There was a time when Circus was on top of its peak, it was a medium of entertainment which was never restricted to an age group which is the reason why it overtook the cinema for many years but soon the living circus breathed it’s last as we witnessed this medium dying due to the rise of various technologies and till then there have been a lot of stories based on the artists of the circus. The recently released film Ramsingh Charlie is one such simple yet beautiful film which has a few shades of realistic cinema.
The film follows the story of Ram Singh (Mishra), whose ‘circus name’ is Charlie, considers the Circus life as his only life, knows of no other thing. When Jango Circus closes overnight, he gets dragged into the real world, with his pregnant wife (Dutta) and son. How will this man, who has no other skills, survive? A story of survival is heartbreaking at many moments and aims at a simplistic form of storytelling which is engaging but also has few loose ends. The film was made in 2018 but released now which unfortunately has been a great time in midst of the pandemic where millions have lost their jobs.
There have not been many films made on Circus artists which were as influential as the Raj Kapoor’s Mera Naam Joker. Ramsingh Charlie makes an attempt in a simple way but gives us a deep insight into the dead life of circus artists. Kumud Mishra as a loving father in Thappad and now a struggling artist in Charlie is quite exceptional and is the major highlight of this film too. The film lacks when it comes to defining the other characters in the film and other story arcs. Directed by Nitin Kakkar, the aim is simple but also beautiful, good for a one time watch. The film also stars Divya Dutta, Akarsh Khurana, Farrukh Seyer, and Sharib Hashmi.
Ramsingh Charlie now streaming on Sony Liv.
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