‘Thar’ (2022): From Masala Western to Neo-Western

Directed by: Raj Singh Chaudhary || Produced by: Anil Kapoor, Harshvardhan Kapoor

Screenplay by: Raj Singh Chaudhary || Starring: Anil Kapoor, Harshvardhan Kapoor, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Mukti Mohan

Music by: Ajay Jayanthi || Cinematography: Shreya Dev Dube || Edited by: Aarti Bajaj || Music by: Ajay Jayanthi || Country: India || Language: Hindi

Running Time: 108 minutes

One of the first Indian films I ever watched, Hindi, Dravidian, or otherwise, was Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay (1975), an iconic masala film (a mixture of different genres) but also a quintessential curry western, or South Asian adaptation of the Hollywood western genre, with its emphasis on arid landscapes, lawless frontier societies, and rebellious antiheroes. Curry westerns trade the late 19th century United States Great Plains and Rocky Mountains for the early to mid-20th century savannas and desert-steppe environments of central, southern, and western India, but otherwise retain the violent, rural aesthetics of the western genre found throughout the globe (e.g. the spaghetti westerns of Italy, the oriental westerns of Korea and Japan, etc.).

While the traditional period westerns set in decades or centuries past have long since departed the mainstream international filmmaking zeitgeist, the US film industry most of all, occasional updates to that classical genre formula endure in what are known as “neo-westerns,” films set in the modern or near modern day that utilize the themes, motifs, and character archetypes of older traditional westerns. Be they filled with cowboys, dacoits, private security guards, or Manchurian warlords, these newer movies embrace their contemporary setting but pay intentional homage to the Old West tones of Sergio Leone, John Ford, and Akira Kurosawa.

Left: Though not as flashy as the outdoor daytime photography, Thar’s indoor set-design leaves a mark thanks to great mise-en-scène composition. Right: Recurring shots of a decaying buffalo carcass mark the passage of time in the film.

One of the latest Indian neo-westerns inspired by the legacy of Sholay is the Netflix Original Film Thar, written and directed by burgeoning filmmaker Raj Singh Chaudhary, whose namesake landscape, the Thar Desert, situated along the border of India and Pakistan, dominates the film more than any singular character or even the central murder-mystery plot. The film’s appropriate title further emphasizes its Rajasthani location-photography and immaculate desert lighting captured by cinematographer Shreya Dev Dube, whose work shines across all three acts to define the tone, themes, and pacing of Thar. Ultimately, the characters sketched by Chaudhary aren’t as memorable as Thar’s visual aesthetics nor even its music (the film boasts a diverse, rousing soundtrack that spans traditional orchestral instruments, electric guitar, and woodwinds), but what makes the movie is how the archetypal, straightforward human figures dovetail with Chaudhary’s stylized direction. The actions of the characters and the arc of the greater story are defined by the movie’s oppressive, intimidating physical backdrop, which again calls back to the title of the film itself.

To discuss the plot in light detail, Thar describes violent turmoil within a remote Rajasthani village near the Pakistani border in the mid 1980s. A series of drug hits along with a potentially unrelated gruesome execution of a local citizen disturb the small town peace, which prompts the local sheriff (Hindi cinema veteran Anil Kapoor) to investigate both the local dacoit gangs as well as a mysterious newcomer (Kapoor’s son, Harshvardhan) to the area. From this formulaic premise, the film proceeds at a relaxed yet efficient pace, trading the bloated 2.5-3 hour runtimes of mainstream Hindi blockbusters for a sensible 108-minute length with a well defined three-act structure. The script saves a noteworthy revelation for late in the third act, pacing out an almost film noir-like police investigation amongst a series of dacoit ambushes and consistent brooding from the younger Kapoor. Aside from that final narrative twist, though, Thar is more interested in showing how the story’s violence affects its principal characters and how they demonstrate character growth through that violence. If you’re looking for a slick, breathlessly paced, story-driven thriller heavy on action, then this isn’t it, but for cinephile audiences who compliment “slow-burn” horror (e.g. The Witch [2015], Under the Shadow, I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House [both 2016]) or science-fiction (e.g. Under the Skin [2013], War for the Planet of the Apes [2017], Annihilation [2018]), Thar should be right up your alley.

Fans of classical westerns may in fact be turned off by the film’s unembellished yet graphic violence despite the overarching neo-western imagery and themes. Though I disagree with certain reviewers labeling Thar as “torture-porn” (you’re thinking of certain other movies) or comparing the film to Saw (2004) by James Wan and Leigh Whannell, multiple sequences of Thar feel like callbacks to Iwan Rheon’s portrayal of Ramsay Bolton in Game of Thrones (2011-2019); the explicit nature of Thar fits the overall narrative and progresses the story (i.e. it’s not for shock-value, nor is it gratuitous), but retirees who think Clint Eastwood’s subversion of the classical western good guy is too edgy won’t take to Thar at all.

Thar’s imagery also comes alive at nighttime, like with the understated, realistic performance of Fatima Sana Shaikh.

If you’re a fan of contemporary westerns like No Country for Old Men (2007; also set in the 1980s), Sicario (2015), or Wind River (2017), I don’t see how this won’t satisfy you, particularly if you’re also a fan of Indian masala filmmaking. Raj Singh Chaudhary’s sophomore feature checks many boxes for me, while director of photography Shreya Dev Dube’s memorable camerawork, natural lighting, and general aesthetics elevate Thar to the level of many other underappreciated international (re: non-English language) Netflix Originals most audiences and critics seem to overlook when they’re complaining about how their favorite mediocre series got canceled after one season.

——————————————————–

SUMMARY & RECOMMENDATION: With an audiovisual style that matches its story’s themes and its characters’ internal struggles, Thar is an effective Indian neo-western whose tasteful homages to older South Asian frontier dramas enhance rather than distract from its simple, straightforward narrative. The Rajasthani setting, including the strong set-design, is the star of the show more than any human face.

— However… the story’s embracement of bloodlust perhaps outstretches the tolerance of most older fans of the western genre. The cast fulfill established genre archetypes but little else.

—> RECOMMENDED for those with an interest in timeless folk tales set in arid rural locations.

? What was a water buffalo doing that far into the desert?