MSG is the propaganda film straight out of your worst nightmare

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan wants people to kick drugs but you’ve to be on some sort of drug to make the kind of film that the Dera Sacha Sauda chief has not only produced but written, directed, shot, composed songs, sung, choreographed dances and stunts, and designed sets and costumes for. That is if only if you choose to see it as a film. 

The work is a self-produced hagiography/documentary which wants to be a superhero flick and ends up being a bizarre comedy. The hero plays himself yet we also know it is not entirely him. (In real life, Insan is accused of sexual harassment, rape, two counts of murder and even forcibly castrating adherents.)

It is a work which befits the age-old decree – so bad, it’s good. At a running time of two hours and 53 minutes, it takes less than five minutes to not take it seriously. Even employees of Marvel Entertainment, behind Hollywood’s most popular superhero flicks, couldn’t have thought of the stunts that Insan performs. One can sense that the filmmakers are inspired by Rohit Shetty action entertainers and the daredevilry of Salman Khan. Insan is a godsend human gifted with amazing powers: emits currents from his eyes and electromagnetic waves from his head which stall his enemies, and turns swords into rose petals, plays the mouth organ to kill terrorists and finds water with just one look. A man dressed in floral prints likes to wear a doll as a pendant. After a while, it seemed futile to jot down the absurdities unfolding on the screen. Also like the superheroes, the desi hairy, portly one fancies cars and bikes and likes walking around in tights, albeit ones which end just below the knee and come in bright hues.

But first and foremost MSG is a propaganda film. It isn’t a new genre at all. German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl was Hitler’s favourite filmmaker and made films celebrating the Nazi Party. But even Triumph of the Will and Olympia had technical merit. MSG may rank high in the list of films with the largest number of extras in Indian cinema but it’s also up there as a tasteless, poorly directed production. The concept of continuity is taken as granted as logic is. It’s a carnival all the time with a stadium full of glitter, fireworks and garish lights and sets. As if that isn’t hard on the eyes, Insan wears shiny costumes that overshadow the women in the bling department. 

Simply put, Insan is a one-man army here to wipe out all evil – especially social ones such as drug abuse and prostitution and even environmental ones like global warming and cleaning up the Yamuna river. Insan delivers sermons, boasting of his many honest attempts to do good for mankind. There is a long list of his virtues. He supports the transgendered community. He cares for the prostitutes. But after rescuing them, he doesn’t want to teach them skills and make them independent. Instead his idea is to have them married to his followers. 

Bad guys lurk in almost every corner in MSG. Therefore, on most occasions, it takes violence and not words to clean up the system. The Messenger of God is also no less than Jean-Claude Van Damme and Chuck Norris and can do push-ups between two moving buses. The words "Farishtey" and "Fakir" are thrown around to describe "Guruji" but he is also a "Pitaji" to all the women in the country. Their knight in "shining" armour, literally. Taking the label a tad seriously, he refers to everyone as his "Beta". He can also cure illnesses and is in tune with the latest music trends – rap, rock or hip hop.

If his feats haven’t wowed you, then you must know that he also claims to have invented a sport – gulstick, a mix of gooli danda, cricket and baseball. And owns a giant "swachh ajooba washing machine", which is a giant machine. It doesn’t take long for his detractors to become devotees. He has plenty of them. The oft-repeated dialogue in the film is how the chief has “five crore” followers, who will be devastated if he is gone. But then again, "It’s not a joke to kill Guruji", as one baddie tells another. 

Bollywood filmmakers have been criticised for taking audiences for a ride with shoddy scripts and wafer-thin stories. But here is a film which doesn’t bother coming up with either of two key elements needed in a film. In his final monologue, devoted to lamenting about how his goodwill is misconstrued, Insan repeatedly says, “Humne koi galti toh nahi kar di?” I could only think, "Maine yeh film dekh ke galti kar di”. But then what do I know. A sequel is already in the works. Reportedly, 80 per cent complete.