Iskabon review: Elements of romance and betrayal lend this political film mass appeal

Set in the notorious Jangalmahal area of West Bengal, infamous for the Maoist uprising, Mandip Saha’s film Iskabon (2022) follows a classical narrative trope in which a volatile political situation is triggered by a woman's involvement. The desperation to claim ownership of the woman fuels a personal and political rivalry, blurring the line between the two.

Shotyo (Sourav Das), a loyal, hot-headed and passionate party worker, leads a dedicated team under Maoist chief Narenji (Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee) in the Jangalmahal area. Among the party members, educated and efficient Golapi (Anamika Chakraborty) has Shotyo’s affection.

Narenji, previously known as Iliyas, raised his own armed revolutionary group after local opponent Sontu Soren (Kharaj Mukherjee) won the election with false promises and backing from the government. Cunning and manipulative, Sontu now pretends to be submissive before Narenji but secretly continues to plot with influential political leaders to keep his position secure.

There is a war going on between Narenji’s party and the central government that aims to displace the native population from the forest area for industrialization. The situation gets more violent when the police attack the family of a party worker and party members seek revenge by blowing up a jeep full of police personnel.

The government calls for army intervention and officer Shib Mukherjee (Sanju) is appointed in charge of the mission. As Shib makes inroads in the area, love blossoms between him and Golapi, which not only provokes the party workers against the army, but also eventually brings doom for all, including the ones trying to benefit from the war.

Though the film addresses a serious issue, it achieves mass appeal primarily with the narrative arc of Shotyo, Sontu Soren and Golapi. The film opens with an intense sequence and there are many more along the way involving Shotyo. Sourav Das excels in these scenes. Kharaj Mukherjee is riveting in the negative role and makes the film, which sometimes loses its pace, so much more worthwhile.

However, the romantic angle involving Shib and Golapi seems rushed. It seems ridiculous for a strong and dedicated party worker like Golapi to be caught off-guard before a stranger so easily.

Anamika Chakraborty delivers a decent performance, but she seems camera-conscious at times. Newcomer Sanju is a natural performer, though his character does not go through much of a transformation in the course of the movie.

Iswar Barik’s camerawork lends grandeur to the visuals without taking away the authentic feel of the location, which has survived years of conflicts. The cinematography plays a key role in bringing out the dominant characteristics of the characters, especially Shotyo, Narenji and Sontu Soren. Pranoy Dasgupta’s editing is on point in the battle sequences, but he fails to trim some other portions that are unnecessarily stretched.

Debajyoti Mishra’s background score is decent but slightly overdramatic when it makes a sudden transition between moods.

The first half of Iskabon feels a little slow with too much going around in the plot. The second half picks up the dramatic intensity, mostly when Sourav Das and Kharaj Mukherjee enter the scene.

Iskabon is a political film with elements of romance, betrayal and violence. In the end, there is also an impassioned speech on the continuity of revolution beyond the death of political leaders, but whether the film sticks to its central theme of addressing Maoist politics is moot.

Iskabon has been released in theatres across West Bengal today.