Nail Polish: How The Film Makes Us Question If Body And Mind Are Separate Entities

Audiences who love to be challenged by the complex nature of a film will definitely find their interest in the psychological thriller genre and hence, this genre is quite famous among movie buffs. With an extra mind-bending element, a psychological thriller will make you question what is real. In a similar instance, Bugs Bhargava Krishna’s directorial Nail Polish leaves you in an emotional dilemma with interesting shifts in characters and narrative.

At the heart of this courtroom drama is Veer Singh (Manav Kaul), an undercover agent who is accused of raping and murdering kids. Throughout the story, we scratch our heads wondering the real truth behind the case is and its link-up with serial child killings in the city. And the film takes a psychological twist when Veer Singh’s character is revealed to be suffering from a dissociative identity disorder. 

Following which the courtroom drama takes an unexpected turn and here’s how the story makes us question if body and mind are separate entities.

What’s Past Is Prologue

A series of events in jail makes Veer imbibe a different personality altogether. She’s a woman named Charu Raina. After further investigation, it is revealed that Charu actually comes from a small village in Kashmir whom Veer Singh met on one of his missions. Disguised as Ranjeet, Veer forms a loving relationship with Charu, however, he ends up strangling her to death to save his real identity from getting compromised.

And the trauma from his past takes over Veer when he is isolated in between the jail and hospital. Veer Singh having no control or presence over his state of mind believes he is Charu and that’s one reason to believe that both body and mind are different sides of a coin.

The Final Verdict

Following the change in Veer Singh’s personality, even the law finds it difficult to proceed with the case of horrific killings. Though all the evidence and witnesses were pointing against Veer, the court had to rethink its final verdict. Nearing the climax, judge Bhushan adjourns the case on a closed route citing that Veer is present in the body but has no control over his mind as it functions as Charu’s personality.

Though there’s a possibility that Veer might be faking his mental state but the question of body-mind duality cannot be ignored and hence even the law fails to conclude this seemingly absurd-yet-questionable argument.

Even in Bhagwad Gita, Krishna emphasises how the soul is more powerful than the body and even makes us believe that the soul is more powerful than the mind. While he urges Arjuna to fight, he also makes us believe that ‘body’ is a temporary vessel and that nothing on Earth can bother or affect one’s soul if it’s pure. Your mind can make your body do things since the body is after all a ‘vessel’ in the end. So if your mind is not at peace, its effects will be seen on your body as well.

Nail Polish is streaming exclusively on ZEE5.