I've developed an unusual interest in watching parallel films from Hindi Cinema in the last few months. Yes, 'unusual' because, as a fan of this genre, one typically explores big regional-international films first, rather than the works of Shyam Benegal or Govind Nihalani.
The film under scrutiny is "Ardh Satya" from 1983, directed by Nihalani, which has recently gained prominence. While it has been compared to the more recent film 'Animal' for its exploration of psychological projection, the focus of this article diverges. The primary interest lies in understanding Om Puri's character and his struggle against a consuming society and his own ideals.
In the film, Om Puri portrays Anant Welankar, a sub-inspector in the Maharashtra police, who initially joins the force with idealistic intentions. However, as he spends time in the Chowki, Welankar grapples with the sordid world of crimes and criminality. His haunting past and familial background, where his father regularly mistreated his mother, crushed his dream of becoming a professor, and compelled him to join the force, exacerbate his sense of helplessness. The unyielding political nexus further compounds Welankar's workplace challenges. In the film, he repeatedly expresses his reluctance to become helpless in his own eyes, a sentiment he often conveys to his love interest Jyotsna, played by Smita Patil.
Welankar's struggles intensify as he becomes triggered by minor instances of public casualties. In a pivotal moment, he detains a suspected thief and subjects him to torture, a clear instance of Psychological Projection. This psychological phenomenon involves redirecting feelings directed towards oneself onto others. Psychoanalysts characterize projection as a defense mechanism where internal content, mistaken for originating externally, is displaced onto others. It serves as the foundation for empathy by projecting personal experiences to understand someone else's subjective world. In its malignant forms, projection becomes a defense mechanism where the ego denies the existence of disowned and highly negative aspects of the self, attributing them to others, thereby causing interpersonal damage. Subsequently, Welankar faces suspension and an inquiry by the department.
In an attempt to break free from this self-made web, Welankar seeks assistance from the Crime Master Rama Shetty, who has also entered the political realm as an MP. This decision becomes symbolic of the demise of Welankar's ideals and a lifetime of subordination, mirroring his mother's fate. During an encounter at Shetty's residence, an inexplicable force from within Welankar reaches Rama Shetty's neck, strangling him to death. Nihalani concludes the movie with another scene where Welankar reports the prior incident to his boss, leaving the film with a loose end.
This unresolved conclusion prompts a crucial question from an individual perspective—was it salvation for Welankar, the policeman, or the child within him? This uncertainty raises broader queries about the existence of a collective psychosis within individuals and whether the white noise echoing in Welankar's head will ever cease.
The epilogue of the film, narrated by Om Puri, injects a philosophical layer into the narrative. It emphasizes a point in a man's life where distinguishing truth becomes challenging, leading to an oscillation akin to a pendulum amidst a plurality of multiple truths.