The Reality on the Footpath

MAJMA is a documentary film based on male sexuality and gender relations. This film, made by documentary film maker, Rahul Roy, runs for 54 minutes. Screened at Birla Science Centre, Hyderabad, the following is how it runs through.

Competition is not only between the ShahRukh and Hrithik in Bollywood or Infosys and Wipro in the Electronic city; it is also between the two men who sell medicines for sexual problems on the pavement of Meena Bazaar near Jama Masjid in Delhi. One old man shouts at his loudest voice that, these days youth is getting spoilt; his words include: romance, love, erection, masturbation, and failure in sex. He has medicine for problems of erection and likewise. His counterpart, Aslam, at the other end of the pavement is no less in his volume. He lectures to the gathering crowds that, love comes from heart. His words involve: heart, blood, testicles, erection and satisfying the woman. He gives medicine to improve blood-circulation.
Aslam is explored personally, where he reveals that, he never wanted to be on the footpath. But situations made him compromise and choose it. He doesn’t like his work. When asked how much he earns daily, his reply was, ‘100-150 rupees’. That answer made it seem that he wasn’t very poor. But when he is asked how many children he has, the reply ‘6’ makes everyone realize the extremity of his poverty. He doesn’t want his children to follow his path. He wants his trade to end with him. But he doesn’t trust future. Even he never wanted to become what he is.
At another corner, there lived Khalif, who is a retired policeman. He trains young guys with wrestling. He feels that, guys now-a-days are not really strong. It is all in the food. He is more authoritative. His wife considers him a ‘king’. When asked about his feelings on his wife, he hesitates to praise her more than the formal lines like, ‘usne mera saath diya hai’, ‘ghar sab saaf hai, uski vajah se; agar who ghar par nahin hain tho, uski kami mehsoos hoti hai’, etc.
On the street, there are many men who pass their jobless time with ‘shayaris’. The ‘shayaris’ literally speak volumes of thick philosophies on life. It seems, for a while, that there is hardly any difference between men on the streets and the ones working in AC rooms.
Just try to imagine how you feel if your very existence in this world is not recognized. The best shot of the film comes when the words from a man’s heart are narrated. The man lives on the footpath. He sleeps on the footpath; he has no one to greet when he wakes up; he doesn’t know where to go and what to do; he just stares at nowhere and yearns in inaudible words: Someone please realize that I exist in this world…... The yearning is left incomplete, but a normal man with minimum sensibilities can guess how deep this yearning goes. Incidentally, the director did not spell out this man’s name anywhere in the film, leaving the audience realize the contrast between being known and not being known of one’s existence.

The director was very shrewd in selecting his shots with precision. Every frame looked useful to the flow of the film. The script chosen is very akin to the milieu involved, especially, the way the men on street talk with ‘appun’-kind-of attitude: the attitude that is very far from the educated working class.
I am not sure, but probably, the director wanted to tell that the basic male sexuality (wanting to be a king, live relaxed, ogle at every curve of the damsel walking past them, express sexual desires without hesitation) lies more on the streets and footpath than among the educated working class. Though unsaid in this documentary, educated class includes mostly men who compromise their basic instincts for their interdependencies. The man on the street is more independent and so, the extremities of basic instincts are more obvious in his daily routines.

Towards the end of the film, Aslam is asked on what he expects out of this documentary, which he is a part of. Out of the 100 odd seconds dedicated to his answer, the very few words he spoke out exposed his uncertainty of his future. He expects nothing from life. He thinks no one will come to his rescue to take him and his family away from the footpath. Some doctor, who may see this documentary, will approach him to enquire how he makes his medicines.
Beyond his words, there was silence. And the silence exposed his pain.

Divorce

That day it was my second date with my fiancé after our engagement. The first time we met, I was too engrossed in the melodrama of the film, that I could not ask her much. But she came to know about me, that I am a film-freak and I like crying with my favorite heroine. From then, in every call out of the umpteen calls she made to me, she has got one common comment: “Why does Kajol cry so much?” Everytime she teased me, I hated more, the distance that separated us. And that day, on our second date, we walked along the beach road.
Expecting a positive reply from her, I asked: “How much do you trust me?”
“A bit!” She was frank enough to keep me far from self-satisfaction. I waited for her to justify.
“All I trust in you is your sincerity in impressing me. But I need more time to trust you completely.” She was quite. Even I was. And may be she was hurt for that.
“I expect you to be frank, when I am.”
“And I expect you be complete in your expression rather than giving statements.” I was serious. She hesitated, but set forth:
“I don’t know much of your perception, but in general, women expect a little too much from life. And most of them end up in dissatisfaction. I know this woman who had a discontented childhood, because in her days, daughters are given lesser importance in families. She had an eye of an artist. She could not stop herself from dreaming about doing something great. So when she was getting married, she had a very high expectation of fulfilling her dreams after marriage. But life after marriage was otherwise. Her husband did not allow her to pursue anything where she could earn an appreciation. His egoistic thoughts made matters worse for her. Additionally, his narrow-minded-ness made her keep every expression unleashed. With thoughts unexpressed, she ended up being a frustrated woman and now she doesn’t have an idea of how beautiful and exciting life can be. That’s what marriage has done to her: a psychological damage. Though it may seem foolish on her part for not protesting against her husband, in most cases it is not practical for women, especially of her generation, to retort back.”
“And before you ask me who that woman is, I would confess that I was talking about….” She paused. “…my Mother”.
“Having grown up around her depressed life, I trust nothing so easily. I do mingle with a lot of people; but I feel no one trust-worthy. I have accepted to this marriage with you, because it is a part of life. You are handsome. You are socially and financially settled. But problems will arise and there is no other option. I accept everything from now itself. And the trust on you depends on how you manage to ‘impress me’ amidst those problems.” While telling the last sentence, she could not stop a teasing smile across her lips.

