Territory Movie Review
Despite having a star-studded cast and an interesting setting at its disposal, Territory fails to create the desired impact. The film is based on true stories from the Vidarbha region.
Rating:
Team:
Writer + Director + Screenplay: Sachin Shriram Mullemwar
Cast: Sandeep Kulkarni, Kishore Kadam
Music: Yash Pagare
Plot:
A remote village surrounded by a Tiger reserve in Vidarbha region is terrorised by man-eating Tigers. As the threat increases, a CBI team is called upon to investigate further.
In the rural Vidarbha region, where a Tiger reserve is nestled amidst small villages, a crisis is unfolding. While the villagers are grappling with financial hardships, they now face a menacing threat in the form of a man-eating Tiger.
Local forest officer, Jiddewar (Kishore Kadam) is diligently investigating the disappearance of a Tiger from the reserve, all the while striving to prevent the villagers from venturing deep into the jungle. Jiddewar suspects that the poaching of the Tiger might be an inside job, possibly orchestrated by a group of locals.
The Forest department, in collaboration with CBI officer (Sandeep Kulkarni), is mobilizing to safeguard Tigers Veeru and Laxmi from potential poachers. They are racing against time to capture the tigers before enraged villagers or avaricious poachers can get to them.
As the team devises a plan to catch the poachers in the act, a complex web of intrigue is woven by the forest officials. However, as they unravel each layer of this intricate case, they discover a truth that is far more disturbing than they could have ever imagined.
The inspiration to shoot the film in a documentary type zone does work. But the 120-minute runtime feels like 10 hours. The story by Sachin Shriram feels confused between delivering a thriller mystery and also sticking to the ground reality. That is what sucked the life out of the film.
From what I have read about the film, most of the crew and cast are from Vidarbha region. This is a big step towards inclusivity and the team definitely deserves praise for that. Sandeep Kulkarni as the CBI officer had all the style but something felt off about his energy. Whereas Kishore Kadam as Jiddewar does a splendid job. The background score is a bit abrupt. The cinematography is given a documentary treatment. The direction and screenplay by Sachin Shriram lack depth.
Overall, Territory fails to leave a mark and loses itself between reality and fiction but still manages to create awareness about Tiger poaching.
