After watching Pratik Gandhi’s recent performances, I can definitely say he is a rising star! Whether it’s in movies like Do Aur Do Pyaar or Madgaon Express, his acting always steals the show. I felt the same way while watching Dedh Bigha Zameen on Jio Cinema, directed by Pulkit. This film tells the story of the common man—those who strive to live but are still oppressed by societal injustice. They are often forgotten and seen as insignificant. Pratik’s portrayal of Anil Singh, who dreams of getting his sister married, is a tale to be remembered. In an age where bribery is illegal, there are still people who treat marriage as a business. Anil Singh sacrifices everything, including being the man of the house, to fulfill his sister’s dream of marrying into a nice family. To achieve this, they need a lot of money and must sell their land—the very Dedh Bigha Zameen. But there’s a problem: that land has been taken by MLA Amar Singh. This is the story of the struggle of the common man, who has to fight for everything. They get no help from the police or politicians, as everyone works for the powerful. There’s no one to stand by the middle-class people, to hear their voices or their suffering. Will Anil get his land back in the end? Let’s find out.
Spoilers Ahead
Why did Anil think of selling his land?
As the film starts, we get introduced to Anil, a devoted brother, a loving son, and a loyal husband. He became the man of the house after his father passed away, taking over his father’s millet grain business. His sister, Neha, is at the age where she should be getting married, and as a responsible brother, Anil does everything in his power to find a suitable family for her so she can live happily. In their family of sons, Neha was the only girl, so naturally, his love for her was immense. The prospective fiancé for Neha was a boy with a polytechnic diploma who hadn’t yet secured a job. Despite this, his family believed he was such a catch! They came from a very respected family, and in their eyes, to get a family like them would be costly. To fulfill their demands, they asked for 25 lakhs and a big car like a Scorpio or Bolero—not as a bribe, but supposedly to ensure their sister’s happiness. They argued that with the money, their son would be able to secure a job, which would ultimately secure Neha’s future.
It was like they were doing Anil’s family a favor by agreeing to let their son marry Neha. Anil was a middle-class man, after all. How would he manage to get that much money? But to him, his sister’s happiness was his priority. He knew the total cost, including the car, cash, wedding, jewelry, and furniture, would be at least 50 lakhs. It was a lot for him, but he still agreed, as long as they promised to take good care of his sister. Everyone in the family was very happy, but as the man of the house, Anil put on a brave face, pretending to be happy while deep down he was very stressed. As soon as the marriage approval was finalized and the engagement was done, the in-laws’ family demanded a white Scorpio. Anil, who had never even been able to buy a car for himself and lived a very ordinary life, started dreaming big for his sister’s wedding. And the only way he could manage that much money was by selling his father’s one-and-a-half acres of land near the bypass in Ratanpura town, which would surely bring a good price. He talked to a broker, who assured him he could get at least 50 to 60 lakhs for the land within two months. If they had more time, they could have gotten 80 lakhs. But Anil wasn’t greedy; he wanted that money for Neha’s wedding, and 50 lakhs would be more than enough for him. He finally felt relieved, knowing he could now peacefully marry off his sister.
Why did Anil go to Gorakhpur?
But the life of the common man is always full of struggle. The broker Anil contacted called him and broke the news that his land was claimed by someone else—a powerful politician, MLA Amar Singh. Anil was shocked. All the legal documents showed that it was their land, so how could someone else claim it? He didn’t understand and took help from a lawyer friend. With his friend’s help, they decided to take the case to court. However, things got even more complicated. The opposing party produced a fake document showing that the land had been owned by the politician since 1982, while Anil’s father bought it in 1987. This made it seem like it couldn’t be Anil’s land. Anil felt helpless and confused, especially when their application was canceled. He realized that even if the case continued, they wouldn’t get a chance to win it because there were thousands of similar cases with no positive outcomes. Unsure of what to do next, Anil went to Amar Singh’s office to file a complaint. But he found the complaint box overflowing with similar issues, ignored by the politicians who only cared about their own benefit. Anil realized that filing complaints wouldn’t help, so he decided to go to Gorakhpur to meet Amar Singh face-to-face. And as you know, meeting politicians is a big deal since they think they are better than the common people. They exploit the helpless to showcase their authority. They are great actors, pretending to be do-gooders, but are deeply flawed within. And that’s exactly what happened with Anil. When he met the politician, Amar Singh promised to give his land back, blessed his sister’s wedding, and even said he would attend. But as soon as Anil returned to his hometown, he was arrested by the police—a warning from the politician to stop fighting for the land.
Why was the wedding canceled?
Anil started to feel like a failure. He couldn’t even show his emotions because he knew it would break his family’s heart. Anil shows the constant struggle of the common man against the powerful and the never-ending spirit to fight for justice and dignity, no matter the odds. But Anil didn’t lose hope. After all, he was the provider, and his family depended on him. So he couldn’t afford to be weak. He went to the broker again and insisted that even though the land was claimed by the politician, the broker should still try to sell it. Anil knew the police wouldn’t help him, but he had to fight for himself, even if it meant taking a huge risk. Meanwhile, one night, Anil’s sister was kidnapped. When Anil went to file a complaint, the police were no help. They did not pay attention to her as such and said she was a modern young woman who would come home in the morning. This was clearly an indication of disrespect for her. Thankfully, his sister returned home, but she had been beaten up, which was clearly another threat to stop fighting over the land. Anil realized that this was a battle that he could never win. But after fighting so hard for Neha’s marriage, what did the in-laws’s family do? They canceled the wedding, saying they couldn’t accept a girl who had been kidnapped. They didn’t want the shame it might bring to their respectful family. At that point, being a protective brother, Anil stood up for his sister. He said she deserved much better, and they were happy the wedding was canceled as now they were free from these exploiters. Anil decided to send his sister to Delhi to live with their aunt so she could study and marry someone of her choice in her own time.
But in the end, Anil realized who had been playing him all along—the broker. The broker was greedy and knew that selling the land to the MLA would bring him more money. After all, the broker himself was one of those common men, struggling to fight for the necessities in life. Ultimately, Anil confronted him and made him sign a paper admitting that he was the reason their land got sold. He also made him promise to testify in court about their land dispute case. But the ending of the film broke my heart. Just as Anil was finally seeing a glimmer of hope, standing up against the exploiters, he got shot. I didn’t expect that, and it makes me question if the fight of the common man can ever be successful. Are we so weak that we end up being dead rather than getting justice? Was this done purposefully to show the raw reality, rather than sugarcoating it and motivating others that there is always a silver lining to everything and there is always a happy ending? I don’t know. But it’s clear that those with power and money always end up winning, no matter how corrupt they are.
