A product of a small-town upbringing, director Tathagata Ghosh created a name for himself by bringing real-world experiences into his work which is continued in his latest short “The Demon (Doitto).” Inspired by real-life instances of abuse by the authorities and channeled into the characters of his latest release, the short makes several powerful statements about police corruption and abuse of authority in Indian cinemas, using many of his familiar collaborators to tell his story.
When a homeless man (Soumya Majumdar) from a remote Bengal countryside claims to have witnessed the abduction and murder of his baby girl, morally flawed and burnt out homicide detective Pablo Bose (Shataf Figar) must interrogate him thoroughly before a serial killer, preying on infants across the state, takes down his next victim.
From the start, its most interesting facet is the strong story. A piece about the murdering and kidnapping of a child is a powerful statement, and it's handled rather effectively. We get little pieces about the killer at large, detailing his crime-spree and what his targets are, that serve nicely to lead into the real target of the piece in the exploits of the police investigation. Due to the rather unreliable nature of the suspect in their custody, the segment really speaks to the nature of the abuse of power meted out by the detectives on the case. Not content with just letting the case go, their idea of just solving the problem by doing away with the witness instead of solving the mystery, speaks miles about this issue. Even with the tacked-on notes about the other murders in the area, this section of the short offers plenty of entertaining motifs about the police tactics in the region. While it ends without any kind of real build-up, since the main confrontation doesn't exist, there's still plenty of potent force within this. Armed with a strong professional sheen by cinematographer Tuhin Saha and some atmospheric locations in the countryside, the short offers an additional high-quality look to go along with its strong social commentary.
While it has a problematic issue in not resolving the central storyline, the more important impetus on the police abuse and investigative tactics is right on which is the purpose of this segment. Brimming with plenty of fine technical qualities and a brisk running time, this socially conscious short is interesting and worthwhile for those who appreciate this particular style.
