Written and directed by Sudeep Kanwal, Roopali works at the Mumbai surveillance command and control center as an operator. Things start to get complicated when she ignores protocol and begins to investigate a robbery and murder that takes place on her watch. Starring: Rajshri Deshpande, Chhaya Kadam, Sandesh Kulkarni, Nishank Verma and Saurabh Goyal.
The topic of safety and security versus privacy and freedom is hugely relevant, bringing women’s safety into the equation only makes it more poignant. Sudeep Kanwal had a great concept with Privacy, looking into the balance of what you’re getting versus what you’re giving up. How that much access to people’s lives can be protective or it can be weaponised. However, it doesn’t feel like the bulk of that ethical and moral debate was explored in this film, instead it took a slower, less complex route.
While that in itself isn’t a problem, choosing to create a crime thriller over a biting discussion of privacy, but the tone and movement feel lacklustre. Part of the problem is that the way Roopali (Rajshri Deshpande) is presented never feels at ease, she’s introduced with this quite obsessive and somewhat creepy note. Then as her character progresses, her choices don’t feel organic and lead her down a strange path. Deshpande’s performance is still strong, she really commits to the role but without compelling, gripping writing to back her up, it doesn’t really work.
The same goes for the visual, it’s missing confidence, never finding solid ground. The colouring is lacking a vibrancy and edge to match the tone it’s going for. The progression is overly consistent, it doesn’t find a good flow to the tension and thrill, making it difficult to hold your attention. It does hold a good thread of competition and fighting to break that glass ceiling but it’s muddled in with the criminal elements.
Privacy had a great, topical idea and some good ingredients but everything doesn’t come together in the end. Ultimately, it can’t build itself up, push to a big crescendo and create a gripping atmosphere. It hits a middling note throughout, the colour lacks edge, the tone doesn’t hit hard enough and it struggles to hold your attention.
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