Mere Desh Ki Dharti Review

The 2022 Hindi-language drama film Mere Desh Ki Dharti, also known as The Land of My Country, was made by Vaishali Sarwankar and produced by Faraz Haider for Carnival Motion Pictures, a division of the global entertainment company Carnival Group.

It is centered on agriculture. The film's ensemble cast comprises Anant Vidhaat, Anupriya Goenka, Inaamulhaq, and Divyenndu Sharma. Two engineers and their life-changing adventures are the center of the movie. In the movie, farmers in Indian communities are shown to have complicated lives.

Dr. Shrikant Bhasi devised the idea for Mere Desh Ki Dharti; Neel Chakraborty and Faraz Haider then wrote the plot and screenplay, respectively, while Piyush Mishra wrote the dialogue.

The movie was supposed to hit theaters on August 14, 2020; however, the COVID-19 epidemic caused that date to be postponed. Farrukh Jaffar, Rajesh Sharma, Atul Shrivastava, and Brijendra Kala are among the other cast members. The movie premised at the 2022 Jaipur International Film Festival, where it took home the award for 2nd Best Film. On May 6, 2022, it was released in theaters.

Verdict

Suppose one doesn't want to get too caught up in farming concerns and can see Mere Desh Ki Dharti objectively from the perspective that it only tells the narrative of two best friends and their struggle to discover and fulfill a greater purpose in life. In that case, it is a watchable movie.

Plot

Ajay (Divyendu Sharma) and Sameer (Anant Vidhaat Sharma), two young engineers who are suffering in their jobs in the city but become heroes in a village when they utilize their expertise to alter the agricultural industry, are depicted in a hilarious yet motivating way throughout their lives.

Story, Screenplay, and Dialogues

Although it never tries to be preachy, the movie effectively conveys its message while maintaining its core. There are many instances where strong "Swades" feelings overcome one; however, significant changes stick out since they have been applied to the modern era.

No matter if you are in a similar scenario or not, the opening sequences of the film about the Mumbai employment market hit home for me. A few sequences (such as those involving Pappan bhaiya or Ajay and his father) are humorous and act as lighter moments.

To flesh out the backstories, the film's first half drags in certain places and loses some of its impact. However, the second half of the film does perk up, and you find yourself grinning throughout.

Performances

The performers provide a solid foundation for this film, as would be expected. Divyenndu is a furious young guy who never gives up despite finding hope. Anant, who plays Sameer, portrays the devoted worker waiting for a promotion but also appears to have turned pessimistic.

Innamulhaq or Pappa, who contributed so much life to the plot with his shayaris and the ever-positive person, is someone we believe will be strongly mentioned in all evaluations. Dubey Ji actor Bijendra Kala did an excellent job in his role. Everyone else, including Rajesh Sharma and Anupriya, does their parts pretty beautifully.

Review

The movie "Mere Desh Ki Dharti" examines various issues, including farmer suicides and debt. Two engineers from the city with related issues are Ajay and Sameer. While Ajay struggles to launch his start-up, Sameer works hard to advance in his career so he may propose to his wealthy fianc�e. But Ajay's startup ambition fails; he loses his job, and his father kicks him out.

Sameer gets rejected for the promotion, leaves his work, and abstains from confronting his girlfriend or her father. They commit suicide out of disappointment and dejection, not amid the commotion of the city but in a village so that everyone will assume they have fled and not hunt for them.

When they arrive at Salamatpur, Madhya Pradesh, a slew of clich�d stories about eccentric people, garishly dressed singers, and an Elvis Presley lookalike at a village fair begin to be told. A senile daadi with a sharp tongue also makes an appearance.

The gloom of farmer suicides may be found if you scratch the surface of the vibrant environment. The pair tries to rectify the wrongs, but they wind up in a sticky situation with the local bank manager, who retaliates by penalizing the farmers and requiring them to pay off their debts within six months or give up their lands.

