If Not Anything Else, Manoj Bajpayee Deserves All The Awards For His Closing Statement In ¡®Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai¡¯

His name is synonymous with exceptional talent. When it comes to the craft of acting, Manoj Bajpayee is in a different league altogether.

Some are performers, others are method actors, then comes Bajpayee who is an unbeatable mix of both! He defies all logic that is cited by the industry insiders and the viewers that a hero needs to look a certain way or pick a certain kind of films to build on the star power.

He does projects that drive him and the end result comes out to be films like Sirf Ek Bandaa Kafi Hai.

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What Is Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai All About?

While there¡¯s no official confirmation on it, many believe that it¡¯s inspired by the infamous case of self-styled god-man Asaram Bapu who was accused of raping minors and later convicted for his crimes. Now, the film doesn¡¯t focus as much on the accused but the victim and her fight to seek justice.

Manoj Bajpayee plays lawyer PC Solanki who helps the minor victim of sexual abuse fight her strenuous battle.

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(Spoiler Alert: Retreat if you are yet to watch the film as from here on details will be discussed at length. Consider yourself warned!)

What Makes This Film So Special And Different?

A simpleton from Jodhpur, Solanki is shown to be a decent man who is loved by his colleagues and neighbours alike and respected even more for his precision and knowledge of the law especially the POSCO act.

What is the POSCO act?

The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 was enacted to provide a robust legal framework for the protection of children from offences of sexual assault, sexual harassment and pornography, while safeguarding the interest of the child at every stage of the judicial process.

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When he is approached by victim Nu Singh and her family to help them win a case against the notorious Baba, he makes a well-thought out and informed decision of supporting them no matter what with no ulterior motives of his own. It is no cakewalk as many lives are endangered including his own and that of his son and mother.

However, he stands rock solid in his resolve as he believes that he owes it to the girl who has been wronged. In fact, he believes that this monumental judgement would provide immense strength to others who don¡¯t have the courage to stand up for themselves and fight for justice.

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The film is a regular court-room drama with adrenaline filled arguments from both sets of lawyers. Solanki is hell-bent on not giving room to the defense attorney to attain bail for their client and therefore fights tooth and nail only to emerge victorious.

What really sets Bandaa apart from the rest of the films is the dialogues and Bajpayee¡¯s natural awe-inspiring acting which doesn't look forced even for a second.

He is no Harvey Specter who owns the room the minute he walks in. He is a regular lawyer who has his heart in the right place and morals that can¡¯t be bought with money.

Another aspect that I personally found very riveting was the religious enlightenment. Without being too preachy, Solanki who is shown to be a Mahadev aka Lord Shiv bhakt is the exact opposite of the godman who had been conducting evil deeds in the name of god. Solanki is god-fearing yet doesn¡¯t go all out projecting his beliefs on anyone.

The creator has smartly drawn parallels between a religious lawyer who is practical yet has faith and never-ending devotion in the almighty and a self-proclaimed godman who is inflicting harm on his followers in the name of god.

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The edge-of-the-seat courtroom drama reaches its climax when the judge asks both the attorneys to give their final and closing statements before he can announce the verdict. As seen in several movies of this genre, Manoj Bajpayee gives a goosebumps-inducing speech but the reason why it stood out the most was the Ramayana reference that he used.

The Final Monologue Will Give You Goosebumps

It¡¯s a long monologue which has a very interesting bit that goes like this - ¡°Defense council ke liye yeh case ghoom phir kar dharam, dharam, dharma aur dharam se badh kar kuch nahi hai toh your honor, main bhi ek kahani ke saath iska samapan karna chahoonga!¡±

And then begins the moving tale that will send shivers down the viewer¡¯s spine.

¡°Jab prabhu Sri Ram ne yudh mein Raavan ka vadh kiya tha toh marne ke paschat Raavan ko moksh ki prapti nahi hui thi. Raavan jo Shiv ji ke param bhakt the woh marne ke paschat saalon tak tapasya karte rahe taaki Shiv ji unko darshan dein aur unko kshama karein, par Shiv ji ne aisa nahi kiya.

Yeh sab Parvati ji se nahi dekha gaya aur woh daudte hue Shiv ji ke paas gayi aur boli - He Prabhu! Aap itne kathor kaise ho sakte hain. Raavan jaise param bhakt ko darshan kyun nahi de rahe hain, usko kshama kyun nahi kar rahe hain. Iss par Shiv ji mand mand muskaye aur kaha, he Parvati! Iss sansar mein kukaram ko teen bhaagon mein bata gaya hai:

Pehla paap jo aadmi jaane anjaane mein karta hai jiska nivaran praschit karke, maafi maang kar ya kisi aur tareeke se kar sakta hai. Doosra, ati paap ke roop mein jana jata ha, jaise hatya apaharan aur jagan apradh unki bhi kuch hadd tak maafi sambhav hai. Magar teesra kukaram maha paap ke roop mein jana jata hai jiski koi maafi nahi hai.

Iss par Parvati ji ne unko toka aur pucha he prabhu! Raavan ne toh Sita ka sirf aparahan hi kiya tha woh toh ati paap ka roop hai, aap usse maha paap ka roop kyun maan rahe hain? Shiv ji mand mand muskaye aur kaha, jis paap ka prabhav poore sansar ki maanavta aur prabhuta par sadiyon tak rehta hai woh maha paap ke antargat aata hai.

Main Raavan ko maaf kar deta, agar usne raavan ban ke sita ka aparahan kiya hota lekin usne sadhu ka bhesh dharan kiya tha jiska prabhav poore sansar ke sadhutva aur sanatan par sadiyon tak rahega. Jiski koi maafi nahi hai."

He then turns towards the accused and says, ¡°Yeh Raavan hai Raavan, isse katai nahi chhoda jana chahiye, isne guru bhakti ke saath vishwasghaat kiya hai, masoom bachon ke saath vishwasghaat kiya hai, isne mere aur hum sabke mahadev ke saath vishwaasghat kiya hai, unka naam istemaal kar ek jaganya aparadh kiya hai. I claim a death penalty. To be hanged till death!¡±

Still can get over from the last monologue..

what a scene man ?
A must watch movie #BandaaOnZEE5 #Bandaa#ManojBajpayee pic.twitter.com/VBJ0qglAeZ

¡ª ? (@nwantiti__) May 24, 2023

The entire room goes silent and the camera then pans to Solanki¡¯s face where his lips are quivering and then he closes his hand into a fist and then apologizes to the judge for raising his voice.

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This 10-minute scene is so powerful that i can guarantee that each and every person who watches this will get goosebumps. What better way to explain the whole facade by citing an example that explains the phenomena of true faith and devotion?

Just for this alone, the writer, filmmaker and last but not the least, Manoj Bajpayee deserve a standing-ovation if not more!

Kudos to director Apoorv Singh Karki and writer Deepak Kingrani for devising such a memorable scene and bringing it to life with Manoj Bajpayee.

Sirf Ek Bandaa Kafi Hai is available to stream on Zee5.

(To read more such stories related to movies and shows released on OTTs, keep reading Indiatimes BINGE)