Archive for category: Drama

Apur Sansar (1959) – Classic / Apu Trilogy part 3

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3–5 minutes

Genre: Human Drama

Platform: Free on You Tube with English subtitles

Time: 1 hour 50 minutes  

Director: Satyajit Ray

Cast:   Soumitra Chatterjee (Apurba “Apu” Kumar Roy). Sharmila Tagore (Aparna Roy, Apu’s wife). Swapan Mukherjee (Pulu, Apu’s friend). Dhiren Ghosh (Apu’s landlord). Dhiresh Majumdar (Sasinarayan, Aparna’s father). Alok Chakravarty (Kajal Roy, Apu and Aparna’s son).

Plot: Apu quits college in Inter and wishes to find a job. He and his friend Pulu go to Pulu’s village to attend his cousin Aparna’s wedding but Apu ends up getting to Aparna, since the groom turns out to be mentally unstable. Apu brings Aparna to Calcutta and she is appalled at his existence in a single room atop a tenement. Soon she adjusts and they find married bliss in their simple existence where she manages the home and he earns money by giving tuitions. Aparna goes back to her native village and dies at childbirth…

Spoiler Alert:

Let me start with the film’s last scene / ending; working backwards, (hopefully) the essence of this human story becomes clearer.                              

Apu’s estranged 5 year old son Kajal: Tumi Kaun (who are you)?

Apu: Aami tomar bandhu (I am your friend)

Life has come full circle for Apu. Hope. to Confidence. to Love. to Anger and Despair. And once again Hope.

From being an orphan, to a student, to a married man who loses his wife at childbirth and finally becoming a friend to his five-year-old son who is running wild, (since the child lacks any kind of authority figure to ‘control’ him), Apu has undergone the full life cycle, while still in his 20s.

At the film’s beginning, Apu sets out to get a job. His college professor wishes that he continues his studies but Apu is clear that lack of money prevents him from continuing his science education. On a journey to his friend Pulu’s native town Khulna, Pulu reads Apu’s novel and urges him to get it published but fate has other plans in the shape of Pulu’s young teenage cousin Aparna, played with incredible absolute confidence by a then 15-year-old Sharmila Tagore, who Apu is forced to marry out of a sense of saving the girl’s honor and future.

Losing her to the rigors of childbirth. Losing interest in life. Working in a remote mine and sending money to his father-in- law to take care of Kajal. Apu’s overall depression and anger is brought out well in these scenes. He is bitter that life has dealt a bad hand to him . So much that he even doesn’t want anything to do with his son.

Once again it is Pulu’s intervention that proves critical. Pulu brought him to the marriage and Aparna. It is Pulu again who traces the child Kajal and the father Apu, and brings them together. Pulu’s job is over. Will Kajal and Apu live as father and son? The answer is provided by Apu himself to Kajal ; aami tomar bandhu.

In my view this is an ideal conclusion to the story which is actually from the second half of the novel Aparajito. The full circle of life that started with Apu’s birth and his journey till date is known to us . Aparna’s death acts as one more among the many blows that life has dealt him. Yet he comes out of it and despite not knowing what the future holds, he moves on with his ‘bandhu’. As to what Apu and his “bandhu’ will do in the future and what life holds for them is left to our imagination.

Lyrical is the word that frequently comes to my mind while watching the film. The pace is even and the third film of the trilogy shows Ray , the master observer of human emotions, in complete command of the medium. Be it a small river in rural Bengal or a dank tenement near a railway yard, the images that leap out of the screen onto us show the realities of life as seen by Apu (and by us). Subrata Mitra’s cinematography again shows the contrast between the peaceful rural areas and Apu’s somewhat harried life in his one room rooftop tenement that is open to the elements. The film also began Ray’s long association with Soumitra Chatterjee who remained his preferred lead actor well into the 1980s, acting in 14 of Ray’s films, in varying roles.

As the end titles appear, we wish that there had been more about Kajal and his bandhu and we could have known more about them and what happened to them. This is easily the most perfect film of the trilogy and a classic by any definition.

The film is free on You Tube

Script – 5 out of 5

Story – 5 out of 5

Direction – 5 out of 5

Photography – 5 out of 5

Total – 5 out of 5

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Aparajito (1956) – Classic / Apu Trilogy Part 2

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3–4 minutes

Genre: Human Drama

Platform: Amazon Prime / You Tube Free

Time: 1 hour 50 minutes  

Director: Satyajit Ray

Cast:   Kanu Banerjee (Harihar Roy). Karuna Banerjee (Sarbajaya Roy). Pinaki Sengupta (young Apurba “Apu” ). Smaran Ghosal (Apu – adolescent). Ramani Ranjan Sengupta (Apu’s great uncle).

Plot: Apu’s father Hairhar is still struggling to make ends meet with his wife Sarbajaya, in Varanasi where they had shifted. Young Apu is just wandering around, playing with neighboring kids. Hari dies and an uncle helps them to return to a village so that Apu can take up the family tradition of priesthood. Apu however in interested in studying and proves to be a bright student, winning second prize in the district due to which he gets a chance to study in Calcutta. Sarbajaya is fearful but the adolescent Apu wants to learn science and goes off to Calcutta where he works in a printing press at night while studying in a college during daytime, struggling to balancing sleep, studies, friendship and money…

This is the second Apu story, written by novelist Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay. This is also an unusual film from Ray in that it shows that Apu is not all that loyal to his parents, especially later to his struggling mother and even insensitive to her loneliness and pain – totally in contrast with how children were always shown loyal in various Indian language films. Apu emerges almost as ruthlessly selfish as befitting any teenager who thinks only about himself and doesn’t care what’s happening in his village home. Sarbajaya’s longing look at the distant railway tracks every time a train passes on the horizon, speaks volumes about her feelings than any long sets of dialogues can say or mean.

