Manjhi – The Mountain Man Review – Manjhi – The Mountain Man is a Hindi biopic released in 2015. The movie is based on the life of Dasarath Manjhi the man who carved a path through a mountain using only a hammer and chisel.

Director Ketan Mehta has taken an inspiring story of a man who did something, which anyone would have written off, as impossible. The movie is a blend of commercial cinema and art house cinema. Most of the scenes are very realistic in nature.

Although a very inspirational story it has challenges when it is told as a full-length feature film. The makers have tried their best to use nonlinear narration to keep it interesting. I would say it has worked in parts. Can’t complain too much as the story only had so much to offer. A reduction of 20 minutes of the movie could have made it very impactful.

NFDC has jointly produced this movie with Viacom 18. It is good to see NFDC active in mainstream movies as well. Hope this trend continues. Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s performance is a stand out in the movie. He has helped recreating the type of person Manjhi might have been on the silver screen. Radhika Apte is another major strength for this movie. She had portrayed the character so well and is very convincing that someone has gone so far for the love of her.

The movie also has some strong political statements. I was not able to verify the authenticity of the subtle references. Nevertheless it was some of the best portions in the movie.

High Points: Inspiring Biopic, No unwanted commercial frills, Nawazuddin and Radhika’s performance, realistic visuals

Low Points: Not much in the story for a full-length feature

Overall Manjhi – The Mountain Man is an inspiring biopic that you would not want to miss. If you were interested in Biopics and realistic movies you would enjoy this.

Watchable