There are movies that affirm people’s faith or spiritual inclinations (Ranjith's Nandanam was a classic example), and then are movies that dismantle religious faith. Trance is an ambitions attempt of the latter and there are very few films in India which handled that subject to success. The concept of God man raising to power is not new, we have heard and seen many articles and news on that in India for a long time now. The film does well when it focus on the blind and selfish interpretation of faith. It shows how easily one can be fooled by a single person when the power of religion goes in wrong hands. With so much of advances in science and technology, the age old beliefs and rituals still rules. Its also a story of a quest for faith and for recovery.
The stand out for me is the musical, color combinations and cinematography. And one heck of a transformation journey of Fahad into a god man. Its a powerful take on the social plague that still continues everywhere irrespective of the religion you follow. I wish the film had much more meat to offer. It's a film which gives a great hope in the beginning but then does a big U turn let down. The film is contradicting the old saying all’s well that ends well. The film tries so hard to be smart but in vain. Good intentions and an ambitious project like this don't automatically translate into absorbing cinema. Weighted down by cliches, the film often feels tiresome. So in the end the delivery of the important message gets lost when the story loses its focus on the second half. It becomes a personal story of a schizophrenic and that too half baked. Nazria role is a total waste and the emotional connect with Fahad is under explored.
Ultimately this film failed to connect with me. This experimental film wold have done wonders in the hands of Lijo is what i felt. It took sometime for me to get the loudest tone of the movie from my head (Alleluia Praise ye the Lord). For me it should be Alleluia Praise the patience of the audience.
Verdict - 2/5(Archetype of the holy fool)
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