PARADISO NOW

let there be no lights...!

SPOILER ALERT for Lagaan, Dev.D & 3 Idiots

Why am I addicted to watching movies on the big screen? Why can’t I enjoy a film as superlative as Lagaan at home as I enjoyed it on the 70mm screen? And what the hell was the need to watch movies as forgettable as Madhur Bhandarkar’s AAN or the SRK-Salman Khan starrer Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam or the Akshay Kumar starrer KHILADI 420 in a theatre??

One reason could be that I’ve had plenty of time on hands & equally plenty of money to waste but then, I’ve continued to visit theatres as regularly even when busy. In fact, my curiosity to watch movies in theatre gets more aggressive when I’m busy because I feel that I’m missing something basic like not seeing & hugging my ‘maa’ (pun totally intended) after returning home. I can recall watching a morning show of Anurag Kashyap’s NO SMOKING at PVR Plaza,CP,New Delhi & then rushing to GK-1 for my 12:30pm shift after getting a call from my office reminding that I was supposed to reach an hour earlier that day. And irrespective of the fact that the film completely bewildered me & half of the audience left the auditorium shortly after the interval I , along with 15-20 other people, finished the film (“really sorry..it completely slipped out of my mind that I was supposed to reach earlier today”).

The other day during a family get together a discussion popped up about how it had been months, in some cases, years since they watched a movie in a theatre. I sat there quietly..said nothing because suddenly for some reason I felt useless & someone who has just refused to grow up. While others ‘move on’ in life I, continue to get excited & wait even for movies that are announced ‘will be made’ & ‘will release next year or next-to-next year’. I aimlessly search for movies & save posters of movies on my computer that I think I must watch and bookmark pages with write ups on films, actors, filmmakers, film festivals, and save quotes from filmmakers & thanks to YouTube, save interviews of filmmakers/actors/writers in which they talk about what inspire them & which are their favorite films (more posters in the ‘movie posters’ folder). I buy DVDs and download movies from internet – and I haven’t seen more than half of my collection. To me, I sound somebody with some kind of compulsive disorder. Isn’t it?

But despite all this there is something which feels right about this “disorder”. Some reason that could justify this insanity. And the reason is – CONNECTION. There is some invisible & unexplainable force in that dark auditorium when Bhuvan hits a six, and Captain Russel catches that ball & the camera moves down to reveal something you always knew at the back of your mind even before the match started – that Champaner XI have won but inspite of that, you feel the standing ovation given by your rongtas. You get the same vibe when Mohan Bharagava on his way back in a train from a poor farmer’s house encounters a 10-12 year old boy selling water on a platform. He buys a glass of water from him not because he needs it but because something has hit him hard inside. The train leaves the platform as the boy counts his coins. Yes, you are as stunned as Mohan Bhargava. You also feel it when Sharat Chandra’s Devdas, almost a century after his birth, finally conquers his weakness & instead of reaching the ultimate point of self-destruction, he shaves, takes a bath in a tub (with Chanda helping him by scrubbing his body), grows a spine & takes a bike & rides with Chanda & then, ‘transition’ – fades out to credits rolling upside down which immediately turns to upside up…’..kohra hatake suraj jalati ek hulchul si…ek hulchul si…….zinda hai ek hulchul si..’. And recently, you felt the same rush inside of you when ‘Idiot’ Rancho signed Chatur’s ‘defeat agreement’ & announced to his friends that he is ‘the Phunsuk Wangdu’ indeed.

And the significance of this connect is not just personal. It connects you with the person sitting next to you in theatre, or to the person who whistles sitting behind your row or, sitting somewhere in the bottom rows when Simran’s father’s releases her hand on a railway platform & asks her to run & catch the moving train to ‘jeele apni zindagi’, he shouts at Raj – ‘ abe chain kheech de na behn****! ’

I like reaching theatre for movie before time because I look forward to see what is the buzz around the movie and when the movie gets over walk along the crowd slowly trying to overhear their comments about the movie. And I’m sure many of you do this one – in theatre, I love turning around & seeing the reaction on the faces of people. It’s silly but sometimes it gives you a high. The laughs, the sighs, the giggles, the gasping sounds of weeping – yes they all become part of the film when you are in a theatre & you miss that when you watch a film at home because people don’t weep & react like that when lights are on.

Anyone who loves being a part of collective hysteria that cinema is capable of generating, he/she is likely to communicate the “compulsive disorder” of the big screen. Because in that one big dark room you realize something – you realize that like you, there are so many others who have always wanted to hit a six like Bhuvan, conquer their weaknesses like Dev.D or at times, like Mohan Bhargava, experience reality overwhelming you. Moments like these makes you less cynical of others, I believe that. I don’t mean to attest any sort of idealism to the love of cinema because I think the most relevant element movies tend to put in you, consciously or sub consciously, is that – you shouldn’t take yourself too seriously.

Long Live the Big Screen!

P.S: I’ve talked about the films that I’ve mentioned in the post because that are few of my personal experiences. I would have loved to know what it’d be like watching movies like Sholay, Mughal-e-Azam etc. in a theatre. My parents told me that when Mughal-e-Azam was released the entry of the Golcha cinema in Darya Ganj, New Delhi was decorated as grandly as that of a fort.

