“Ek joke sunau?”asks Vitthal Rao (portrayed sensitively by Pratik Gandhi), the chief of Parel Fire Station. Avni Purohit (Saiyami Kher), fellow firefighter and the investigating officer replies with “Iss system se bada koi joke ho toh batana”. This conversation happens shortly after Avni visits a restaurant site which caught fire recently.
The violations in the restaurant—from illegally constructed narrow pathways, highly inflammable plastic tiles, and blocked fire exits—were so many that it became impossible to ascertain what exactly caused the accident. Vitthal is an honest firefighter who isn’t particularly fond of Samit (Divyendu), his brother-in-law. Samit is a brazenly corrupt and ruthless police officer, keen on collecting bribes and faking encounters.
Agni Movie: Plot and Performances
Much to Vitthal’s dismay, his son, Amya, is enamoured by Samit’s glamorous lifestyle—the guns, the bullets, the lavish house—and considers Samit a better role model than his father, a firefighter who risks his life to save those trapped in fire. Directed by Rahul Dholakia, who also serves as a co-writer along with Vijay Maurya, Agni gives us a birds eye view into the lives of firefighters. The film opens with a staff member worshipping the firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty.
Somewhere in the subtext, there is commentary embedded on the terrible state of Mumbai—the poor infrastructure, illegally constructed buildings, restaurants stuffing 150 people in a space meant for maximum 80 people, traffic which even Google Maps cannot navigate—and how the fire department braves it all to save lives, all while raging against the system and the powers that be (think: the BMC) even when the odds are not in their favour.
Agni Movie: Writing And Direction
Sai Tamhankar plays Rukmini, Vitthal’s wife, who is always living life on the edge. She is often concerned about her husband’s whereabouts and has rituals to remove nazar (evil eye), even as she tries to stop Vitthal from arguing with her corrupt, borderline evil brother, Samit. In a gut-wrenching scene, we see a police officer, Ganpath, lose his life to burns. His daughter Devi, who earlier couldn’t sleep without her father, cannot as much look at him given his burnt skin. The firefighters not just do a thankless job, they often work in unsafe environments with little-to-protection in terms of medical insurance from the government.
“Everyone, keep your A4 size photographs ready. Our days are numbered. Everything will burn”, says a dejected Vitthal when he loses a fireman to burns. Thanks to the rivalry between Samit and Vitthal, the police and the fire department are at loggerheads with each other. “We have to jump in the fire. The police come later with their fancy glares”, Vitthal taunts Samit at a dinner get-together which doesn’t go as planned. A builder Udayraj Balsara is arrested on the suspicion of being an arsonist, causing fires and buying the burnt properties but Vitthal thinks there is more to the case than meets the eye, as his health declines. Will Vitthal be able to track down the real arsonist?
Agni Movie: What Works, What Doesn’t
What works for the film is how sensitively it handles the trauma of working as a firefighter. The CGI fire, the horrific blue-tinted flame taking over sky-high buildings will send shivers down your spine and will keep you on the edge as firemen rescue those trapped in the flames. What doesn’t work as much for the film is how one note Divyendu’s character, Samit, is. There are hardly any shades of gray as Samit is simply too evil and beyond redemption.
Yes, the commentary on the poor city infrastructure and lack of support from the government might just be too ‘on-the-face’ but when it comes to grave matters like civic safety and lack of support for firefighters, nothing can be too blatant. In fact, there might just be a need to shout this from the rooftops. We must thankful and honour the firefighters who lay their lives on the line to save those in crisis. Agni might just be one of the most important films to have come out this year. As the voiceover says at one point: “Jo jwala mein jalte hain, woh amar ho jaate hain”.
Star rating: 3 / 5 stars
Agni is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
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