Eeb Allay Ooo! (2020)

🎭 Story Kernel

At its core, 'Eeb Allay Ooo!' is a devastating exploration of systemic dehumanization through the lens of India's informal labor economy. The film follows Anjani, a young man hired as a 'monkey repeller' in Delhi's government district, whose job is to mimic monkey sounds and gestures to scare away actual monkeys. The brilliance lies in how director Prateek Vats transforms this absurd premise into a profound metaphor for how capitalism reduces humans to performing animals for survival. Anjani's gradual psychological breakdown isn't just about a difficult job—it's about how economic desperation forces people to abandon their dignity, becoming exactly what the system needs them to be: creatures of pure function. The film asks what happens when your livelihood requires you to become less human, and whether there's any escape from this performance once you've mastered it.

🎬 Visual Aesthetics

The visual language of 'Eeb Allay Ooo!' masterfully mirrors its thematic concerns through deliberate aesthetic choices. Cinematographer Saumyananda Sahi employs a documentary-like realism with handheld camerawork that keeps us uncomfortably close to Anjani's deteriorating mental state. The color palette is dominated by the oppressive beige and gray of Delhi's bureaucratic architecture, against which Anjani's bright orange uniform makes him look like a caged animal. Most striking is how the camera frames monkeys and humans in similar compositions—both are often shot from low angles against imposing buildings, visually equating their positions in this urban ecosystem. The film's few moments of beauty (like the golden-hour light on government buildings) only heighten the tragedy of Anjani's situation, showing a world that's aesthetically pleasing but morally bankrupt.

🔍 Details & Easter Eggs

💡 Behind the Scenes

Director Prateek Vats spent months researching Delhi's actual 'monkey repellers'—a real but little-known profession in India's capital. Lead actor Shardul Bhardwaj prepared by shadowing these workers for weeks, learning their specific vocalizations and movements. The film was shot guerrilla-style in actual government districts of Delhi, often without permits, which explains its raw, authentic feel. Many background actors were real street vendors and office workers going about their daily routines. The monkey sounds were created through a combination of Bhardwaj's vocal training and subtle sound design—no actual monkey recordings were used, maintaining the film's theme of human performance.