SPOILERS: Do not miss this dark comedy, go watch it on Zee5 first.
Even in a country of billion plus people, if you go missing, people notice. That is just one of the troubles with disposing off a body. For other troubles, follow this plot.
One thing you know even before watching the movie is that it is going to be a great watch. Paresh Mokashi has been a constantly great storyteller, his dreamy camera renders easily to his wonderfully built sets. Add to this mix, actors like Swapnil Joshi and Subodh Bhave who have been in great form and experimenting with various genres, this movie is a goldmine from the start.
Having seen Swapnil in a horror movie like Bali, and with such a great plot at hand, it must tempting to set this story as a dark brooding tale. But no, trust Mokashi to build a dark comedy, that is in the league of classics like Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron.
Swapnil Joshi's Aniket is not a dark man, he has just walked into the whole mess unwittingly, most likely following his hotheaded mistress, Devika, played by Shivani Surve. He remains decidedly dark grey though. He could have been an all-out black character but his redemption is in the fact that he was stuck in a loveless marriage for a long time and seems to have given his wife, Avani, (Anita Date) a decent chance to walk out of the marriage through a clean divorce.
Avani remains vulnerable throughout the movie, dying from the moment we see her to many, many times later. Our heart reaches out to the woman wondering each time if she has died of her own accord and escaped the sadistic plan being laid by her husband. We forgive her infidelity so easily because a childless woman who breeds termites with a maternal urge can only wring at your heart.
Anshuman also can be forgiven. Despite forgetting the ethics of his profession, he is the only one who constantly seems upset by Avani's actual death. Swapnil Joshi and Subodh Bhave have a great camaraderie and it takes a great director to utilise their talents. Aniket's jumpy energy is greatly enhanced by Anshuman's angry nervousness. It leads to the best comic moments in the movie. Especially wonderful playoff when the gang wants to get rid of the body and Aniket takes time to play the petty customer, earning some great silent reaction by Anshuman.
The movies first half has the sepiatone-inspired look (which could be called Mokashi's signature,) but the drama in the second half belongs to the city's chaotic energy, not usually associated with Pune, but which exists nonetheless due to the rampant urbanisation.
Movies like these mirror to us the signs of human foolishness. As an audience, even we don't take a moment to mourn the woman's death. Along with the characters, even we get into the feverish craze of disposing off her body.
Just like in life, many unrelated people keep walking into this mess. And right when you begin to wonder if there is a part two you didn't know about, comes the end and lifts the movie into one of the greatest in terms of suspense films.
I will not get into the symbolism of the movie's title, Vaalvi, meaning termites, which is for you to watch and ruminate on your own.