(This post was originally published on PassionForCinema on 11th January, 2010 - http://passionforcinema.com/paradiso-now/ )

Kurbaan : Some filmmakers have blood on them!

Bloody Dissapointing!

The most disturbing thing about Kurbaan is that it will be watched by millions of people irrespective of their seriousness of interest about terrorism because – it features big stars like Saif Ali Khan & Kareena Kapoor, its backed by one of the biggest names in ‘Bollywood’- Karan Johar, it has a big canvas (we Indians love films with larger than life settings no matter how grave the topic/situation is..we want everything in family size & the likes of KJos & Chopras know this too well) and, it’s come at a time when people cosy up to movie theatres more than they do during any other part of the year.

Kurbaan from the beginning was marketed as a film dealing with terrorism (& if I’m right it was even supposed to be titled ‘Jihad’ before better sense prevailed upon I don’t know who..!). It’s a thriller format but the content too is constantly played up (‘socio politico thriller’ if you may want to call it that), though neither is accomplished enough. My problem with the film is that it’s not about terrorism, it’s about the supposed ‘Muslim lifestyle’ & the terrorism coming out of it. Wife beating, women in hijab, women not allowed to work outside, patriarchal household. I don’t mean these problems don’t exist in the community but its not exclusive to the Muslim community & moreover they are separate issues & not necessarily directly linked with terrorism. So, either the makers were trying to be too ambitious or they themselves are not aware of their own prejudices. Yes, there are the essential representations of ‘moderate’ Muslims in the film – Riyaz (Vivek Oberoi) & Rehana (Dia Mirza), but they are as stereotypical in their conception as the characters representing the other extreme in the film. To be moderate, Rehana, a journalist, must wear business suits with its top shirt button open , must have a boyfriend & thus show no sign of her ‘Muslimness’ as Salma, Anjum or Saeeda are shown having by wearing hijab. Thus, hijab (once again) becomes the symbol of suppression by the males of the household rather than a symbol of faith. Mr. Riyaz Masood, again a journalist & Rehana’s boyfriend must only be concerned about ‘the American point of view’ of the news & should prioritise his identies – of whether being a Muslim first or an American first, according to his father (typical RSS/MNS ideology..should Tendulkar be an Indian first or a Marathi first..no surprise that Karan Johar readily apologises on being threatened of militant activities by Raj Thackeray’s MNS). Also, Riyaz’s father’s (played by Kulbushan Kharbanda) concern for thousands of innocents dying in Afghanistan/Iraq should be met with a contemptuous/indifferent look on the face of his ‘moderate’ Muslim son while the same son argues the same point later in the film. The difference – a bearded Muslim speaking about the Muslims is of a ghetto mentality & again, a Muslim with no sign of ‘Muslimness’ speaking of the same issue is a ‘moderate’. This is the line of thinking that the Talibans & the VHPs adopt as well.

I know that Kurbaan is just another not-to-be-taken-seriously Bollywood potboiler but I believe even if the popular forms of entertainment take up topics as serious as terrorism/religious extremism, it should at least do so responsibly. FANAA was a film very close to KURBAAN storywise & though it was regressive too but it never got political or debated religion in the context of terrorism. It remained a love story for most part & never made sweeping political/religious statements. Whereas in Kurbaan, Saif Ali Khan’s character, Ehsaan Khan teaches Islamic studies/Muslim identity probably at a reputed American University (how the film manages that & many other such things is a question that a viewer of the Hindi films must not even bring in his mind). Anyway my point is that a terrorist is teaching Islamic studies/Muslim identity in an American University & while he is in the class he is shown to be open minded. That sends out misguided message. Another instance is the scene at Bhaijaan’s (Om Puri) home, where Ehsaan announces that “agar bhaijaan ka bas chale to wo sabke haath mein Quran de dein”. Replace the word ‘Quran’ with ‘Hathyaar’ in the sentence – it’s a dangerously written line! These two instances are not just twisted in their thought but offensive to Muslims. I, as a Muslim take offence of that (no no I’m not going to vandalise or plant a bomb at Dharma Productions !)

Terrorism of the Muslim extremists have been in the forefront internationally since the 80s & after 9/11 everyone, wittingly or unwittingly made sure it becomes synonymous with the menace. I don’t want to doubt the intentions of the makers of the film (Rensil De Silva & KJo primarily) because that would be foolish but yes, it is irresponsible filmmaking & poorly researched/written film. Terrorism & identity politics have been the most burning issues of our time so it’s only natural that the popular culture also addresses it in its own way but please don’t make subtle versions of Gadars & Indians.

I have a grouse with Anurag Kashyap as well who has co-written the dialogues for Kurbaan. He always have had strong opinions about politics & society that’s evident by his films & his interviews. I really want to know why he agreed to become a part of such regressive storytelling? Because, as his fan, it makes a difference to me.

The story of Kurbaan is written by Karan Johar who’s next directorial is the SRK starrer ‘My Name is Khan’ which most probably again is an issue based (read terrorism/Muslim identity) film wrapped warmly in a love story coming to a theatre near you in the winters of February.

I hope he hasn’t f****d that up!

(This post was originally published on PassionForCinema on 23rd November, 2009 - http://passionforcinema.com/kurbaan-some-filmmakers-have-blood-on-them/ )