That night I thought over everything she expressed. Though on one side, I was unable to accept her forward-thinking, on the other side, I was thinking about a solution for women in such kind of situations. The next day, I could not stop myself from calling her, “Shall we meet at Ohri’s this evening?”

“If you don’t mind, I would like to ask you something about Aunty?”
She stared at me; and I don’t know if she has answered to my question, but I could not stop myself. “Why didn’t she think about Divorce?”
Without diverting her stare even a bit, she retorted back, “Will you think about the same, if you are unhappy with me after marriage?”
I couldn’t answer. I was confused. And a few moments passed away without a word between us. We moved out and walked along the beach.
Both of us looked at the sun dipping into the horizon. She spoke like only both of us heard: “If destiny had separation in any of its rooms, the institution of marriage had never been come up. Our sages are not so ignorant about the future when they had decided on this. There should be some other way out of the problems that arise in marriage. Divorce is just an escape. It solves no problems, but in general it adds to the problems. This, I am telling after umpteen times of thinking over the same. I feel most problems come because of the expectation on the unknown future or expectation on the unknown person. And expectation is the result of trusting someone without knowing completely his/her expectation. And I would not make that mistake by trusting you completely from now itself. I would take some time; anyway, we have a lot of time ahead.” After a few pauses, she asked, “Ok! Now tell me, how much do you trust me?” I wanted to say, ‘Yes’; but just ended up smiling. Both of us continued walking along the beach, hand-in-hand.

The Risings and Their Fallings

Elephant is regarded as being among the laziest animals. Even such an animal has risen (stood up) and ambled around the town to spread the word of ‘independence’. With those words, not just the trees, but also their shadows have risen (to fight for independence). And so brilliant was the rise (beginning) of the film: Mangal Pandey. But what happened, as the film proceeded towards the end? Let’s see…

The Stories and their Facts:
The person, who hangs death-sentenced criminals, ran away on the day when Mangal Pandey was to be hanged. Gordon, a British officer, recalls how he himself became the reason for a lone Sepoy to rebel against the British Empire and the bloody Mutiny thereafter.
In an out-dated fashion of infertile fiction, four years ago, friendship sprouted between an Indian sepoy, Mangal and a British officer, Gordan. Good understanding led them to carry their friendship for four years.
The British (except for Gordan), as usual, are shown mindlessly ‘brutal’. And all Indians are shown as innocent and faultless. The Brits exploit Indians to an extent where an Indian mother breast- feeds her mistress’ baby and no milk is left for her own child.
Mangal’s distress, on seeing all the exploitation, is cumulated until the cartridge-incident happens. Gordan, out of innocence, declares the gun-cartridges clean for Indian sepoys to use. Mangal trusts Gordan’s words. When the truth is revealed, Mangal feels betrayed. And the cumulated pain breaks open and a rebellious attitude takes birth within him. With the help of his companions, he plans an attack against the British. But unfortunately, he is caught and thereafter, sentenced to death.
But this rebellion of one man was, supposedly, the beginning of the Indian Revolt against British rule.

