Accused's greatest lure is its queer couple at the centre of the storm but by sidestepping their camaraderie for polite affection, the drama does itself immense disservice, observes Sukanya Verma.
Key Points
- Netflix's Accused stars Konkona Sensharma as a doctor accused of misconduct, impacting her relationship with her wife.
- The film explores themes of workplace bias and societal acceptance of same-sex relationships.
- Konkona Sensharma and Pratibha Ranta deliver strong performances despite the script's shortcomings.
An unmistakable air of caution encumbers Anubhuti Kashyap's Accused, which unravels when a woman and her wife are thrown in a spot.
Konkona Sensharma plays Dr Geetika Sen, a reputed UK-based gynaecologist on the brink of promotion preparing to move into a bigger home and adopt a baby with her doting partner Meera (Pratibha Rannta), a paediatrician still trying to find her bearings. Bliss is brief after Geetika is suspected of sexual misconduct at work.
Where the hospital board hires a patronising Poirot to dig deep into the dirt, reckless Geetika is determined to take matters in her own hand even as suspicious Meera ropes in a shabby sleuth to do her own bidding. Two kinds of investigations follow as Accused fumbles to make up its mind between a whodunit and workplace politics.
What Accused is about
On paper, Anubhuti Kashyap's film has the makings of a captivating commentary on a society averse to accepting a woman's authority.
The prospect of seeing a possible transgression's consequences through the lens of same sex marriage is equally refreshing. On screen though, it translates into a dull conflict between truth-seeking and trust issues sans an iota of passion or purpose.
Occasionally, Accused gets a tad interesting, in how it notes that a woman, trying to assert her credibility, appears far more reasonable even when she's not exactly above the same problematic behavioural pattern exhibited by the opposite sex. Too bad it shuns the grey areas to advocate its vague philosophy on morality and power.
Somewhere in its superficial exploration of professional bias and personal judgement, complexity goes astray and makes for an underwhelming outcome and puny messaging.
Accused: What works and what doesn't
Accused's greatest lure is its queer couple at the centre of storm but by sidestepping their camaraderie for polite affection, the drama does itself immense disservice. There's a whiff of a lip lock but the only real glimpse of intimacy shows up when Geetika and Meera engage in a raging war of words.
Challenges are teased in the form of old girlfriends, racist and homophobic social media trials or conservative families back in India harbouring heteronormative expectations but the strain of their existence feels slight under a staggeringly stilted treatment.
Aside from a script scrambling to cram too much and not getting nearly enough right, a lot of Accused's dissatisfaction stems from the flimsy British supporting cast and Neel Adhikari's clueless background score. Even meaningful moments lose steam in their clumsy presence.
Edgy performances
What's left then is its two talented leads doing right by their roles.
Alternating between intimidating and edgy, Konkona goes for a Lydia Tár vibe exuding a masculine energy that alludes to the towering narcissism of Cate Blanchett's intricate character study sans the context.
Pratibha complements her seasoned co-star's ferocity with calm and lends their ongoing crisis a mix of sentiment, fragility and exasperation. Her elegant styling is easy on the eyes. I found myself appreciating her earnestness as much as her earrings.
Accused streams on Netflix.
