Story
Gangaram
(Pankaj
Tripathi),
the
Sarpanch
of
a
remote
hamlet
called
Jhundao
visits
a
government
office
in
order
to
solve
his
village's
grievances
which
include
death
due
to
starvation
and
wild
animals
attacking
their
farmlands.
The
man
who
is
ignorant
about
'antarjaal'
(internet)
gets
told,
"Scheme
joh
hai
woh
bhandare
ka
prasad
hain
kya
drawer
khola,
aap
ke
haath
mein
dhar
diya
aur
bola
jai
mata
di."
As
a
dejected
Gangaram
walks
out
of
the
room,
his
eyes
fall
on
an
announcement
pinned
on
the
notice
board.
An
idea
strikes
him
when
he
learns
that
if
a
man
falls
victim
to
a
tiger
near
a
tiger
reserve,
his
family
is
compensated
with
an
amount
of
Rs
10
Lakh.
Later,
Gangaram
also
announces
to
his
family
that
he
is
suffering
from
an
advanced
stage
of
cancer
and
has
just
three
months
to
live.
Gangaram
decides
not
to
let
his
death
go
to
waste
and
plans
to
become
the
tiger's
meal
in
the
jungle
so
that
his
village
can
claim
the
compensation
for
his
demise.
His
wife
Lajjo
(Sayani
Gupta)
who
is
initially
reluctant
about
his
'sacrifice' eventually
gives
in.
Finally,
Gangaram
steps
into
the
forest
with
the
hope
of
getting
eaten
by
a
tiger.
There,
he
even
comes
across
a
poacher
Jim
Ahmad
(Neeraj
Kabi),
and
the
duo
strike
a
bizarre
deal.
What
follows
next
is
a
series
of
incidents
that
put
forward
some
thought-provoking
questions
before
the
audience.
Direction
Inspired
by
true
events
which
took
place
in
Pilibhit
Tiger
Reserve
in
UP
near
the
Indo-Nepal
border,
Srijit
Mukherji's
Sherdil
is
a
solid
idea
on
paper.
However,
the
filmmaker
fails
to
translate
it
on
screen
in
an
engaging
way.
The
screenplay
lacks
a
grip
and
relies
majorly
on
Pankaj
Tripathi's
signature
style
of
dialogue
delivery.
The
latter's
Gangaram
engages
in
some
'reflective'
conversations
with
Neeraj
Kabi's
character.
A
couple
of
them
are
engrossing;
others
borderline
absurdity.
Further,
the
sluggish-paced
first
half
is
yawn-inducing
barring
a
few
moments.
Things
pick
up
a
pace
with
the
entry
of
Neeraj
Kabi's
Jim
Ahmad.
However,
there
is
very
little
to
rescue.
Like
Gangaram,
you
too
find
yourself
asking,
"Sher
kaha
hain?"
Performances
Pankaj
Tripathi
is
the
only
reason
why
your
eyes
stay
glued
to
the
screen
despite
the
weak
execution.
He
lends
a
certain
gullibility
to
his
character
which
makes
you
root
for
him.
At
the
same
time,
with
equal
ease,
he
also
makes
you
laugh
with
his
one-liners.
Neeraj
Kabi
with
his
outlandish
wig
delivers
out
of
what
is
offered
to
him.
The
teaming
up
of
these
two
stellar
actors
definitely
deserved
a
better
script!
Sayani
Gupta
barely
gets
any
memorable
scenes.
Pankaj
Tripathi's
wife
Mridula
also
makes
a
blink-and-miss
appearance.
Technical
Aspects
One
of
the
plus
points
of
Sherdil
is
Tiyash
Sen's
brillant
cinematography
which
brings
the
lush
green
forests
of
North
Bengal
to
life
on
celluloid.
Shantanu
Moitra
keeps
the
background
score
as
authentic
as
possible
except
a
few
places
where
it
gets
a
tad
loud.
Pronoy
Dasgupta's
editing
scissors
could
have
easily
chopped
off
some
portions
from
the
film
to
make
the
narrative
taut.
Music
The
four
songs,
'Dhoop
Paani
Bahne
De',
'Moko
Kahan',
'Maya
Chhaliya
Roop
Dhare'
and
'Aadmi
Bhutiya
Hai'
are
a
part
of
the
storytelling.
Despite
being
engrossing
to
the
ears,
some
of
its
charm
weans
off
due
to
unimaginative
visuals.
Verdict
"Kismat
kabhi
kabhi
saadharan
aadmi
ko
bhi
asaadharan
bana
deta
hain,"
goes
a
man's
voiceover
as
Srijit
Mukerji
introduces
us
to
his
world
of
'Sherdil'.
Sadly,
the
filmmaker's
weak
execution
of
an
extraordinary
concept
fails
to
pique
your
interest
in
a
similar
way
like
how
the
tiger
acts
when
it
finally
comes
face-to-face
with
Gangaram.