The Actors and their Acting:
The zenith of ‘The Rising’ is the brilliant performance of the British actor, Toby Stevens. Playing a British officer, Gordan, his every expression was memorable. It was through his able performance that the strength of Mangal Pandey was expressed. The way he conveyed, with his eyes, the fear of Mangal’s revolt, was awesome. His dialogue towards the end of the film, where he warns the British authority about the impending bloodshed, has successfully elevated the stature of Mangal Pandey’s character (and also this would be among the best scenes on the Indian silver screen). Ketan Mehta should be appreciated for choosing Gordan’s character to emphasize the extent of Mangal’s rebellion. The best attribute to be appreciated in Toby’s performance is his spontaneity. He was highly efficient in deriving the best from within himself at the right time.
And this is where Aamir Khan failed. No doubt, this is among the good and sincere Bollywood performances in recent times. He, in fact, should be appreciated for the preparation he has done to get the Mangal Pandey look. There is a jewel of an expression, which he displayed towards the end of the film. When Gordan warns the British authorities about the impending danger if Mangal is hanged, a victorious expression comes across Aamir’s face. This expression was well prepared but the glory of the scene is the ‘timing’ when it comes on the screen. Kudos to Ketan, Toby and Aamir! But to his misfortune, his best expressions in the film were already printed on the film-posters and shown umpteen times in the film-trailers. The insipid script and weak characterization did not allow Aamir to go beyond those poster-looks. He ended up tottering within the confines of his narrow range of histrionics.
Rani Mukherji, playing a prostitute, showed a spark of her talent when she pushes back the man who sells her in the market. Her role, Heera, anyhow offered very less scope to exhibit her acting skills. Had ‘Mein Vari Vari’ song been picturised well, it could have put Rani among the top ‘mujhra’ girls of Bollywood.
I read the following words in some review: “The only thing in ‘Mangal Pandey’ which met my expectation was Amisha Patel. She was pathetic.” I am forced to copy the same words.

The Makers and their Making:
There are three awesome scenes in the film: first, the elephant standing up in the opening scene of the film; the second, the Indian mother breast feeding the British woman’s baby and later using the ‘black paste’ (I don’t know what it is called literally) to control her own child’s hunger; the third, one man (Aamir) standing against the whole British empire. These three scenes showcase Ketan Mehta’s talent as an astute director.
Ketan Mehta has got a very good concept to create a period-classic. But the bad thing was his choice of writer: Farookh Dhondy (the tactless script-writer behind the pathetic ‘Kisna’). Farookh, like in ‘Kisna’, is short of new ideas for this film. I repeat my words: the story is ‘an out-dated fashion of infertile fiction’. The small facts researched about Mangal Pandey are knitted with fictitious stories. But, these created stories have been happening through a lot of Bollywood films (‘out-dated fashion’). And neither do the dialogues induce inspiration or education or realization or creative gratification (‘infertile fiction’).
Fine! The script had no great shakes! But, neither did the cinematography! Except for the ‘one man against the empire’ scene and a very few more, the shot making was uninteresting. The final hanging scene did not do justice to the back-ground score. Now, that doesn’t mean, that the background score was interesting. A.R.Rehman, except for ‘Mangala Mangala’, looked out of form. No special compositions for the larger-than-life theme!!! The songs in the film were just attempted to be adjusted along with the flow of the film. And the bad thing was that the attempt got too obvious.

The Audience and their Expectations:
Now the most unfortunate factor about big releases is the sky-high expectation of the audience. After ‘Lagaan’ and ‘DCH’, an Aamir Khan film will be searched for the perfection, the media boasts his films to have. But, ‘Mangal Pandey’ has heavy shares of imperfections.
Fortunately, Aamir has very few bashers. His sincere efforts are more respected than the same by other star-actor. Many people take for granted about the niceties in Aamir’s films. So this could be an advantage for the commercial success of the film.
And this film has its share of mass elements, like songs, skin show, hero’s character elevation and some ‘masala’ dialogues. These are necessary since the budget is high and Indian crowds wouldn’t support much of ‘art-cinema’. But these elements appeared to have been forced in; consequentially, they gave a pretentious look to the film. The songs are disinteresting on-screen (even ‘Mein Vari Vari’ lacked the proper situation); the skin show was unnecessary (for revealing cleavage, a National award winning actress like Kiron Kher is not necessary); the heroic look of Aamir was not able go beyond the whiskers and tresses; and the dialogues rendered by him sounded out-dated and tired (inspiration was lacking in the script).

Me and My Verdict:
I confess that whatever has been written above is just restricted to my perception and perspective. I recommend this film to only those people who like to watch Aamir Khan in films. For normal audience (esp. families), this film will not be worth-watching.

Resolved!!!

Amol Palekar films are known their offbeat themes, sensitive scripts and sensible direction. Now when some commercial parameters add to his style of film-making, will he be able to sustain the high standards he has set all throughout his career? This question, in itself, is a Paheli.