The angry locals want to evict the men, but Ajay is confident that they can find a way to end their pain if they band together.

The film starts frantic and has a continual stream of humorous scenes featuring the two protagonists' mishaps with harsh daddies, dishonest clients, loan sharks, and other situations. The second part is enjoyable until the typical over-the-top bumpkins with their singing and dancing are caught in view.

It becomes unstable when farmer suicides occur. The film tries to touch the viewers' emotions but occasionally becomes too sentimental. The screenplay should be tight, given the 110-minute length of the film.

Still, it becomes a little dull, and some of the plot points seem rushed, convenient, and half-baked, such as the sudden change of heart the heroine's (Anupriya Goenka) opportunistic and money-minded father experiences or the creation of a drone and pesticide sprinkler from scrap by engineers, to name a few.

The primary and supporting actors are the movie's most vital component. Anant Vidhaat Sharma, who plays the more somber Sameer, maintains his composure. In contrast, Divyendu Sharma, who plays the impetuous and hot-headed happy camper with a never-give-up mentality, shines in his portrayal.

Anupriya is charming, but Inaamulhaq (Pappan Khan), the quirky banjo party man, and Shayar, who keeps things together, deserve special attention. The actor Bijendra Kala is excellent as Dubey Ji.

Although Faraz Haider's direction is adequate, the writing might have been far better. The dialogue of Piyush Mishra is particularly notable in the small-town passages. If you don't look closely at the complex problems affecting the nation's farmers and instead focus on the two friends' transformation from urban outcasts to rural heroes, the film is enjoyable.

A good concept shredded shoddily in a shrill cacophony over 144 interminable minutes

The objectives of Mere Desh ki Dharti seem to be comparable. Two unemployed engineers attempt suicide, fail, and then board a train out of the sizeable evil metropolis at the story's beginning. They end themselves at a village after being forced to leave the train for not having a ticket. After saving the lives of farmers, the two are finally at peace with one another.

On paper, this idea seems terrific. You wish it were a podcast rather than a movie, though, when Piyush Mishra uses wordplay to generate rhyming language like "Choodi nahi mera dil hai, aa gayi hamari manzil hai" by referencing cinema tunes.

Now, Piyush Mishra is a fantastic writer overall, and you can see moments of brilliance in the reminiscing: din bade huye aur ummed choti (as days grew longer, hope shrank). However, the movie tries too hard to be humorous and reminds us of Shirish Kunder's Joker, in which villagers go to absurd lengths to save their village.

But there is absolutely nothing amusing about this narrative. Why is Pappan Khan dressed in bandmaster garb? Why is he sporting an outrageous leather jacket and trendy sneakers? Why does he find it amusing to comb his wig? Why does he have an ancient, blind grandmother who speaks erratically? How is the seed store owned by Dubeyji (played by Brijendra Kala) producing money if all the young men have left the area and the elderly farmers are too old to farm? Why does Rajesh Sharma portray two roles?

The movie subsequently turns into a poor man's Swades in which two Mumbai-based engineers impart the importance of cooperative farming to farmers.

Amazingly, the people give these two their property with such haste in a nation where Duryodhan stated he would not give away land smaller than a needle point and where every son would have returned immediately if they had known their old dad was giving away land.

Additionally, while this movie depicts the destruction of the "mandi" (the marketplace where small farmers bring their food to sell), the creators neglected to include the massive farmer protests against those regulations. Even though the prohibitions have been repealed, the filmmakers appear to submit to a government agenda.

Conclusion

Two engineers who are closest friends are the subjects of Mere Desh Ki Dharti, a narrative about two friends who have nothing left to live for and no desire to continue. They decide that the only thing left to do is commit suicide.

Ajay and Sameer (Divyenndu Sharma and Anant Vidhaat), who are separated from the bustle of the city, find themselves at Salamatpur, a village, where they appear to discover a purpose. The movie, however, analyzes the extent to which this goal will benefit their lives.