Debutant director Pryas Gupta's Siddharth The Prisoner is a film with an interesting premise which gets lost in execution. The film, somehow never unfolds satisfactorily despite the unconventional storyline. This is a film which has fared quite well at festivals and has even won the jury grand prize at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, as also the award for best actor for Rajat Kapoor at the Osian festival, hence one had much expectations from it.

The idea that the director goes forward with, is extremely interesting. He explores the concept of freedom and imprisonment, in the literal as well and as in an abstract sense. The imprisonment that he talks about in the movie is more on a spiritual level, on how we are all imprisoned by our desires on the material plane. In that sense, we are all prisoners. The film begins with Siddharth (quite a deliberate use of the name), a famous writer, who has just been released from jail. He has completed his new book and he hopes to be able to re establish his connection with the outside world once more with this book. He feels that it will win him back his freedom as he would be able to re establish his reputation as a writer and also mend his relations with his now estranged wife, Maya (again a deliberate choice of name).

But life takes a bizarre turn when Siddharth loses his briefcase at a cyber café. It contains the only copy of his manuscript, his ticket to freedom. His briefcase gets exchanged with another similar looking one, which is full of money. Mohan, the manager of cafe, is under pressure from his superior to recover the briefcase with the money. Siddharth is quite frustrated and in a lot of anguish about losing his manuscript. Meanwhile, even though he is reconciled with his son, the new found money fails to bring him any kind of happiness. He is now desperate to get custody of his son. Mohan loses his job and is forced to go into hiding from the mob. He is desperate to find Siddharth and recover the lost briefcase and the money.

The suitcase becomes a metaphor for desire which has a corrupting influence on all who come by it. It exposes the fraility and weakness of the human spirit in the face of desire, which imprisons us.

The idea that the director is working with comes out in the film, but it is one which requires a lot of patience on part of the viewer. The director uses as his inspiration or starting point, the basic Buddhist tenet that true emancipation rises from a state of desirelessness. It is this tenet that Pryas explores as he sets his story in contemporary times. All of this is good, but one feels that the treatment could have benefited with a lot more clarity of vision on the part of the director. It is the writing which is also to blame for some of film's obscurity. The cinematography by Mrinal Desai is okay. It could have done with some crisp editing.

Where the acting is concerned, Rajat Kapoor plays his part with full seriousness and is able to bring out the angst of the character very well. He is very well supported by Sachin Nayak, who plays the cafe manager. The rest of the cast is just about competent.

In all, Siddharth The Prisoner, deals with an interesting concept but suffers in the area for execution. It does not make for very satisfying viewing.