New Age Creativity at its best
Every dark cloud has a silver lining and this proved to be right in the case of film Cargo which could see light amidst the Covid-19 situation through streaming partner Netflix 11 months after its initial screening in Oct 2019 at The Mumbai Academy of Moving Arts (MAMI) Film Festival.
Cargo which is bankrolled by Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane is coproduced by Navin Shetty, Shlok Sharma and Arati Kadav who also directed the film is an Indian version of Altered Carbon and Upload which signifies the potential and creative ability of our writers and directors in making world-class films.
Storyline
Importing the dead back to the world by Post Death Transition Services (PDTS) through a spaceship in the outer universe is the main theme of the story. Prahastha (Vikrant Massey) mans the spaceship Pushpak 634A who oversees all transition activities including the healing function.
Prahastha is joined by Yuvishka (Shweta Tripathi) in the spaceship to provide necessary assistance to him as the inflow of Cargo (the name given to the dead) increases.
With the entry of Yuvishka, Prahastha undergoes a changeover; making him realize the importance of real emotions and human relations as a result he tries to get in touch with his Ex girl friend Mandakini (Konkona Sen Sharma in Special Appearance) after many years with the help of Yuvishka.
As the bond between Prahastha and Yuvishka strengthens, certain changes and due to policy guidelines, Prahastha has to depart from the spaceship back to Earth leaving many memories back in the spaceship for Yuvishka to discover.
Performances of Artistes
Vikrant Massey and Shweta Tripathi are the most talented actors in tinsel town and it’s a great treat to watch them perform together in this fascinating film Cargo. They are simply mesmerizing and keeping aside comparisons or doing a SWOT analysis for both, they both have done a tremendous job in this 113 minutes short film, and being main characters who lead the whole story forward, they won’t let down even for a second.
There are many actors in blink and miss characters, Ritwik Bhaumik, Prabal Punjabi, Hansal Mehta, and Anjum Rajabali. Notable contributions are from Biswapati Sarkar as media reporter Ramachandra Negi who impresses in a variety character and Nandu Madhav as Nitigya also steals the show as a Ground Controller whose appearance is restricted to the TV screen all through the film.
Direction & Technical Aspects
Young director Arati Kadav has pulled out a winner with Cargo. Her writing is flawless and her execution of script within many constraints is exemplary. Inspired by the writers Late Jorge Luis Borges and renowned sci-fi writer Ted Chiang, Arati’s hard work in developing the script which she started way back in 2017 is evident in every frame.
Arati is ably supported by Kaushal Shah, the Director of Photography with his stunning visuals, composer Shezan Shaikh who gave more feel to this space odyssey by his background score, Mayur Sharma, the Production Designer for those breathtaking sets and props, and, Paramita Ghosh for the sharp editing skills who altogether made Cargo a remarkable project. Also noteworthy is the contribution of Zenish Mehta for all those stunning VFX effects. On the whole, Cargo is a collective effort of all technicians and artistes and this gets projected in every frame, scene, and performance.
Verdict & Rating
A sound concept. A crystal clear execution. Brilliant performances. Excellent technical values. State of the Art film making. What else is required to go for Cargo? A must watch for those who are thirsty for new generation films and undoubtedly Cargo is going to stand in the first three positions in the sci-fi genre of new age films produced in India till now. Can there be a sequel, please?
