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By Taran
Adarsh, April 6, 2007 - 15:25 IST
 Domestic violence is a universal issue. PROVOKED
borrows from a real-life incident -- a woman facing
physical abuse and how she decides to put an end to
it. For any real-life story to leave an indelible
impression, it ought to be:-
[i] As hard-hitting as possible.
[ii] The outcome should have a profound effect.
Unfortunately, PROVOKED works in bits and spurts. As a
story, your heart goes out to Kiranjit Ahluwalia, but
as a film, sorry, PROVOKED is akin to a balloon with a
leak.
Where does it slip? The screenplay isn't power-packed.
The sequences between Ash and the cell-mate are
interesting. So are the ones between Ash and her
drunkard/philandering/abusive husband Naveen Andrews.
But the drama doesn't work in entirety.
The problem with PROVOKED is its screenplay. It lacks
the power to grab your attention. In a nutshell,
PROVOKED may be a well-intentioned film, but it fails
to make an impact.
Set in London, PROVOKED is the traumatic story of a
battered Punjabi housewife and mother of two, Kiranjit
Ahluwalia [Aishwarya Rai]. Unable to bear the
brutality of her alcoholic husband Deepak Ahluwalia [Naveen
Andrews], she takes revenge by setting him on fire.
Charged with first-degree murder, she is sentenced to
life imprisonment, where she befriends her cell-mate,
a white woman named Veronica Scott [Miranda
Richardson], from whom she learns English.
Her cell-mate is so moved by her story that she asks
her step-brother Lord Edward Foster [Robbie Coltrane],
a highly respected queen's counsel, to file her
appeal. Her case comes to the notice of a motley group
of South Asian social workers running an under-funded
organization called Southall Black Sisters. They bring
her plight to the attention of the media by organizing
rallies to gather public support for her freedom.
She is ultimately freed by the judicial system in a
landmark case and most importantly, reunited with her
children.
 Director Jagmohan Mundhra's choice of the subject is
right, but PROVOKED lacks soul [a captivating drama].
The story had the ingredients to work as a cinematic
interpretation, but the writers [Carl Austin, Rahila
Gupta] haven't utilized the opportunity to the
optimum. What you carry home are flashes, not the film
in entirety. In fact, you don't feel euphoric when the
protagonist is pronounced 'non-guilty' and is set free
in the end. That's another flaw!
Besides, the narrative seems stretched at places. A
few sequences come across as repetitive and are
responsible for an unenthusiastic impact. Besides the
writing, the execution of the material doesn't touch
your heart or move you to tears. Madhu Ambat's
cinematography captures the mood of the film well. A.R.
Rahman's background score is appropriate.
The one aspect that's absolutely flawless is the
choice of the actor enacting the role of the
protagonist -- Aishwarya Rai. Stunning is the word
that has often been used for this ethereal beauty, but
for a change, you want to use this word for her
performance in this film. Her work in PROVOKED easily
ranks amongst her best.
Naveen Andrews leaves a mark, but there was scope to
develop his character better. Miranda Richardson is
topnotch. Nandita Das doesn't work. Rebecca Pidgeon is
okay, while Robbie Coltraine is effective.
On the whole, PROVOKED rests on a lackluster
screenplay and that's its biggest flaw. At the
box-office, the film might appeal to a tiny section of
audience, but even they wouldn't take to the film
completely. Dull.
Rating:- * *
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