The word biopics in Bollywood pops up almost every month now. Just last month, we were treated to Vicky Kaushal’s Sam Bahadur and this month, we walk into Main Atal Hoon. Based on the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the film stars Pankaj Tripathi in the titular role and boy, it surprises from the word go.
National Award-winning director Ravi Jadhav (who has earlier made films like Natarang Balgandharva, Balak Palak, Timepass, and Nude) along with Pankaj Tripathi offer an interesting drama for those who don’t know much about the late statesman. The protagonist’s journey from joining the RSS (Rashtriya Seva Sangh) to studying law, becoming an editor of a newspaper forming the Bhartiya Janata Party, and becoming the 10th Prime Minister of India is captured well.
A biopic on such a personality, revered by millions even six years after his demise, is a herculean task. Filmmaker Jadhav has excellently shouldered the responsibility and given us a film, which, most importantly, does not deny anything—be it Vajpayee’s commitment to the Ram temple in Ayodhya to acknowledging his relationship with Rajkumari Kaul who was Vajpayee’s companion for many decades. Vajpayee even adopted her daughter Namita. He stayed with the Kauls for many decades, through his rise to being India’s Prime Minister.
What the film also doesn’t do is showcase chest-thumping patriotism nor does it try to whitewash the image of any past or current political leaders. While it’s easy for a biopic to glorify its subject, in a welcome departure, Main Atal Hoon presents the bare truth of the protagonist’s career. It does take a few liberties, but for the most part, the film portrays him as the belligerent leader that he was. The director makes some smart decisions, like presenting most of the first half in a monochrome tone which helps establish the period setting of the film. The story begins in the late 30s, when Vajpayee was just a child and it travels right through the 70s, 80s, and 90s, as he rises to the ranks of the world of politics.
But, the inconsistent screenplay doesn’t help the film at all. The director also gets a bit indulgent on occasions, employing ambitious cinematic transitions including a few songs which seemed to be unnecessary in the plot. Another let-down is the pace of the film. At 142 minutes there are times when the film moves at a snail pace. The film fails to stir any emotions and doesn’t leave any impact.