Apu is also discovering a world beyond his supposedly simple village life – the complexity of living in a city, earning his bread, paying his rent and studying. The professor who discovers Apu sleeping in the class and sends him out reminded me of one of my school principals who would rarely speak but just gesture with his fingers – as the onscreen professor does 😊.

Apu’s disinterest in priesthood and leanings towards science also makes a subtle point about how Apu looks at the world. His constant twirling of the small globe, which he carries around, shows a desire to go beyond his small world and look for adventures beyond his own world. He finds it in multiple ways and especially as a student, who is forced to balance his life between his village / mother, his studies, his job, and generally dealing with life. As mentioned earlier, Apu emerges as a somewhat selfish person, who thinks only about himself. Sarbajaya’s lonely death, shown in multiple cuts with her gradually fading away, cuts the last bond which Apu had with the village. Though he regrets not being there in her last moments, he tells his uncle that he will perform her last rites in Calcutta and leaves everything behind . He is now a full-fledged city man, awaiting new adventures beyond his limited world view.

Once again Subrata Mitra’s outstanding cinematography deserves a special mention. Be it the Varanasi ghats or lanes, or a steam train on the horizon as seen by Sarbajaya, almost everything leaps off the screen in utter crisp clarity.

To me, the film looks is a bit underwhelming. Maybe its the second film in a trilogy where everything is yet to develop and we do not know what Apu will grow into, since Apu is trying to find his place in the world – exactly like Ray, with his second film was trying to do so. Despite my misplaced feelings, the film cant be faulted in its story of a boy growing into a teenager and suddenly encountering the world and becoming a man.

The film is on Amazon Prime and FREE on You Tube . You tube link as below:

https://youtu.be/scgyxNLiAL8?t=35


Script – 5 out of 5

Story – 4 out of 5

Direction – 5 out of 5

Photography – 5 out of 5

Total – 4.8 out of 5

2 responses to “Aparajito (1956) – Classic / Apu Trilogy Part 2”

  1. Robin Bhat avatar
    Robin Bhat

    Hi Rammesh,

    Just an aside on Subrata Mitra:

    His entry at Wikipedia is worth reading, as it relates to the pioneering use of ‘bounce lighting’ in the Satyajit Ray films.

    On the Hindi film side – Teesri Kasam.

    IMHO, never has Waheeda Rehman looked as majestic as she does in this film, thanks to the lens of Subrata Misra.

    An ace cinematographer such as him (and a select few in the Indian Film Industry) demonstrate to us that it is in accurate to call it a ‘black-and-white film’.

    Their masterworks use two primary colors: pure black and pure white… and the infinite number of fractional color values between them, beyond what the human eye can decipher.

    Thanks,

    Robin

    Reply
    1. Rammesh avatar
      Rammesh

      Robin

      Thanks. Will check it out . As a rule I try NOT to check ANY reference site, (at the most imdb for the artist names) lest it interfere with what I have to say ;).

      Now that you have mentioned it, I will check it out. Thanks again.

      KVR

      Reply

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Pather Panchali (1955) – Classic / Apu Trilogy part 1

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4–6 minutes

Genre: Human Drama

Platform: Amazon (Rent) You Tube Free

Time: 1 hour 50 minutes  

Director: Satyajit Ray

Cast:   Kanu Banerjee (Harihar Roy). Karuna Banerjee (Sarbajaya Roy). Subir Banerjee (Apurba “Apu” Roy). Uma Dasgupta (Durga Roy). Chunibala Devi (Indira Thakrun, the old aunt).

Plot: Apu is born to a poor priest Harihar, who is struggling to make ends meet with his wife Sarbajaya, and their daughter Durga. His wife resents the presence of an old aunt, who she feels is spoiling her daughter. Hari goes out of the village to multiple towns to earn money while Apu grows up in the village, learns about village life and sees the world through his innocent eyes. Sarbajaya worries about the lack of food, money and news of Hari…

The story by novelist  Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay was published in 1929. The film places the events in the same time period and has a total rural ambience including practices of the rural areas such as a village play (jatra), child marriage of girls who are generally uneducated , being married off at a very early age and an overall sense of rustic peace which will be surely broken by some kind of calamity.

The overall atmosphere is hardly doom laden but is filled with innocence as Apu sees the world through his eyes and cannot understand why his mother is slaving all the time , cooking, generally helping around while his elder sister Durga is playing with girls of her age . There are minimal dialogues as everything is visual , as Apu sees it. There are no cliches that one expects of films set in rural areas, such as the bad zamindar, the sly/ sympathetic priest , and so on. The village mostly has women doing all the hard household work. The men are barely seen.

Hari is essentially an optimist who feels that “the city’ will have more money and wants to try his chance there. With his meagre belongings he goes off to the city and thus starts Sarbajaya’s agony – not knowing what’s happening. The rare letter that arrives is usually rushed by Apu crying out aloud the arrival of a ‘chitti’.  That the family can read is attributed to Hari being a Sanskrit teacher and helping his family to read, while composing stories and poems .

The supposedly simple village life is not all that simple as it appears to be. Sarbajaya is losing both her mental peace and must borrow money, leading to taunts and pressure from her lenders, to pay up or else. The expected tragedy as and when it happens is something that no one is prepared for. Apu also can’t understand what’s happening except that he sees his elder sister is not around any more . Durga’s death attains a more poignant tone when Hari returns with money from his various city jobs, including clothes for the family and learns of Durga’s death.

