Autohead

Autohead is a unique and innovative approach to the conventional crime drama genre. It was released in the year 2016, directed by Rohit Mittal and features Deipak Sampat, Ronjini Chakraborty, Vikrant Singh in the lead roles. Laden with black humour, the movie provides a stark and realistic depiction of society’s underbelly.

At the heart of Autohead is Narayan Sharma (Deipak Sampat), an auto-rickshaw driver leading a seemingly ordinary life in the bustling city of Mumbai. The narrative of the movie takes a beautiful form of a pseudo-documentary as a film crew decide to follow and document his life. Sampat’s character is not a typical protagonist, but a complex and multilayered individual who is dynamic throughout. The film explores Narayan's life through the lens of the film crew, who quickly become pivotal characters, and the audience is shown his experiences with his passengers, friends, and the city of Mumbai itself.

Ronjini Chakraborty and Vikrant Singh are seen in supporting roles, their characters adding depth to Narayan's journey. As faces of the documentary crew, they explore the character arc and hidden facets of Narayan's personality. Their characters are the only connection between the audience and the complex character of Narayan, presented in an intriguing and captivating manner.

Notably, Autohead is not just about the life of one individual, but it also encompasses the multifaceted city of Mumbai, its ethos, and the socio-cultural dynamics that exist there. The city, with its pulsing vibrancy and the stark contrast of lights and shadows, is as much a character in the movie as Narayan himself. Each passenger Narayan ferries is a microcosm of the city’s inhabitants, each with their own stories, struggles, ambitions, and dreams.

The film subtly hints at the psychological implications of urban living, the pressure cooker scenario of the city life, and its impact on Narayan’s mind. As viewers, we're confronted with both the physical and emotional brutalities of life and are asked to engage with the intense struggles and mental turmoil of a common man.

Autohead is marked by powerful performances, particularly by Deipak Sampat, who convincingly plays the role of a complicated man struggling with his inner demons while trying to navigate his way in the unforgiving city. His character is not painted with broad strokes of black and white but is rather a mix of grey, making him eerily relatable. Sampat brings out the essences of Narayan's character with extraordinary efficiency and poise, garnering praise from critics and audiences alike.

But what sets Autohead apart from other films in the same genre is its unique cinematographic angle. The incorporation of handheld camera footage and the mock-documentary style of filming bring to the movie a layer of rawness and realism that beautifully complements the film’s narrative. The cinematography adds another layer to the narrative, emerging as a silent yet strong voice in the broader storytelling.

The director, Rohit Mittal, deserves special mention for conceiving this masterpiece in dark humour. His ability to blend a pulsating crime-drama with elements of comedy while also maintaining the grandeur of a socio-economic commentary is nothing short of brilliance.

On a deeper level, Autohead is not only a narrative about Narayan and his life, but it is also a mirror held up to our society's face. It brings out the brutal hypocrisies, conventionalism, and biases that we often choose to overlook. It undermines the sugar-coated realities by diving into the harsh and grim tales at the grass-root level in our country.

Autohead is not a film for the fainthearted. It demands attention and active engagement from its audience. It grapples with a twisted narrative and intense performances, making it a bold and unconventional film that dares to step out of the stereotypical portrayal of crime drama. This movie is bound to leave a significant mark and continue to be discussed in the years to come. All in all, Autohead is a cinematic journey that beautifully encapsulates the paradoxes of urban existence, social norms, and the human psyche.