Paddayi (2018)

Paddayi has reaffirmed my belief that no one does Shakespeare adaptations better than Indians. The way this movie managed to get to the heart of what Macbeth stands for, and why it remains literally an evergreen story is truly exceptional. I'm surprised that this movie isn't already the underrated darling of Indian film bros, because it seems to be the best version of everything that they like in their movies. It's gritty, it is full of masculinity, there's a feeling of brotherhood involved, and most importantly, the scenes depicting the crimes are gruesome and realistic. 

However, since I have already mentioned masculinity, I must emphasise that it is not of the typical kind (which I usually detest anyway). It is presented in a very non-glorifying way: in fact, this is probably why I love this movie so much. It glorifies nothing, just depicts it in the most natural way possible. It almost feels like a beautifully shot documentary of a tragedy that befalls two very ordinary people, who try their best to rise above their circumstances. It's very humanely done- you feel for everyone in the movie, you understand the world through their eyes, and you feel sad for them too, even though you know exactly what will happen to them. Speaking of the "predictability" of the plot though- the twists and turns were excellently done, and it genuinely felt like a thriller. I was so enthralled by the performances as well; couldn't take my eyes off of Bindu Raxidi who played Sugandhi, the Lady Macbeth character. She was riveting in all her scenes, particularly those involving the perfume, which by the way, was a fantastic way to adapt the story to the chosen setting and honestly made all the difference. 

In conclusion, I really cannot recommend this movie enough. I didn't want to say it, but it has overtaken Maqbool as my favourite Macbeth adaptation. I think I saw Maqbool too many times for it to properly terrify me like it did the first time, but still. Also, go watch Paddayi even if you don't nerd out over Shakespeare adaptations though, it is the kind of cinema Indians need more of urgently.