The final shot shows that Hari has had enough of the sufferings in his village and is leaving his village for the city. A snake entering Hari’s derelict broken house is the symbol that the house is inhabitable for humans. Its amazing that as early as 1929, someone had addressed the essential reason for migration from a simple rural life to an existence in a harsh uncaring city. The stage is set for part 2 and part 3 of the trilogy.

Overall the feeling of the film is like a blank canvas on which colours and shades are slowly filled. The poverty is not bleak but somehow the couple manage and finally throw in the towel. They may have been defeated for the time being but there are new adventures ahead, as seen through Apu’s eyes.

The simplicity of the film lies in its essence of everything seen through Apu’s eyes. Especially the scene where Apu and Durga rush to a railway line to see a train pass through as they have only heard its whistle and never seen it at close quarters. One of Durga’s friends being married off has its own poignancy as Durga also feels that maybe its time for her too. Durga is also accused of stealing a necklace from one of her friends but which is not found by anyone until much later , Apu finds it and quietly disposes it off at a nearby pond, thus cementing his jump from childish innocence to semi adulthood.

Personal Note: For me the village scenes, with the children running around, brought back vivid memories of my summer holidays, in my father’s village . It was his elder brother’s huge property which grew lots of vegetables and fruits . I and my cousins would run around plucking fruits or throwing stones at semi ripe mangos so that we could catch and eat them. It was a carefree time, and I can relate to Apu’s views of the village life.

The film wouldn’t be what it is , if not for the absolutely stunning photography by Subrata Mitra which shows every leaf, plant, dew drop and tree in exquisite sharp detail. The depth of focus is amazing in the long shots.

Overall this is a film that is a sure classic about the beginnings of Apu’s journey into adolescence, into adulthood and facing the thing called life.

Script – 5 out of 5

Story – 5 out of 5

Direction – 5 out of 5

Photography – 5 out of 5

Total – 5 out of 5

5 responses to “Pather Panchali (1955) – Classic / Apu Trilogy part 1”

  1. Ram avatar
    Ram

    Why No mention of Chunibala Devi as Indir Thakrun- who was a scene stealer-

    Reply
    1. Rammesh avatar
      Rammesh

      Mentioned in passing as “old aunt”

      Reply
  2. Robin Bhat avatar
    Robin Bhat

    Hi Rammesh,

    Loved reading your review.. will await the next installments of your review of these delicate masterworks.

    (small aside – I once did make the error of watching all three films in a single afternoon… mistake…. in the middle of the third film (Apur Sansar), was simply overwhelmed and left the theatre… (though, I have seen the films separately in the past, and do have the Blu-ray editions)

    Criterion Collection:
    “…shot over the course of five years, and each stands on its own as a tender, visually radiant journey. These films—which have risen from the ashes in meticulously reconstructed restorations, after the original negatives were burned in a fire—are among the most achingly beautiful, richly humane movies ever made.”

    ___
    Best part of your review was your personal note… unrelated (sort of), but immediately reminded me of:

    Aayaa hai mujhe phir yaad vo zalim
    Guzara zamana bachapan ka
    Haay re akele chhod ke jana
    Aur na aanaa bachapan ka……

    Vo khel vo saathi vo jhule
    Vo dod ke kehanaa aa chhu le
    Ham aaj talak bhi na bhule
    Vo khwaab suhana bachapan ka…….

    Mil kar roye fariyad kare
    Un bite dino ki yaad kare
    Ai kash kahi mil jaye koi
    Vo mit purana bachapan ka

    —
    Regards,

    Robin

    Reply
  3. Lalitha Ravindran avatar
    Lalitha Ravindran

    I like your practice of rewatching films you had seen in childhood again and recording your impressions. Apu Trilogy is truly a classic from a master filmmaker.

    Reply
    1. Rammesh avatar
      Rammesh

      Hi Lalitha

      Indeed. What was dull is now refreshing . Guess its a matter of perspective that improves with age :)

      KVR

      Reply

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No Man’s Land – Season 2(2025) – Intense

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3–4 minutes

Genre: Spy thriller cum war movie

Platform: Lionsgate Play thru Amazon (Paid)

Time: 8 episodes x average 45 minutes

Languages: English. French. Arabic. Kurdish

Cast:  Mélanie Thierry (Anna Habert). Souheila Yacoub (Sarya Dogan). James Krishna Floyd (Nasser Yassin). Dean Ridge (Paul Wilkins).  Leo Hatton (Ellie Gordon). Zed Josef (Jake Al-Shami). Tasnim Cheham (Nisrine Dakka). Thibaut Evrard (Maximilien Weiser).

Plot:  Anna rescues a 12 year old girl Nisrine from being sold as a sex slave. Nasser is still being pressured by Anna to get information on the ISIS and but Paul shoots her dead. Sarya is back from France after recovering from her life threatening wounds. Max, a French journalist wonders, how she was airlifted to France , since he has heard rumors of a French woman code named Shamaran working for the all female YPJ military unit. Ellie, a student counsellor in Lubbock, Texas, sees a video of a masked jihadi with a strong Texan accent and is sure that it is her much younger former student Jake, with whom she had an intense affair. She gets in touch with Jake who instructs her how to come to Raqqa to be with him forever…

The disparate strands of the story are superbly and deftly woven together neatly into episodes which usually show how the entire ISIS operations affect everyone and has long term consequences.  Since Anna is shot dead by Paul, Nasser and he grow distant , though not at loggerheads. Nasser moves to the oil production unit, so that he can get information about how the oil money is moved around and get closer to the “money man” Jake. Nisrine, whose mother taught her French, wants to avenge her mother being sold into ISIS through a contractor.

