the ancestral parallel
when i watched sinners for the first time, like everyone else, i was mind blown by that “one scene” where all his ancestors from the past, present and future come together to sing across multiple genres of music. that shit stayed with me for days. probably one of the greatest cinematic moments i’ve experienced.
on the same philosophical level, but in a completely different context and with a different energy, rao bahadur has a sequence where all of the protagonist’s ancestors come together to brainwash him with generations of age-old conditioning so he can carry that generational trauma forward. staged like a theatrical performance with music, it’s nothing short of cinematic brilliance. it genuinely reminded me of sinners.
venkatesh maha delivered one of the best performances in the film. it’s the kind of role many actors would dream of, yet there are tier-2's and tier-3 heroes who can’t even pull off half of what he did and still benefit from their privileged backgrounds. maha deserves a lot more acclaim as an actor. i hope he acts more.