Film: The Song of Scorpions

Cast: Irrfan, Golshifteh Farahani, Waheeda Rehman and Shashank Arora

Director: Anup Singh

Indian cinema lost that gem of an actor Irrfan, on April 29, 2020. Three years later, we get to witness his magic on the big screen one last time with Anup Singh’s The Song of Scorpions. It is a heart-wrenching story of twisted love, revenge and the redemptive power of a song. 

The 1 hour 59 minutes long film is set in a mythological period when a scorpion’s sting could kill a man within 24 hours in the desert of Jaisalmer. Nooran (Golshifteh Farahani), a tribal woman, is taking lessons from her grandmother, Zubaida (Waheeda Rehman), to become a scorpion singer like her, who can cure people stung by scorpions with her songs. After a tragic event and the disappearance of her grandmother, the happy-go-lucky Nooran is lost. 

Recommended Read: The Song of Scorpions Trailer: Irrfan steals the show one last time in this heart-wrenching tale of love, obsession & betrayal

That’s when Nooran decides to finally get married to Aadam (Irrfan), who has been pursuing her for a long time now. Irrfan promises to let go of her past and start a new life with Nooran. However, the hidden past comes back to haunt her and reveals many shocking facts that lead her down a new path of revenge. What’s in that past and how Nooran fixes her revenge and redemption are all that form the crux of the story. 

The Song of Scorpions is that artistic film we have been waiting to watch for a long time. It’s a nice break from all the mindless commercials releasing every now and then.  The way the film portrays human emotions is incredible. The only thing lacking are subtitles as the Rajasthani dialect is a little too strong to understand. 

Irrfan’s final performance in this drama is truly remarkable. He portrays the character of Aadam with pure honesty. So much so that we almost forget to distinguish between the actor and the character. Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani breathes life into Nooran. She delivers an impressive and spirited performance. Although Waheeda Rahman only appears briefly, her performance is powerful enough to leave a lasting impression on the audience. Shashank Arora adds good support to the story along with Tillotama Shome’s blink-and-you-miss-it appearance. 

Anup Singh's direction and writing take us to the culturally-rich world of Rajasthan. He perfectly showcases the music, characters and story with authenticity and depth. Cinematographers Pietro Zuercher and Carlotta Holy-Steinemann capture the deserts of Rajasthan beautifully. Marie-Pierre Frappier’s editing could have been crispier. Béatrice Thiriet’s music adds life to the film. 

Watch The Song of Scorpions to witness the magic of Irrfan on the big screen, one last time!