The proceedings appear too complicated at first but are absolutely absorbing and ultimately disturbing to watch, especially the ISIS scenes. Elle is so madly in love with her student that she betrays the FBI team who want to apprehend him and reaches Raqqa to be with her Jake. At first , she is shocked at the instant justice doled out to homosexuals, pedophiles, and anyone who doesn’t agree with the ISIS way of life – being thrown alive from a building’s roof. Later she proves to be the perfect ISIS bride, even betraying one of the runaway women , to be sold as a slave. Her brainwashing is complete and these scenes are really disturbing.

The crisscross plot keeps moving at a blistering pace and yet we know all the strands that are in play. Paul’s brainwashing is also complete; he doesn’t want anything to do with the West and is now a complete ISIS acolyte, even ready to betray his childhood friend Nasser.

There is enough material here to keep us absorbed over the eight riveting and disturbing episodes (there is actually a warning before each episode about disturbing scenes). The oil extraction through very primitive and crude methods is shown fairly realistically.

There are some major goofs too – like women being allowed out alone without accompanying men. Usually this was not allowed with the all female al Khansa brigade questioning such lone women; in real life such lone women would have been immediately flogged or executed. Also the characters look too fresh and well bathed ; continuous field operations without any bathing or cleaning facilities would mean that they would all have been very dirty and filthy.

All these goofs can be overlooked as this fictional story is set around two incredibly disturbing realities of recent history that is only a decade old – the ISIS treating women as things to be sold and the all female YPJ taking up arms to fight them head on.

Overall a superb , disturbing view of recent historical events that pulls no punches

Historical background – 4 out of 5

Script – 4 out of 5

Story – 4 out of 5

Direction – 4 out of 5

Photography – 4 out of 5

Total – 4 out of 5

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The Odyssey (2026) – BRILLIANT EPIC

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4–6 minutes

Clickable links in red

Genre: Historical Epic

Platform:  Theatre

Time:  2 hours 53 minutes

Director:  Christopher Nolan

Cast:   Matt Damon (Odysseus). Tom Holland (Telemachus). Anne Hathaway (Penelope). Robert Pattinson (Antinous). Lupita Nyong’ (Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra). John Leguizamo (Eumaeus). Samantha Morton (Circe). Zendaya (Athena). Charlize Theron (Calypso).

Plot:   Queen Penelope of Ithaca waits for her husband Odysseus who is presumed lost and dead, after going to war and on a voyage. Many unruly suitors gather daily to ask her hand in marriage while her young son Telemachus, who is not of age and cannot assume the throne, watches with increasing revulsion and anger. The blind slave Eumaneus is convinced that Odysseus is alive as Argus, Odysseus’s very sick hunting dog, is unusually alive for twenty years, long past a dog’s usual life span. Odysseus is in an island with a beautiful woman Calypso with whose help he is trying to remember his past, who he was, what happened to him and what happened to ‘his men’ as he is sure he commanded a ship with many sailors…

Statutory Declarations:

  1. I haven’t read Homer’s Odyssey. So, I do not know the “original” story and cannot “compare” the film with the original story.
  2. I only have a vague idea that Odysseus went on a journey, had multiple adventures and finally came back to his kingdom.
  3. An entire industry has started about what was there in Homer’s Odyssey and how Nolan has messed it up.
  4. I approached it as a film comparable to our Indian epics.

Given this background, I saw a story of ancient civilizations, queens, kings, treachery, monsters, ghouls, spirits, witches and what not. And I ENJOYED IT IMMENSELY since I didn’t have material to compare with and pick holes in the story as to “nah – that’s not correct; this is not what happened; this is too filmy; etc “. While watching the film (twice), I was mentally comparing with other cinematic epics like Spartacus, The Ten Commandments, etc and our own two great epics Mahabharata and Ramayana, as the sensibilities are somewhat similar. Film critics, ancient historians, bloggers, and anyone with a keyboard, have said that the “soul” of the story had been destroyed by Nolan due to an over emphasis on Odysseus and his guilt of his dead soldiers, lending a “modern” politically correct sensibility and thus supposedly “destroying” the core of the original story. In my view, this “modern sensibility” is what probably appeals to many viewers. A commander cant send his troops into battle without feeling sorry about the deaths, especially when his decisions prove fatal to many of his troops . (WW2 nerdy data : many British generals of WW2 who fought as young men in WW1, generally were extremely cautious in offensive operations, lest it end up as a WW1 style mass massacre).

But thats digressing. Lets look at the core story.

A King in exile trying to piece together his past. A queen pining for her husband who may or may not be dead. A blind loyal slave (Leguizamo is brilliant as Eumaeus). Multiple journeys with many adventures of meeting evil monsters, giants, unusual ghouls, etc. Actions and its consequences – somewhat like the karmic sensibilities of the Mahabharata. War and its consequences. A blind belief in the “Laws of Zeus” which once broken, has all round negative consequences. In fact I feel the film is one large story about action and consequences.



As for the overall narration, it is done in the typical non linear choppy back and forth style for which Nolan is famous (or notorious as might be the viewpoint). Starting with Ithaca, the gift of the wooden horse to Troy, jumping to Odysseus and Calypso, then years before with a young Odysseus, Trojan war – this back and forth narration can leave one confused but his strong screenwriting doesn’t falter and the threads are absolutely intact so much that someone – and that includes most of the lay film lovers/ film goers – who don’t know anything about Homer’s Odyssey, and haven’t read a word about the story, can easily follow what is happening , all the way to the final conclusion when Odysseus returns from his involuntary exile , back to Ithaca, reclaim his throne and fend off the unruly turned evil suitors led by Antinous.

