Having enquired about subtitles at the cinema a few days ago, I returned there for a lunch time showing of a new Hindi film, The Diplomat. The film definitely had English subtitles!
The screen itself was incredibly plush. It looked like a large sitting room with incredible speakers. There were only four people watching the film.
The Diplomat is based on a true story. The woman at the centre of the film meets a man on holiday. He invites her to his home in Pakistan. When she goes, she is drugged and taken to a remote location. She learns the man is already married to several women. She’s forced to marry the man and is abused. The same thing happened to some of his other wives.
After a sequence of events, the woman manages to present herself at the Indian embassy in Pakistan. The diplomat is the person who tries to work out if the woman’s story is true and then tries to extricate her from Pakistan. The husband, with support from the Pakistan government, tries to prevent her from leaving the country. The Indian government gets involved.
The film ends with footage of the press conference that the actual woman had.
The film was mostly well done. It was a stark contrast to the Bollywood films I saw in my childhood! Some bits were melodramatic and nationalistic. But the two central characters manage to carry the film. Overall, I found the thriller holding my attention.
