The film sets this tone right from the beginning as you see rotting flesh and reminds you that this isn't a standard Bollywood film.
Something which mainstream audiences won't like. This is director Abhishek Chaubey's fourth film and has proved time and time again how talented he really is.
I don't think my summary can justify how incredible this movie actually is.
Sonchiriya is about a group of rebels residing in the Chambal valley whilst being on the run from the police. This film is a work of art and deserves as much credit as possible for trying something new. It's very rare to see a film like Sonchiriya come from India as it is not like most typical Bollywood films. I adored the huge potential it had on it's hands but the messed up Editing and poor construction of the story spoiled the experience in the end. I would have loved to give this film a rating higher than I already did. Having said that, I'm being totally honest in here. Although the locations were intelligently used as a deserted location with some beautifully shot scenes but the editing was shambolic! It felt so non sequential that even this kind of story with a promising concept failed to execute in a way it should have been easily be able to! For majority of the people it would be a film to forget. The background score little different from the rest, caught our attention right away. The well choreographed gun fights and action scenes were a treat to watch though and the performances every cast member has done their job amazingly well. It created so much confusion that the main essence of the plot never strikes hard. It's a rare case where the film itself is on top tier standard but the story within totally messed it up a big time. They shud have shown some crocodile violence n they shud have shown the lead cop's heading busting like a watermelon. We have outlaws based on the caste system but the most neglected n persecuted ones r the poor dalits. The story is about outlaws living in the ravines. The film is a juxtaposition of brutal reality and rustic serenity. The cinematography brings the bleakest of environments to frightening life, aided by the fact that the locations were every bit as bleak as they appeared on screen. It has awesome cinematography, stunning landscapes of rugged, ravine-streaked hills and calm rivers contrasted with bloody brutal gun fight sequences. It has shades of Outlaw Josey Wales n the film's twist is harrowing like the one from Incendies. Coming back to this film, it is n underrated directorial effort by Abhishek Chaubey whose earlier films were mostly shot in the dusty countrysides. Also I am a sucker for Western films n it's rare to come across a Western film from Bollywood. This film deserves an 8 cos of the solid direction, script n acting but I am generous with 10 so that more indie films like these r made in India n the reels of the awful ones like Simbba, Race 3, Padmavat, Kesari, etc, shud be flushed down the toilet.