This is BRILLIANT film making, reducing a long poem into a manageable 3-hour film length, shooting it on Imax film, not using VFX or keeping them to an absolute minimum. Here’s a result from AI about how the complicated Scylla and Charybdis scenes were done using manual means and minimal CGI

The first time I saw it on Imax at Inorbit Mall, Malad and didn’t really feel anything different about the Imax factor ; googling produced the result that this was actually a “LieMax”. The second time I saw it at PVR Palladium, Lower Parel (with my wife) and this time the 70 mm sweep of the story was visible along with the crisp clarity of prints. The various locations serve brilliantly for the various scenes.

This is easily one of the most passionately done epics in recent if not all times.

Script – 5 out of 5

Story – 5 out of 5

Direction – 5 out of 5

Photography – 5 out of 5

Total – 5 out of 5

A special rating for Passion for Film – 6 out of 5 😊

PS: MY wife simply LOVED IT .

4 responses to “The Odyssey (2026) – BRILLIANT EPIC”

  1. Sauvik Basu avatar
    Sauvik Basu

    I loved this film

    Reply
  2. Bulbul Biswas avatar
    Bulbul Biswas

    Brilliant film making, keeping the major factors of the story intact. The visuals of the sea and the city of Troy were lifelike.

    Please correct the word crip to crisp near the end.

    Reply
    1. Rammesh avatar
      Rammesh

      Hi Bulbul

      Thanks for that; I am quite a spelling fiend and yet this escaped my attention :)

      KVR

      Reply
  3. Robin Bhat avatar
    Robin Bhat

    Hi Rammesh,

    You are hereby encouraged to get additional input into all your reviews! For whether it is that of Mrs. KVR, or Penelope or Athena or Calypso or sometimes even the dangerous Circe, a woman’s instinct is usually infallible!

    Your review is spot on, as usual. Learned something new today – there is a format called ‘LieMax’; (what a name!)

    Not much to add to your review.. just a few random points.

    1
    My experience shared with a few friends: seeing it the first time (3 hour film) was difficult; for the second-time I did a brief bit of prep-homework: read a summary of the epic. So, enjoyed/understood the film much more and it did not feel as long.

    2
    As expected, the film has entered the ‘Billion Dollar Club’.

    3
    One small puzzle – unless I did not hear the words right, the use (two times) of the F-word and once the S-word seemed out of place.

    4
    Anne Hathaway and Robert Pattison are having quite the season this year.. a couple of films released and more coming.

    5
    As is now widely-known, the official poster of the film was not on Matt Damon, but a body-double, Canadian stuntwoman Devlyn Dalton.

    Forced Perspective: Standing at 4 feet 6 inches (137 cm), Dalton helped create the optical illusion of towering giants when paired with seven-foot tall stuntmen.

    The Famous Biceps: Matt Damon publicly praised Dalton’s physique, stating she had “the greatest arms I’ve ever seen”. Her muscular arms are prominently featured both on screen and in the movie’s official poster.

    6
    So much of the film is a reminder of our own Indian epics: the breaking of the bow…. Exile…. superhuman gods and monsters…. eventual victory of good over evil….

    7
    Lastly, a good occasion to revisit Tennyson famous poem:
    (the Latinized name of Odysseus)

    https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45392/ulysses

    Thanks,

    Robin

    Reply

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Spartacus (1960) – Eternal Classic

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Embedded/ Clickable links in red

Time to read :

4–6 minutes

Genre: Historical Epic / a doomed Slave Rebellion/ based on true story.

Platform: Amazon (Rent)

Time: 3 hours 17 minutes (original time; Amazon 3 hours 1 minute)

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Cast:  Kirk Douglas (Spartacus). Laurence Olivier (Crassus). Jean Simmons (Varinia). Charles Laughton (Gracchus). Peter Ustinov (Batiatus). Tony Curtis (Antoninus). John Dall (Marcus Publius Glabrus)

Plot: Sold as a slave, the ever rebellious Spartacus is bought from a rural salt mine owner by trader Batitutus and sold for gladiator combat where one gladiator fights another to death. Varinia is offered to him for his pleasure but he refuses. Soon they get attracted to each other. Spartacus is called into the gladiator ring to amuse Crassus, Marcus and their female companions. Spartacus’s opponent refused to kill him and instead tries to  kill Gracchus and is instead killed. Soon all the slaves being trained as gladiators revolt and march on Rome. None of them are educated . Antonius, Crassus’s slave also escapes and acts as the translator of documents. Spartacus defeats the Roman Army of Marcus who is released back to face Roman senators led by Grachus who wants to promote a new leader Julius Caesar. The war against the slaves is on …

Wikipedia has a fairly decent link on the overall story of Spartacus and his role in The Third Servile War aka The Gladiator war, which was the third and the last of the rebellions that threatened the Roman Empire. His role in the revolt, and how it all ended was later written by Plutarch based on accounts. Given these accounts were not immediate, there is surely some possible embellishment. This is what provides wonderful cinematic material: a charismatic leader, the thirst and hunger to be free than be a slave and finally a rebellion that is surely doomed.  Thousands of years later, Napoleon Bonaparte proved this, with his statement “God is on the side of the big battalions”.

