After a premier at the Busan Film Festival 2017, Gali Guleiyan (also known as In The Shadows ), which is writer-director Dipesh Jain’s debut feature film, is set in the maze of Old Delhi’s oppressive streets. Behind large doors, in a dusty old house, a tired and disheveled man spends his days and nights observing his neighbourhood through a network of spy cameras fed into TV sets in his home. It’s his only connection with the living world, besides his friend Ganeshi (Ranvir Shorey).

One night, through the wall of his house, Khuddoos hears sounds of a child being beaten up. He becomes obsessed with finding this child and rescuing him. Kai Miedendorp’s camera tracks Khuddoos in the Old Delhi’s sunless lanes. The only light in a dark, hopeless world is mother (Shahana Goswami), a woman who is resigned to her circumstance but optimistic for the sake of her children.

What strikes the most about Gali Guleiyan is the way it portrays alarming psychological isolation and parent-child disconnect. Blame it on the pent-up emotions or hidden angst — the film has an unsettling air around it. It also sheds light on how parents often pass on their misery and guilt to their children, expecting them to follow suit, as that’s what they did too, without any complaints.

Director Dipesh Jain’s dystopian vision, editor Chris Witt’s clever intercutting of tracks and cinematographer Kai Miedendorp’s attention to detail, make Gali Guleiyan a riveting watch. A spectacular cast led by the inimitable Manoj Bajpayee, comprising talented actors like Ranvir Shorey, Shahana Goswami, and Om Singh make you relive the trauma of Khuddus.

Gali Guleiyaan actor Manoj Bajpayee completes 25 years in the film industry next year. Manoj Bajpayee talked about the film “Gali Guleiyan is a kind of an experience which the audience hasn’t ever got before. It’s a story which no other filmmaker has tried in the country and the testimony of it being different is it’s screening in more than 23 film festivals,” he said.