The Bomb, Review: Leaves you ticking

Special thanks go to Abhishek Bachchan for the end voice over, but till then, The Bomb is an effortless enactment of a slice of life in the wretched existence of actor Inaamulhaq, a National School of Drama graduate (Filmistaan, Airlift, Jolly LLB 2) who is still waiting for his big break.

Haq plays a lower class slum-dweller with a sick son and no job for eight years. The three survive on the salary of his wife (Seema Vats), who works as a maid. Poverty is about to rip them apart when a man offers a fat amount to the creature from lower depths, as fee for planting a bomb in a public place. Payment will be proportional to the number of casualties, he is told, so he must choose a busy spot. The bomb is made like a toy, to avoid suspicion at security check-posts. Driven up against the wall, he agrees. He’s no terrorist, and is not doing it to further the cause of religion. It’s just poverty that drives him to desperation.

Kunal Sharma (The Legend of Michael Mishra, Ghazi Attack, Rahasya) plays the terror agent, going along well with the crisp dialogue and a few expletives. Seema Vats is passable as the wife. Other actors are not billed.

Story by Suhaas Shetty relies a lot on ambience and locations, most of which fall in place. Screenplay and dialogue by Suhaas Shetty and director Shiva Natarajan tries to infuse comic punches, pushing the film as a black comedy. That it isn’t. Three or four smart line-liners do make you chuckle, but they do not serve the cause of the movie. The Bomb is a black film that leaves a lot to the imagination, and is treated well enough to lead to an open-ended as well as thought-provoking climax. There are no names, no religion is mentioned and no political references are made. Due credit to Associate Director Ashish Rampal too.

The DOP, identified as just Sandy, is a bit raw, especially when handling passing movements and out of frame references. But his initial hand-held shots, and top angle shanty pans, are standard stuff. To keep the proceedings engrossing and yet wind it all up in 15 min 32 sec is a commendable achievement on the part of editor Sachin Shinde. If anything needs to be cut, it is the two or three ‘funny’ shots. Akshay Menon’s music comes on very strong in the beginning, but settles down to an even pace as the film progresses.

The Bomb was premiered on Sony Liv TV last week. Catch it, while it's still ticking.

Rating: ** ½