The film has also many back stories that can itself provide material for another film, say, Spartacus rising – the making of Spartacus (or an equally mundane title). In the 2015 film Trumbo (played brilliantly by Bryan Cranston), there is a section where Kirk Douglas meets Dalton Trumbo and says that Trumbo will be credited for the screenplay. This was a huge risk given that the Cold War was turning colder, and the depredations of the McCarthy/ HUAC hearings were still being felt with “Reds under Beds” attitudes still prevalent everywhere. (Cinephiles know that Dalton Trumbo wrote the Oscar winning screenplay of A Roman Holiday where he was uncredited). Trumbo alluded to his internal beliefs and inner strength of characters in the scene where Crassus asks the slaves to give up Spartacus, so that their lives can be spared. Every slave shouts “I am Spartacus“. This was Trumbo’s middle finger to all the McCarthyists , saying that every decent person who was branded as a “Communist” was still a decent human being and wouldn’t inform on his fellow citizens whether they were Communist or not.

And then finally Kubrick. Given his background in photography, he and the cinematographer were soon at odds . More details are available at the wiki link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spartacus_(film)#Development

However the final result is simply STUNNING. This is one of those films that deserves to be seen ONLY ON THE BIG SCREEN. The original version was 174 minutes long = 2 hours 54 minutes long. The restored version which I saw at Regal was 3 hours and 17 minutes long , longer by 23 minutes and includes a scene between Laurence Olivier and Tony Curtis which ends with Olivier remarking that he likes both oysters and snails, a clear reference to the then (1950s and 1960s) taboo topic of sexuality and in this case bisexuality.

Douglas is suitably heroic and tragic in equal measures. In the initial scenes, he only acts with his eyes as slaves are forbidden to talk and that calls for some great emoting only with his eyes. Jean Simmons is luminous as his love interest. Olivier is brilliant as the arrogant, no nonsense Crassus who wants to crush the rebellion. But it is Peter Ustinov as the trader and Charles Laughton as the Roman Senator who steal everyone’s thunder with two equally laconic performances , with each matching sleaziness with the other. The slave trader is sleazy and will do anything for money which at times is “for the good” while the Senator is only concerned with advancing himself and his protégé, Julius Caesar, through sleazy politics. The other characters may appear a bit two dimensional but that cannot be helped. What else do you expect former slaves to do except to yearn for freedom and hate their former captors.

Lets also not forget the battle scenes. The film would be nothing without its incredibly staged battle scenes all done with ‘live’ extras.

It is simply stunning to see thousands of extras on both sides (by one count 10500+) – Roman Legionnaires and This was possible because the battles scenes were shot in Spain and the Spanish Army was used as extras for these scenes. (Spanish Armed Forces would figure in many 1960s war films such as Battle of the Bulge, Patton and most famously Battle of Britain as the Spanish Air Force still had operational WW2 vintage Me109 fighters and He111 bombers ). The rebellious former slaves and the Roman Legionnaires march to battle, get ready in battle formations and then finally clash. This is incredible epic film making in the style of The Ten Commandments , Ben Hur, Quo Vadis, etc.

In short this is an ETERNAL CLASSIC.

Historical background – 4 out of 5

Script – 5 out of 5

Story – 5 out of 5

Direction – 5 out of 5

Photography – 5 out of 5

 Total – 4.8 out of 5

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No Man’s Land – Season 1(2020) – Thrilling and Disturbing

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Genre: Spy thriller cum war movie

Platform: Lionsgate Play thru Amazon (Paid)

Time: 8 episodes x average 45 minutes

Languages: English. French. Arabic. Kurdish

Cast:  Félix Moati (Antoine Habert). Mélanie Thierry (Anna Habert). Souheila Yacoub (Sarya Dogan). James Krishna Floyd (Nasser Yassin). Jaouhar Ben Ayed (Iyad Bel Tagi). Dean Ridge (Paul Wilkins).  James Purefoy (Stanley). Roda Canioglu (Commandant Adar). Julia Faure (Lorraine).

Plot: While visiting the hospital with his wife Lorraine, architect Antoine watches a news clip about Kurdish women fighters, fighting ISIS and is sure that he has seen his supposedly dead sister Melanie, when the video clip ends with an explosion. Antoine goes on a trip to Istanbul to visit Luke, an injured American in the video clip, which further takes him to the Syrian border and finally into Syrian heartland, in the middle of the Syrian Civil War. About to be ‘sold’ to ISIS soldiers, he is inadvertently rescued by the Kurdish female soldiers of the YPG who think he is also part of ISIS. Meanwhile three friends from Britain, Nasser, Iyad and Paul, join ISIS, due to a perceived ‘Islamophobia’ and “injustices’ in Britain. There is only one problem – Nasser has already been recruited by an intelligence officer known as Stanley who keeps popping up at regular intervals. Meanwhile Antoine meets Sarya, a Kurdish fighter; she is sure that Melanie is dead and asks him to return back to France which he refuses and goes with them on missions, determined to find out the truth about Melanie…

Its also clear from Nasser’s behavior that there is something very “off” about him as he is always watchful and cautious unlike his two friends who exult in the mayhem. I have already given a mild spoiler in that in Episode 3. Nasser, ex British Army and supposedly a British ISIS recruit, is already a spy for a man named Stanley whom he meets somewhere in no-man’s land and shares information about ISIS. (Don’t ask me how Nasser and Stanley escaped the regular ISIS patrols). There are some “are you kidding me” moments like these. Beyond that , its an absorbing thriller with some disturbing scenes in the ISIS segments.

The beauty of the series lies in the fact that like every good or great story, this is a quest. It’s about Antoine’s quest for the truth behind Melanie’s death. She was an archaeologist who had an Iranian boyfriend activist who was deported back to Iran and executed. She was supposedly blown up in a car bomb in Cairo due to her anti Iran activism. Antoine refuses to let go of this and keep digging more and more, while watching the brave Kurdish women fight off the ISIS who think they won’t attain paradise if they are killed by a woman! The women have much more to lose than anyone and so fight fiercely. The switches between Antoine’s quest, Nasser’s actions, the ISIS depredations (very disturbing), and the parallel stories that they generate are very interesting as we want to know what happened to Melanie and what is happening to the Kurdish women who have sworn to fight to death.

