From the director of Haramkhor (2015), ‘Zoo’ takes you on a journey from the ghettos of Bombay to its elite societies and drug addiction.
Addiction is a disease; it occupies your mind and soul. Drug addiction amongst the Indian youth is a rising concern for the nation. According to a 2015-survey conducted in Punjab, over 83% of drug users were employed, and 89% were literate, showing that drug addiction affects all social classes and, unfortunately, very few get the help they need to battle addiction.
Shlok Sharma’s Zoo, shot entirely on an iPhone 6 Plus, explores drug addiction and identity in the city of Mumbai through the central storyline involving five protagonists, two brothers, two wannabe rappers from the slums of Mumbai, and a girl who refuses to leave her house. The only things connecting their storylines are drug addiction and trade, and their personal conflict with their own identities. The characters involuntarily succumb to their weaknesses.
Shashank Arora, who was the lead in Brahman Naman, plays Bicky, a coffee shop worker who pretends to be mute and runs a drug business on the side. His brother who goes by ‘Messi’ (we never learn his real name) is a young, hot-headed footballer who ends up being fascinated with his older brother’s profession. The third protagonist, Misha (played by Shweta Tripathi) is an under-age girl who resorts to drugs in order to deal with her past. She never leaves her apartment, and she refuses to meet her family.
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Anushree Joshi
Anushree Joshi is trying to be a writer by procrastinating most days and writing on some (productive) nights. This over-thinker studies English literature at your anti-national, feminist hotspot Lady Shri Ram College, and has strong opinions on why your #IAmHumanistNotFeminist attitude is the problem with the society and the system of patriarchy. She writes 1000-word articles, reiterating why To Kill a Mockingbird is the greatest lesson in empathy, and argues that Manto should be taught in schools and colleges. If you wish to rant or report or want me to write your story, mail me at anushreej@dubeat.com.
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