Paheli:
A marriage procession stops for taking rest near a ghosts-inhabited tree. The groom, Kisan, is busy in his accounts instead of trying to have a glance at his bride, Lachchi. Lachchi lifts her veil (‘anchal’) for a moment and a ghost on the tree falls madly in love with her.
When the unloving Kisan leaves his newly-wed wife and goes ‘pardes’, for five years, to earn wealth, the love-stricken ghost takes his chance. He disguises as Kisan to get to his beloved. When everyone in the house, including Lachchi, believes him as Kisan, he confesses the truth to her and asks her permission so as to take her husband’s place. Lachchi realises: for the first time in her life, she was asked for her choice. But the choosing between longing (for her husband) and love (from the ghost) is a very tough one. She tells him: “Jaane wale ko hi rok nahi payi, tho aane ko kaise rokungi?”
The ghost, behaving as Kisan, impresses everyone in the family and also everyone in the village with his loving nature. In a few years, as the twist of the tale goes, Kisan (Lachchi’s husband) returns home.

Between the lines:
A man submits himself completely rules laid down by his forefathers. His accounts are important to him than looking at his beautiful bride. His father’s suggestions and warnings are his foremost considerations; his wife’s desires are secondary. His money-earning prospects are his main essentials compared to spend some time with his wife.
A woman has no choice other than that chosen by either her elders or her husband. She cannot stop herself from dreaming: dreams of colourful bangles, dreams of new dresses, dreams of her husband and dreams of a sweet love. That, dreams come true, is just a hope. And where dreams can come true is a fictitious tale.
The tale creates an invincible character, a ghost that fills the void in the woman’s life: the void of love left by her man. This ghost is an epitome of all what a woman expects from a man.

A film by Amol Palekar:
In today’s world of commercial themes, larger-than-life protagonists and visually appealing climaxes, Paheli stands out to be special. The thought-provoking theme, down-to-earth protagonists and an intelligent climax makes this film a classic of its own kind.
Amol Palekar strikes the chord right from the moment go, with his sensibility. The delicate tones of the story, characters and the Rajasthani surroundings are handled with utmost clarity. There is no frame in the film which diverts from the theme. The songs, the star-actors, the situations are all akin to the premise of the story.
Sandhya Gokale’s script is awesome. The lighter moments as well as the heavier ones are well handled with apt dialogues. No where in the film, it does appear that things have been forced in, for commercial appeal. The screenplay is slow but that’s what a rural backdrop of the story demands. And this is what most cine-goers today won’t accept. Similar problem was faced even for Swades. But a person who understands the rural backdrop can never write or expect a quick screenplay.
Though the screenplay is slow, it is simple and taut. The romantic moments between the ghost and Lachchi are very well handled. The emotional moments are subdued and the humorous ones are clean. The graphics are very well handled without exaggeration. Especially the scene where Shah Rukh plays with the rose petals floating in the air is beautiful. Thanks to the good production values (Red Chillies Entertainment).
Keervani’s background score was melodious and apt. It is not a commercially appealing score, but its Rajasthani folk mood suits the story appropriately. The lyrics by Gulzar are wonderful esp. for ‘Minnat Karen’ and ‘Dheere Jalna’. The choreography by Farah Khan is subjective and entertaining.
Ravi K Chandran’s camera is successful in bringing visual appeal of the heat and colour of Rajasthan. The yellowish appeal of the sand and the orange-tinge of mid-day heat are well captured by the ace-cinematographer. A special mention needs to go for the Rajasthani sets created by Muneesh Sappal.

The Lead Characters:
The story focuses mostly on the character of Lachchi. The Paheli she solves at the beginning of her marriage makes the family and the villagers face a bigger Paheli further in future. Rani Mukherji was strikingly mesmerising. She is beautiful enough for a young village girl and alluring enough to mesmerise a sensitive ghost. And her acting is flawless. Her romantic moments with the ghost and her sentimental expressions are applaud able.
Playing an uninteresting husband and a romantic ghost with precision and grace and simultaneously making it appear simple is one of the best parts of this film. The character of the ghost is nothing special for super-star Shah Rukh Khan. He just has to be himself: charming, confident and lovable. And he does it with optimum ease. But it is the husband’s character that Shah Rukh has delivered exceptionally. The humour he inflicts in the initial reels and confusion he displays in the last reels are awesome. The scene where the villagers and his own family fail to recognize him leaves a sensitive audience gulping one’s own breath. His eyes are enough to convey every subtle nuance of the character. His spontaneity of expressions is brilliant. And this brilliance should be attributed to his obedience and complete submission to the director. He does not try to dominate using his star-power and just keeps himself where the director has placed him.
Juhi Chawla and Amitabh Bachchan in cameo roles enthral the audience. Suniel Shetty is fine. Anupam Kher and the rest of the supporting cast manage their roles well.

A Wonderful Climax:
At the end of the tale, the unreal character (ghost) gets into the real character (the man) and loves the woman everlastingly. Some logical and intelligent brains may question about why the ghost hasn’t entered the man until the climax. They are logically right. But my dear friends! Creative liberty defies many rules of logic.
And if you are searching for the answer to the question raised in the premise of this review, pardon my inability to convey to you the answer through this long review. For me, the Paheli is resolved!!!