WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
The value of what we leave behind. When applied to the concept of family, nothing remains more important for parents to ensure that their prodigy have a secure, viable future, especially when aiming to have them take over an already established business. For one father, Bharat Sinha (Prem Chopra), the burden of his Delhi-based criminal enterprise begins to take its toll as his three sons, Prithvi (Ronit Roy), Siddharth (Neeraj Kabi), and Suraj (Ali Haji), all begin to feel the pressure of sudden change even as an unstable arms dealer named Charu (Brendan Fraser) enters the picture and an idealistic cop, Officer Raghav (Abhay Deol), threatens to undermine everything they’ve built.
Next, my Mind:
Having it’s world premier at the inaugural 2019 New York City South Asian Film Festival presented by Toyota USA, the feature film debut for writer/director/producer Rohit Karn Batra carries itself with full-on independent film execution paired with a hint of more mainstream tone and visual delivery, as narrative, character development, and effective, completely intentional slow-burn pacing dominate throughout the effort’s 108-minute runtime. As this critic consistently states when it comes to indie cinema, this is the type of film that I truly hope audiences are willing to stick with when it comes to understanding that the deliberately unhurried build-up presented here is more than worth the investment as the story hurtles forward to a finale that will, in my opinion, stun you and deftly drive home the thematic explorations ultimately centered on the volatility found when it comes to a family’s past, present, future and the factors that end up so drastically impacting their path.
It all certainly paints a sobering portrait of what occurs when differing directions, beliefs, and ideologies come crashing together in the wake of unexpected circumstance, and the film does an excellent job of treating each of the primary characters as a collective whole striving to maintain their legacy, but then doesn’t shy away from then separating them each out to the extent that we have the opportunity to see how each truly ascertains their plight and individually sees them moving forward. This, subsequently, grants the level of dramatic tension that leaves the viewer constantly wondering how exactly these brothers will manage to survive each other, much less the relentlessly methodical scrutiny of the law enforcement officer on their tail. It’s beautifully orchestrated, and will utterly engage you if you allow it the time to, while likewise not shirking from highly intense moments of vehement emotional outbursts, high order violence, and accompanying side stories that all end up fitting together to make the grander scope of events become affectingly real and impactful.
As has so often been the case, Roy absolutely soars as the eldest brother Prithvi, whose intelligent, strong-minded approach to keeping the family business in line is only matched by his modicum of control he possesses, only utilizing more–convincing–means of dealing with issues when needed. Even as events dictate a shift in thinking, his dedication to what’s best for the family remains, and Roy’s sheer vigor, rumbling voice, and overall presence shines brightly and serves his character perfectly. Kabi is a wonder to watch here in his role as middle brother Siddharth, a man who doesn’t quite share his other brothers’ penchant to think first, then act. Operating an a hair trigger and equally unpredictable levels of angry, pent-up resolve, Siddharth’s ideas about the family’s dealings take a more than controversial direction, causing friction amongst them that threatens to boil over and adversely affect anyone in his path. Kabi’s ferocity and fervor in playing Siddharth matches Roy’s wonderfully, and watching him in the part is total , albeit sometimes wince-inducing, entertainment.
In many respects, Haji is given the chance to play the most overtly innocent of the trio in his portrayal of youngest brother Suraj, a young boy really being forced to come into manhood much quicker than he should and in ways he should never have been exposed to, even in spite of the family business. His story becomes one that is highly stirring as the road he is made to travel leads him into life-altering decisions that will stay with him forever. Haji does a fantastic job in playing innocence caught in chaos. Deol puts forth an impressive, magnificently understated performance as Officer Raghav, a by-the-books policeman and devoted husband who just wishes to serve by the letter of the law without being a hero or seeking accolades. His dogged, calculated pursuit to dismantle the Sinha’s empire is as subtle as it is persistent and unswerving. A particularly poignant sequence in the finale between himself and another party puts such an exclamation point on the proceedings, and Deol so strikingly delivers this role with a resonant calmness and design that’s captivating to witness.
Finally, there will be no forgetting or lessening of newcomer to South Asian cinema Fraser’s deliciously arresting performance as Charu, a one hundred percent unhinged, quirky arms dealer whom the brothers end up in bed with, whether all voluntarily or not remains to be seen. Charu’s frightening oddness but undeniably ominous menace in intent with the brothers becomes a catalyst for disruption, and Fraser’s delivery is filled with darkly comedic and eerily dramatic elements that the veteran actor simply excels in presenting here. Primary supporting roles arrive from highly regarded veteran Chopra, who plays the family patriarch at odds with the legacy he’s facing, Anisha Victor as Suraj’s girlfriend Seema, Priyanka Setia as Siddharth’s long-suffering wife Sujatha, Ekavali Khanna as the mother Neha, Charlotte Poutrel as Siddharth’s mistress Rachel, and Max Beesley as Commissioner Bates.
In total, “Line Of Descent” is a study in the fragility of familial bonds, the substance of inheritance, the influence of conflicting choice, and the consequences of decisions made out of imperfect perspectives, all of it wrapped up within a tale of what happens when criminality, greed, and skewed truth outweighs evident, necessary logic that might have destroyed an empire, but saved a line of descent.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
