The Narmada Story Movie Review: Strong Performances Lift This Realistic Social Crime Drama

Story: When a tribal woman is threatened with the kidnapping of her daughter, she, along with a strong woman police officer, finds a way to fight the powerful criminal forces running a human trafficking racket.Review: Crime dramas have always been the flavour of the season, especially on OTT. However, writer-director Zaigham Imam (Nakkash, Dozakh: In Search of Heaven, Alif), whose latest is a theatrical release, takes the bold approach of telling the story of a tribal woman, Agni (Ashwini Kalsekar), caught in the crosshairs of a major organised crime syndicate in Narmadapuram in rural Madhya Pradesh. But when the system lets her down, she finds an unsuspecting ally in sub-inspector Narmada Raikwar (Simala Prasad), whose life is torn between her ailing father Nandkishore (Raghubir Yadav) and memories of her feisty, rebellious mother Sudha (Zarina Wahab). At the centre of this racket is the disappearance of police inspector Purshottam Bhadoria (Sharad Singh), and a criminal syndicate headed by a vicious eunuch, Nisha (Ishteyak Khan) and her Guru Maa (Sadanand Patil).It’s a simple story with a social message and it flows effortlessly, putting the focus squarely on just how easily justice is manipulated and how serious crimes like murder and child trafficking, operate seamlessly in rural India with the support of a few locally powerful goons and the police. The film’s fabric is rooted in rural Madhya Pradesh, where the story takes shape. Featuring some talented actors, most of whom are National School of Drama pass-outs, ‘The Narmada Story’ gets its strength from its performances. The actors lift a story that has few layers and is quite one-dimensional to make it an engaging watch for the most part. While the pace is consistent, it isn’t until very late that the layers peel away and the suspenseful twists are revealed with a deeper connection to Narmada — the largest river in the state of Madhya Pradesh, and the central character, Narmada, the police inspector investigating a fellow cop’s disappearance.At the core of this crime drama are two women — a tribal woman and a cop, whose paths cross to bring the culprits to justice in their own way. Both Ashwini Kalsekar and Simala Prasad are the strongest elements of the film. While Kalsekar brings a vocal fire to her portrayal of a tribal woman determined to protect her daughter, Prasad, who plays the title role, brings a quiet and understated approach to her cop character, which is strong and believable. Her constant flashbacks with her mother Sudha, played by Zarina Wahab, add some weight to her vulnerability. Raghubir Yadav is impactful as usual in a brief role, while Mukesh Tiwari could have had more to do. The most compelling character, though, is the film’s villain, Nisha, played with the necessary dread by Ishteyak Khan. The narrative is at its interesting best when he’s on screen, playing the terrifying lady boss, whose clout in the business makes her fearless of law and order. But if the film’s writing and execution had more layers and nuance, these gifted actors could have been even more effective.Thankfully, the film has few unrequired detours in the story and no unnecessary songs. The setting of rural Madhya Pradesh is well captured by cinematographer Sethu Sriram. The background score by Satya-Manik complements the proceedings on screen.Overall, ‘The Narmada Story’, not to be confused with the story of the river Narmada, shines a light on women, who refuse to surrender to a broken system. While the writing remains fairly straightforward and could have benefited from more layers, the sincerity of its intent and the strength of its performances ensure that this crime drama remains engaging and emotionally invested in its characters till the very end.