‘Accused’ Review: Konkana Sen Sharma Plays A ‘Doctor Strange’ Of Sorts, Leaves You With More Questions Than Answers

In the last ten minutes of “Accused,” the film resolves the story quickly and neatly. At this point, it comes close to being the film it perhaps set out to be. The chemistry between the characters, the emotion, and the tension… it all lands. The best was clearly saved for the last. However, getting to that point was easy, at snail’s pace. Judging by the trailer, in a film about a female sexual predator, you’d expect the proceedings to make you uncomfortable, feel anger, or even give you something to mull over. But all you feel is fatigue. 

"Accused" tells the story of Dr Geetika Sen (Konkana Sen Sharma), a surgeon, soon to be promoted to being the dean at the hospital she works at, when her personal and professional life is disrupted by multiple sexual misconduct allegations against her by women at her workplace. Geetika and her much-younger doctor wife Meera’s (Pratibha Ranta) plans of adopting a baby and moving cities are shattered, and the couple is thrust into a murky world, which threatens to drive them apart. 

If you have ever watched a medical show, or been in a hospital, you’d know what ‘Code Blue’ means: all doctors on duty rush to the patient. However, in the opening scene when a code blue is relayed relentlessly on the PA system, Dr Sen, is calmly packing her bag for the day. There are no pagers or phones, so the nurse saunters to the surgeon’s room from the OT and after explaining the urgency of the matter, chants, “We need you, we need you.” When Dr Sen tells the nurse to “calm down.” You know amateur hour (or two) has begun.

Within the first ten minutes of the film, you are introduced to Geetika’s ex Sophie, Meera’s colleague/friend who is making his adoration of her very obvious and a male doctor, who she berates in the operation theatre. All these characters are there for you to believe they have motive to target Geetika. Except that, it’s clear, they are all in the clear. 

The film drags on predictably, all the time making you question the characters’ actions. It’s set in the UK, where sexual harassment is a serious allegation and yet there is no committee to investigate. Just one person. 

Her friend in the hospital, Simran openly supports her, not even attempting to seem fair or balanced. Geetika is suspended from the hospital, but she walks in and out of it, at will. Meera is finally ready to introduce Geetika to her family (her cousin, Rohit), but for some unexplained reason, Angad is part of this meeting. Also, she and Meera launch their own independent investigation, without informing each other. At some point, Geetika takes matters into her own hands, from chasing down a culprit to being party to hacking into the hospital server. The police, who refuse to act at first, come to arrest the culprit eventually, even though no crime has been proved.   

I am not sure why Dr Sen, a strong, successful and brilliant surgeon suddenly has to introspect and second-guess her decisions in the aftermath of being cleared of all the allegations; and not when she is fighting to clear her name.  

From the beginning, “Accused” tries to take itself seriously (The final speech by Dr. Sen in the end, proves that). It may have a female gaze, but none of the female characters are heroic or iconic. It left me cold and with multiple questions. My fault, perhaps. I expected to see something like Kate Blanchett’s “Disclaimer” or Nicole Kidman’s “Babygirl.” Perhaps, because it starred Konkana Sen Sharma, who is so selective about what work she accepts, I went in with expectations and came away disappointed. Neither a deep theme, nor unique in any way.