Spoilers: This series is NOT an easy watch as Episodes 3 and 4 deal with the ISIS depredations. Be warned, that though there is nothing graphic the sound effects, the actions and the dialogues make it clear what’s happening onscreen. All the more reason that the YPG women fight to the death. However, from Episodes 5 onwards, it more or less becomes a pure spy series as we learn about Melanie, Stanley, Nasser and how their fates are intertwined with each other. Iyad has become kill-happy while Paul is sure that there is something wrong with Nasser, as he has seen a change in his behavior.

Both Season 1 and Season 2 are available on Lionsgate Play (through Amazon Prime) and just for this series, I have subscribed to it. The night scenes are at times too dark and they give the required effect of dread.

If you want to watch a well-made series embedded in the brutality of the Syrian Civil War, the ISIS brutalities and all that centers around it, then this makes an equally disturbing and thrilling watch, due to the accurate historical backgrounds.

Historical background – 4 out of 5

Script – 4 out of 5

Story – 4 out of 5

Direction – 4 out of 5

Photography – 4 out of 5

Total – 4 out of 5

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Becket (1964) and Namak Haram (1973) – One story Two Versions – again

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When I was doing research for my book on Hrishikesh Mukherjee (Human Cinema available on Amazon on Kindle and Print ; for Amazon link, please click here http://bit.ly/4pnxUPL ), I came across this statement by Hrishida – “My film is not a copy of any foreign film; it is just a story of two friends one of whom doesn’t want to let go of the other”. If anything, Hrishida was very good at dissembling and diverting attention in a cheeky sort of way. He said similar things about Anupama (supposedly based on a cousin’s life story) and Abhiman (supposedly about one of his friends who had a problem with his wife and NOT any musical personalities’ personal lives).

When Namak Haraam was released, there was some loose talk about it being a direct copy of the 1964 English film Becket, updated for modern times. I can confirm that this supposed loose talk is more than true. The King becomes the Industrialist and the Head Priest/ Arch Bishop becomes the Industrial worker turned Union Leader. In both cases the King/ Industrialist places his friend in a position thinking that his “friend” would be his puppet. Predictably his friend, the supposed puppet, turns adversary, does what is morally right and not what is convenient for the King.

There is NO WAY that anyone can dismiss Namak Haraam as anything but an – er – inspiration of Becket. Yet, I find the Indianisation perfect and contemporary to the times in which it was set in. The early 1970s were filled with news of various industrial strikes across India due to labour unrest, fuelled by a perception that the ordinary industrial worker was not getting his dues and all the ‘profits’ from their labour were filling the coffers of their masters. The most famous or should we say infamous example of this was the textile strike of the late 1970s/ early 1980s that ultimately resulted in massive job losses and multiple textile mills in the area of Parel-Lower Parel-Mahalaxmi shutting down and never opening again. Today the land has been sold and most of them are made in to apartments or malls while the chawls in which the workers lived, still stand in their original semi dilapidated condition, cheek by jowl with the towers.

Coming back to Namak Haram. When it was released in 1973, the biggest indicator of Amitabh Bachchan’s rising stardom was as shown in the hair cutting salon which I used to visit. There was an “Amitabh cut”, complete with Amitabh’s photo and how the hairdressers would go about doing it.  This also was the second film in which Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan worked together. Hrishida also said in an interview that he had to keep the ending a secret as both stars wanted mileage out of the ending. Amitabh was supposedly upset that he didn’t get to ‘die’ onscreen.

Vicky as a character is fascinating at best; he cannot give up his friend and he wants to childishly hold on to him despite growing evidence that Somu is a different human from the friend with whom he used to go drinking, chasing women and indulging in extravaganzas he couldn’t afford and he knows that everything is paid for, by Vicky. Somu ‘grows up’ from something of a ‘chamcha’ as his locality calls him, to a ‘planted union leader’ designed to break the stranglehold of Bipin Lal the Union leader, to finally a human who realises where his moral duty as a Union Leader lies, which is to fight for the labourer’s rights.  In contrast, Vicky remains the same embittered somewhat childishly selfish person he always was. Only Somu’s death makes him see the light and he promises to set things right.

Becket’s story is somewhat similar. Becket’s King is bothered by The Church which keeps questioning his authority and wants him to submit to it. So, what better way to control it than to have his friend, a priest, be made the figurehead Arch Bishop whom he can control? While he thinks He, The King, is the law, the Arch Bishop soon starts countering saying that there is a HIGHER LAW that has to be obeyed and soon both are at loggerheads with each other.

So, which is the better version? This is incredibly difficult to answer.

Becket is the longer film and has some moments which we cannot relate to, especially the religious and historical angle. From that context alone, Namak Haram is easy to relate to due to the Indian milieu in which it is set, the focus on the friendships and of course music which forwards the story. The side plot of the drunk poet is something that is not there in the original film but is a perfect example of the localisation that was done, leading to an interesting song situation, the totally melancholic Mai shaayar badnaam.  A fleeting shot of the dying poet looking at Bipin Lal’s daughter leaves us with a question – is she the woman who ditched him, leading to his alcoholism, and his sad smile is a final thank you? Such ambiguity is there in many of Hrishida’s films and we can make whatever meanings we want out of it.

