The Terrorist

Director: Santosh Sivan
*ing: Ayesha Dharkar

Reviewed by: Tanmeet Kumar
tanmeet@indolink.com

out of 
The Terrorist is Santosh Sivan’s captivating and moving journey into the psyche of Malli, a 19 year-old terrorist. The film shows Malli’s transformation from a cold-blooded monster convinced that her acts of violence are in the best interests of her country to a human girl with emotions. The film is highly symbolic and uses a variety of images to tell the story. Director Santosh Sivan (Dil Se.. cinematographer) has molded this compelling story of Malli into a cinematic masterpiece, moving viewers with his, at times, disturbing film. The Terrorist is the first film since Mani Ratnam’s beautiful masterpiece Dil Se.. that has touched me and really made me think. The Terrorist is also the first film after Dil Se.. that I would call a masterpiece.

The Terrorist stars newcomer Ayesha Dharkar as Malli. At the age of ninteen, Malli has been chosen to embark on a suicide mission to kill a major political figure who her regime feels is dangerous for the future of the Indian subcontinent. The film travels through the course of four days of Malli’s mission. Throughout these four days, Malli meets a series of characters who touch and mark her life in many ways. The first and most important of these characters is Malli’s dead lover. Only shown in flashbacks, Malli saves a man from a bomb blast and immediately falls for him. The two make love, after which he is found by government agents and killed brutally. The second relationship that changes Malli is the relationship between her and a guide that leads her from her terrorist camp in the jungles to the city where her mission is to take place. The guide is named Lotus and is no more than, perhaps, 12. Yet, in the short time the two know each other, Malli develops a sisterly feeling towards him, only to see him die after he leads her into the city. The third influence is her landlord in the city. The landlord is a grieving man who has recently lost his son and whose wife isin comma, only being able to blink her eyes by way of communication. The landlord quickly becomes like a father to Malli. The fourth influence on Malli during her final days   is the Malli’s landlady, an old woman who becomes like a mother to her. Malli confides in the woman, since she is unable to talk. The story takes an abrupt turn when Malli finds out that she may be pregnant from her dead lover. For the rest of the film, Malli is caught in a web of indecision. Should she complete her mission and kill both herself and the possible new life growing in her womb? The Terrorist is a grueling trek into the mind of a confused and frightened girl that will make the viewer ponder and think.

Many scenes stick out in ones mind days after viewing the film. The scene when Malli meets her lover is, perhaps, the most disturbing scene. Malli knows the man no more than a few hours, yet she still makes love to him. She doesn’t even know his name, yet she loves him. Immediately after making love, the man dies a brutal death and Malli is forced to run for cover and watch the horrific scene. Another scene is the scene where Malli meets Lotus. In this scene, when the Malli and Lotus agree to be friends, two dewdrops are seen merging into one on a leaf. Later, when Malli follows Lotus on the path to the city of her death, the leaf is shown sinking into the water, foreshadowing her doom. Another scene that sticks out is one right before her mission where Malli tells her landlord’s wife what she is going to do. Though she cannot speak and rarely ever moves, the woman reaches out to grab her hand, trying to stop her from making a mistake.

The Terrorist is a well written, well directed, and visually stunning masterpiece from Santosh Sivan. Sivan’s cinematography plays a big role in the movie and is absolutely breathtaking. Ayesha Dharkar’s performance is sheer brilliance. Her eyes are absolutely stunning and she uses them very well to portray feelings and emotions. She is especially good in those scenes where her character rehearses her mission in a robotic fashion. Dharkar is a newcomer to look for in the future. Of the supporting performers, Malli’s lover is also very good, especially in the dramatic scene where Malli meets and saves him from a bomb blast. He proclaims that he has never seen a beautiful girl up close before and continues to stare into her face, even while being hunted by agents.

Technically, the film is beautiful. There are no songs in the film but the instrumental score plays a big role in telling the story. Everything about the film is fantastic, especially the astounding climax, which is full of question marks. One has to really come to their own conclusions about the ending. The Terrorist is, in my opinion, a beautiful film that entertains and makes one think. Watch the film if you want a serious film very similar to Dil Se.. While Dil
Se.. had commercial aspects to it, like a popular musical score and a famous lead pair (Shahrukh Khan and Manisha Koirala), The Terrorist is truly an art film. Hats off to Santosh Sivan for making an excellent film!