. This film, however, lacks even that value.
Generally, it is wise to avoid any film that was ignored in India but claims to have done well at some random film festival in the West. Qaushik Mukherjee’s Garbage is one such film. It is disappointing that such third-rate mindsets represent Indian cinema abroad.
Films like Garbage and Bombay Rose (2019) claim to be different from Bollywood movies but promote the same problematic narratives that Bollywood does but use the cheapest aesthetics. They also seek validation from the same kind of Left-leaning coterie that the latter chases.
The story is about a woman named Rami who is the victim of revenge porn and lands in Goa to escape her regular life affected by the leaked video. She is driven around the city by a Hindu cab driver Phaniswar Prasad, who has identified her from the video and is attracted to her. He also has a disturbing living arrangement with another woman.
Phaniswar suffers from cancer but rejects treatment prescribed by modern medicine because he believes that a baba he follows will cure him miraculously. He only uses products marketed by the latter’s ashram.
Here are some of the unsettling stereotypes promoted in this film that definitely shouldn’t have been screened for anyone in the first place:
- Cabal critics and their bafflegab to promote the movie.
We list a few reviews for the film here:
“For a film that wants to stand out from the saccharine-infested world of Bollywood, Garbage ends up emulating its black and white, good and evil charms.” – Firstpost.
“…the shock and horror are not just narrative tools but symptoms of the times in which we live.” She also praised Trimala and Tanmay’s performance, calling them “fearless.” – Scroll.in
“sometimes too in-your-face, the way it takes two young women and a man, flings them into terrible situations, and observes them, pitilessly, trying to negotiate those tough tangles.” – The Indian Express.
“bold, no holds barred attack on the hypocrisy of the religious right wing in India today…too violent, too unafraid, and too real to even be considered as a commercial viability.” – Canadian website Screen Anarchy.
However, there was an agreeable review by Jay Weissberg of Variety magazine. He wrote that the film “is tiresome torture porn disguised as a femme-empowering revenge thriller, convinced it’s saying deep things about contemporary Indian society.”
- Selectively targeting one religion and showing it as the breeding ground for all criminals.
We have said this repeatedly: all self-appointed reformists who claim they only show ground reality in such films will always lack the spine to address real problems plaguing vulnerable people in other religions.
This film gives the impression that any tilakdhaari, janeu-wearing Hindu (like Phaniswar) is a perverted criminal who deserves a violent end.
Although pretending to be independent of mainstream filmmakers, the film toes the same line as the rest of Urduwood when demonizing practising Hindus. Any solo female tourist in Goa who has seen this film shouldn’t be blamed if she acts suspiciously around a Hindu cab driver.
- Cabal critics and their bafflegab to promote the movie.
We list a few reviews for the film here:
“For a film that wants to stand out from the saccharine-infested world of Bollywood, Garbage ends up emulating its black and white, good and evil charms.” – Firstpost.
“…the shock and horror are not just narrative tools but symptoms of the times in which we live.” She also praised Trimala and Tanmay’s performance, calling them “fearless.” – Scroll.in
“sometimes too in-your-face, the way it takes two young women and a man, flings them into terrible situations, and observes them, pitilessly, trying to negotiate those tough tangles.” – The Indian Express.
“bold, no holds barred attack on the hypocrisy of the religious right wing in India today…too violent, too unafraid, and too real to even be considered as a commercial viability.” – Canadian website Screen Anarchy.
However, there was an agreeable review by Jay Weissberg of Variety magazine. He wrote that the film “is tiresome torture porn disguised as a femme-empowering revenge thriller, convinced it’s saying deep things about contemporary Indian society.”
- When the story lacks substance, insert sex scenes
It is unclear what Rami’s sexual orientation and adventures add to the plot except pique the interest of erotica fans.
The plot claims unconvincingly that she becomes more fearless with each experience. But how does her sexually aggressive behaviour solve her issues as a revenge porn victim? She never attempts to contact law enforcement or seek professional counselling. The story could have been the same without the pointless scatalogia.
When she realises that Phaniswar also lusts after her after watching the video and is capable of killing people, she takes him to her house and traps him in a cage. She kills him using his van at the garbage dump, but not before feeding him with menstrual blood when he asks for water.
She also slits him with a knife. “Now do you understand how it feels to bleed? Look, I have seen you naked now.” To which Phaniswar, instead of apologising and begging her to let him go, says raves, “you have big boobs, your vagina is your third eye.”
An AI-based writer could have come up with better dialogues for this scene.
Would you like to know another “profound” dialogue that probably tries to justify the title? Rami’s partner tells her at a garbage dump. “I am garbage. And garbage knows its place.” Rami is so moved by this wisdom and setting that she kisses the woman.
- Blatant, hateful and wholly agenda-driven Hinduphobia.
Derogate the average practising Hindu and vilify all he holds sacred in a film, and the self-appointed movie experts will shower it with eulogies.
Look at the ideas promoted in this film – The average practising Hindu (Phanishwar) is a misogynist, hypocrite and unscientific. He chains a deaf-and-mute woman “Nanaam” as a captive at home to take care of him, suggesting that is how all Hindu men treat their wives. He is also a physically sick and weak man.
