Sexed up and how!

All that sex is not really a bad thing. At least for B.A Pass. Ajay Bahl’s directorial debut takes on sex by the balls (literally) and takes it to places and moments that are so real that it is disturbing. 

Mukesh (Shadab Kamal), an orphan, arrives in Delhi after the death of his parents. He has nothing really working for him, no talents, no miracles and his two sisters are dependant on him. The only thing that perhaps works is ‘being aroused’ into maturity by Sarika (Shilpa Shukla) - the ‘friendly’ neighbourhood aunty who can give Sarita Bhabhi a run for her money. 

What starts as a random incident for Mukesh soon morphs into a full blown affair and Mukesh crosses the point of no return as Sarika finds him more lonely women who need solace from younger men. The only solace Mukesh has is in the form of the cemetery caretaker (Dibyendu Bhattacharya). 

Violated by a group of men on the streets of Delhi, Mukesh finds himself in a web he can’t quite fathom. The twist that changes it all comes in smooth, a very non-Bollywood way - read not excessively dramatic - and all world’s turned upside down. 

B.A Pass works - and here’s why - Bahl has chosen his cast exceedingly well. Shadab Kamal makes a gritty debut as Mukesh and Shukla, who we remember from Chak De India, does a brilliant job as Sarika. She is cold, calculated and oozes that brutal sexuality that is hard to ignore. The roles are gritty, real and in your face and that is what hits the right mark. 

Bahl shows Paharganj minus the romance of the seedy hotel lights. The grit, the squalor and terrifying abandon of dangerous liaisons spill over fantastically all over 70 mm. B.A Pass at a lot of levels is creepy as hell simply because Bahl has managed to show things with such clinical clarity. He doesn’t preach, thankfully. There are no long drawn dialogues about the rights and wrongs or the turn of character of the antagonist. But then clearly - there isn’t one antagonist you can point your finger at. The whole web seems to be responsible for the utter chaos of this middle class existence. 

Based on Mohan Sikka’s short story, Railway Aunty, B.A Pass also can boast of some spectacular dialogues. Considering the other releases this weekend - watch this one for sure!