Amala Paul in a scene from ‘Level Cross’ | Photo Credit: @thinkmusicofficial/Youtube
There is a scene in it Level CrossDirected by debutant Arfaaz Ayub, Asif Ali’s character Raghu is completely confused by the two versions of events presented by Sharafuddin (Zincho) and Amala Paul (Chaitali/Shikha). At times, the audience feels the same way during this two-hour film, scripted by Arfaaz and Adam Ayub. To paraphrase the opening lines, Level CrossIt is indeed set in a fictitious place in fiction. That being said, Arfaaz deserves praise for this ambitious effort.
Level Cross The story takes place at a deserted, dilapidated, civilised level crossing where Asif Ali is the gatekeeper. This unreal setting also includes the imagined donkey/mule, which, apart from Raghu and we, no one else can see or so it seems. He is alone until Chaitali/Shikha literally falls off the train and he rescues her.
And it is a slow-paced story that takes its time, making one wish it would move a little faster. It is also a textbook psychological thriller that shows the workings of not one but two disturbed minds. Which two? You will have to watch the film to find out.
How the characters affect each other and the audience is proof of how clever the writing is. The film has many unexpected twists and turns, some of which are funny, like at the end when we find out who Raghu is.
Level Cross
Director: Arfaz Ayub
Mould: Amala Paul, Asif Ali, Sharafuddin
Run Time: 120 minutes
Plot: A slow-paced psychological thriller that focuses on what happens when a mysterious woman arrives at the railway gatekeeper’s post
It begins with Raghu going about his daily chores on the railway tracks – collecting water and letting the trains pass. But then a mysterious woman (Amala Paul) in a red dress arrives there injured and the action begins.
The desert terrain is harsh and tough; the red dress symbolises vitality, desire and romance: all of which he begins to feel after Chaitali/Shikha arrives. The desert becomes a symbol of the aridity of Raghu’s life. However, the stunning location (Sahara Desert) has been underutilised as a device that could have expressed the harshness of life.
Amala Paul and Asif Ali in a scene from ‘Level Cross’ | Photo Credit: @thinkmusicofficial/Youtube
Asif impresses as Raghu, who appears to be a simple guy but later turns out to be a man with a dark past and a few secrets. Particularly good are the scenes where he expresses the mannerisms of a man who hasn’t been around a woman for a long time. His eyes reflect his curiosity about this strange woman and his attraction towards Chaitali/Shikha. He delivers a brilliant performance! Raghu is in the league of characters that Asif has played with ease over the years.
Caught in an unexpected and uncomfortable situation, the dynamics of Raghu-Chaitali/Shikha’s relationship change from suspicion towards each other to a bond born out of similarities despite huge social differences. They both tell each other a story about their past, convincing each other and us. And then Zincho enters the mix who comes up with his own version.
There is an underlying sense of madness in the film and everyone is, essentially, an unreliable narrator. The twists keep coming, the truth is not what it seems. Just when we think we have it all figured out, there is another twist that changes the story completely.
Jeethu Joseph’s associate Arfaaz works with a minimal cast of six actors apart from the three main characters. The effort was to focus on the narrative. He has extracted a good job from his actors and the film stands on their performances. One gets the feeling that nothing has been taken for granted, especially when the opening credits announce ‘Jeetu Joseph Presents…’, with a lot of expectations from that name.
Level Cross is currently playing in cinemas
