TIFF 2025 Movie Review: ‘Monkey in a Cage’ (Bandar)
Anurag Kashyap presented ‘Bandar’ (aka ‘Monkey in a Cage’) as his most difficult film to make. The idea being presented is simple – false accusations are bad. What makes it complex is the societial context his idea exists in. One where rape is underreported, one where women have very few avenues for justice.
Samar (Bobby Deol) – a has-been celebrity running on the fumes of his fame – suddenly becomes front page news after a rape accusation by crazy ex-girlfriend Gayatri (Sapna Pabbi). Arrested despite his innocence, a sluggish legal battle begins. As time goes on, the women in Samar’s life become more frustrated and distant, and his life behind bars becomes more precarious. He is stuck in limbo, with no escape in sight.
There is a compelling point to be made about a systematically flawed justice system in this film. But even though most of the story is set inside a jail, ‘Bandar’ doesn’t seem too invested in that narrative direction. For example, a scene touches on an interesting situation where Gayatri is pressured into not withdrawing the case, threatened by the police officer, discouraged by her lawyer. But that misuse of authority is never expanded on that misuse of authority, putting the onus of Samar’s cruel life behind bars only on Gayatri’s shortsighted vengeance. It’s almost as if the makers are mentioning these points just to protect themselves from judgement for what they actually want to say.
The message ‘Bandar’ is actually invested in is “Guilty until proven innocent”. You lose your innocence as soon as you are accused – the film suggests – especially for crimes like rape which can be difficult to prove in the current justice system. So society takes matters into their own hands – in jail, in the media, and in ones own personal circles. To some, it’s mob justice. To Kashyap, its cancel culture. We feel it in the attitudes of Samar’s girlfriend Khushi (Saba Azad), his sister Suhani (Sanya Malhotra), and even his fellow cellmates. The jail is filled to the brim with the accused, each one of them with the strongest belief in their innocence and the guiltiest look in their eyes. But even to them, the mere suggestion of rape is unforgivable.
Kashyap is hoping to start a conversation with this film, but ‘Bandar’ is too wishy-washy to make a clear statement. Is the issue at hand the law itself, its enforcement, its misuse? Or does the problem lie in the society’s way of thinking? The narrative wants to show both, but can’t seem to do so cohesively. The messages clash until neither point lands.
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So society takes matters into their own hands – in jail, in the media, and in ones own personal circles.
The depiction of Samar’s obliviousness as naivety is hard to empathise with, since it feels disingenuous. Attributing it to his male privilege would have been more nuanced, and would’ve tied in nicely with the “Privilege is a cage” theme of the story. The film is so afraid of assigning any flaws to Samar that a 50-year-old man is infantilised to “His preferences in bed are a little freaky, but he’s such a good boy!”. He may be playing the only fully realised character in the film, but Deol isn’t able to rise above the paper-thin material. Even the caricature-ish prisoners are more compelling than the hero of the story.
Sapna Pabbi and director Sakshi Mehta do manage to make Gayatri more interesting than just a psychotic ex-hookup, but it doesn’t really matter. Ultimately, the film isn’t interested in her perspective, just her actions. Same goes for Azad and Malhotra, who have very little to work with.
‘Bandar’ is filled with a beautiful score, witty dialogue, and a talented cast. Unfortunately, it also gave me the ick.
