A Holy Conspiracy review: Uneven, verbose drama gives courtroom dramas a bad name

Saibal Mitra’s A Holy Conspiracy is the kind of film that should have existed only on paper. And given that A Holy Conspiracy stars a magnetic pairing — the late Soumitra Chatterjee pitted against the great Naseeruddin Shah — it feels like a missed opportunity that the film lacks voice, style, or even a clear direction. To the film’s credit, the plot does invite curiosity: Set in the fictional town of Hillolganj, a region populated by Santhals who have converted to Christinanity, A Holy Conspiracy tracks the unlawful suspension of science teacher Kunal Joseph Baske. The self-conscious, issue-based approach that Mitra takes with A Holy Conspiracy, attempting to touch upon relevant political keywords visibly reduces the impact of its commentary.