We recommend you read our article on Mother India to understand how various institutions have promoted these Hinduphobic ideas relentlessly for decades, even before India’s freedom. There isn’t a significant difference in the mindset against Hindu men and their ability to care for their women then and now. - The saffron-clad baba is a sick pervert.
Can you think of any Hindi movie (Bollywood or parallel) in which a saffron-clad bearded man is shown as a positive character? No. At Gems of Bollywood, we have analysed how films have consistently mischaracterised sadhus and sanyasis as criminals for a long time. This stereotype has been planted in our minds so deeply that when Palghar Sadhus were lynched mercilessly in broad daylight, the popular media paid no heed to it.
In Garbage, Phanishwar’s Baba Satchidananda is no different from Guruji in Sacred Games or Baba Nirala in Aashram. Satchidanand uses Phaniswar for sexual pleasure and distributes his emission as “prasad.”
- Selectively targeting one religion and showing it as the breeding ground for all criminals.
We have said this repeatedly: all self-appointed reformists who claim they only show ground reality in such films will always lack the spine to address real problems plaguing vulnerable people in other religions.
This film gives the impression that any tilakdhaari, janeu-wearing Hindu (like Phaniswar) is a perverted criminal who deserves a violent end.
Although pretending to be independent of mainstream filmmakers, the film toes the same line as the rest of Urduwood when demonizing practising Hindus. Any solo female tourist in Goa who has seen this film shouldn’t be blamed if she acts suspiciously around a Hindu cab driver.
- Cabal critics and their bafflegab to promote the movie.
We list a few reviews for the film here:
“For a film that wants to stand out from the saccharine-infested world of Bollywood, Garbage ends up emulating its black and white, good and evil charms.” – Firstpost.
“…the shock and horror are not just narrative tools but symptoms of the times in which we live.” She also praised Trimala and Tanmay’s performance, calling them “fearless.” – Scroll.in
“sometimes too in-your-face, the way it takes two young women and a man, flings them into terrible situations, and observes them, pitilessly, trying to negotiate those tough tangles.” – The Indian Express.
“bold, no holds barred attack on the hypocrisy of the religious right wing in India today…too violent, too unafraid, and too real to even be considered as a commercial viability.” – Canadian website Screen Anarchy.
However, there was an agreeable review by Jay Weissberg of Variety magazine. He wrote that the film “is tiresome torture porn disguised as a femme-empowering revenge thriller, convinced it’s saying deep things about contemporary Indian society.”
- When the story lacks substance, insert sex scenes
It is unclear what Rami’s sexual orientation and adventures add to the plot except pique the interest of erotica fans.
The plot claims unconvincingly that she becomes more fearless with each experience. But how does her sexually aggressive behaviour solve her issues as a revenge porn victim? She never attempts to contact law enforcement or seek professional counselling. The story could have been the same without the pointless scatalogia.
When she realises that Phaniswar also lusts after her after watching the video and is capable of killing people, she takes him to her house and traps him in a cage. She kills him using his van at the garbage dump, but not before feeding him with menstrual blood when he asks for water.
She also slits him with a knife. “Now do you understand how it feels to bleed? Look, I have seen you naked now.” To which Phaniswar, instead of apologising and begging her to let him go, says raves, “you have big boobs, your vagina is your third eye.”
An AI-based writer could have come up with better dialogues for this scene.
Would you like to know another “profound” dialogue that probably tries to justify the title? Rami’s partner tells her at a garbage dump. “I am garbage. And garbage knows its place.” Rami is so moved by this wisdom and setting that she kisses the woman.
- Selectively targeting one religion and showing it as the breeding ground for all criminals.
We have said this repeatedly: all self-appointed reformists who claim they only show ground reality in such films will always lack the spine to address real problems plaguing vulnerable people in other religions.
This film gives the impression that any tilakdhaari, janeu-wearing Hindu (like Phaniswar) is a perverted criminal who deserves a violent end.
Although pretending to be independent of mainstream filmmakers, the film toes the same line as the rest of Urduwood when demonizing practising Hindus. Any solo female tourist in Goa who has seen this film shouldn’t be blamed if she acts suspiciously around a Hindu cab driver.
- Cabal critics and their bafflegab to promote the movie.
We list a few reviews for the film here:
“For a film that wants to stand out from the saccharine-infested world of Bollywood, Garbage ends up emulating its black and white, good and evil charms.” – Firstpost.
“…the shock and horror are not just narrative tools but symptoms of the times in which we live.” She also praised Trimala and Tanmay’s performance, calling them “fearless.” – Scroll.in
“sometimes too in-your-face, the way it takes two young women and a man, flings them into terrible situations, and observes them, pitilessly, trying to negotiate those tough tangles.” – The Indian Express.
“bold, no holds barred attack on the hypocrisy of the religious right wing in India today…too violent, too unafraid, and too real to even be considered as a commercial viability.” – Canadian website Screen Anarchy.
However, there was an agreeable review by Jay Weissberg of Variety magazine. He wrote that the film “is tiresome torture porn disguised as a femme-empowering revenge thriller, convinced it’s saying deep things about contemporary Indian society.”
I watch how Bollywood engages with and represents Hindu society. A non-Marxist film critic writing in English.
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