Both films begin in the same way. In the Hindi film, Vicky released from prison, goes home and is confronted by the photo of a smiling Somu. In the English film, the King reaches a mausoleum where the death mask of the Bishop has been kept; the King starts questioning the death mask. So right from the first scene, we know both the characters are dead. Immediately the film cuts to the past with both of them running away from a young girl’s farm loft, while being chased by the girl’s parents. Similar scene in the Hindi film except that in keeping with th1 1970s, the two work in a law firm and sketch their boss’s female secretary.  

Finally. Which is the better film? No. I am not going to answer that question but let you judge for yourself.

I would rate BOTH versions 5 out of 5 for direction, screenplay, dialogues and superb performances from the leads, namely Richard Burton and Peter O’Toole in the English original; Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan in the respective Hindi roles.

Both films are free on You Tube

Namak Haram is free on You Tube https://youtu.be/2aZaJjoFFl8?t=2

Becket is free on You Tube  https://youtu.be/LMwgMDUjVf0?t=4

PS: I NEVER got an Amitabh haircut 😊

One response to “Becket (1964) and Namak Haram (1973) – One story Two Versions – again”

  1. Robin Bhat avatar
    Robin Bhat

    Hi Rammesh,

    Beautiful, side-by-side look at two classic films!

    I would say that Namak Haram is easily the more relatable film to the Indian movie-goer.

    Beckett is also a gem, with three huge actors (Peter O’Toole, John Gielgud and Richard Burton)… but unless one is deep into Henry II and his era (1154-1189), there is little context to the film., except for the titanic encounter of State vs. Religion. (a struggle resonating the news as recently as yesterday, July 4).

    Naram Haram was in the hotbed of Indira’s India, the times when ‘Garibi Hatao’ became an empty slogan, and the unfortunate mill workers of Parel (Mumbai), became pawns in a ruthless war (the union strike, Datta Samant, etc.). Deewar was set in the same general time, and VInay Lal’s book on that film covers the same terrible angst of India (and Bombay’s) youth.
    —

    Only some points to add on Namak Haram:

    1. This is the second (first being Buddha Mil Gaya) of ten (?) collaborations with R. D. Burman. Four solos for Kishore Kumar in Namak Haram, and, IMO, one of the very best of the RDB-Anand Bakshi efforts seen in ‘main shayar badnaam’.

    Though probably having heard the others maybe a thousand times, the one I love is the evergreen election song! ‘Woh jhootha hai’ is a number that is useful every few months.

    (Not ashamed to admit that only a few years ago, I voted for a local politico, who did get elected, but is now in prison. LOL!)

    2.
    Small, but important footnote. This was Gulzar’s second back-to-back Filmfare Award for Best Dialog – first Anand, then Namak Haram.

    3.
    A nod to Om Shivpuri for his role as wily father/factory owner.

    4. Asrani was nominated for Best Comedian.

    Lastly, I always a chuckle at Hrishida and Amitabh flaunting for us the ‘tech toys’ of that era – a spool recorder… a video camera!

    —
    Thanks….. Robin

    Reply

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Made in India_A Titan Story (2026) – “Sweet and Fully filmi Fun”

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Clickable links in red

Genre: Based on a True Story – Business

Platform: Amazon Prime

Director: Robbie Grewal

Time: 6 episodes x 50 minutes average

Cast:    Naseeruddin Shah (JRD Tata). Jim Sarbh (Xerxes Desai). Vaibhav Tatwawadi (Akash Bansal). Kaveri Seth (Megha Mhatre). Lakshvir Saran (Gaurav Dhar).

 Plot:  Surprised to discover that watch smuggling is a major activity due to the lack of any credible Indian brand of high quality, Xerxes Desai puts a proposal to manufacture high quality watches in India, to his mentor and friend J.R.D. Tata, the head of the Tata group, who is amused but doesn’t say anything. While on a visit abroad to explore the possibilities, JRD faces a personal insult by a Swiss precision watch manufacturer about India being unable to make any such high-quality precision watch. On his return, JRD gives the green signal to Xerxes. Desai gathers together a team that ultimately becomes the core group – Akash, Gaurav, Megha – that starts the process of setting up and manufacturing precision quartz watches with the Tata stamp of quality and dependability...

As a thumb rule, I avoid “sports movies”, “business success movies” as we know that the hero/ main protagonist will win in the end against all obstacles, hurdles, challenges, etc. He will be the one who will have multiple brainwaves while all the others around him / her stare at the sky and are motivated by the protagonist’s zeal and burning desire to bring forth the final result.  He/ she will overcome all personal and professional challenges with or without the support of people in his life. He / she is usually a very scrupulous/ honest person who follows all the rules of business and life . The Founder was probably the only film to break the rule as it showed Ray Kroc as a complete shit who stole the McDonalds brand name from the McDonald brothers, so much that they had to close their original restaurant and were unable to use their own name. ( Check out my take on The Founder at this link ).

This TV Series also follows this “business success story” template except that the core team is also shown contributing to the overall success story of Titan watches. This is not Xerxes ‘Zee’ Desai’s lone battle but that of his core team too who are as fired up as ‘Zee’ to get the final product into the Indian market, while facing multiple challenges.  So how much of this story is true? That will be the question on everyone’s lip, before starting the series. I like the series and since I have read the book, let me answer my own question in a fun way. Two of the five main characters in the TV series are “real” – Xerxes Desai and J.R.D. Tata. The rest are fully filmi composite characters (If you read the book, then you will know the real history).

Then why on earth was I smiling throughout the six episodes? Why on earth did I laugh out aloud at some of the silly, theatrical even ‘filmi’ devices in the story – like JRD himself refusing to wear a watch till the time Titan makes its first watch? And why on earth did I want to know what will happen next – so much that I almost binge watched the series?

Simple. Because of the emotional connect that the writing generates. Unlike all ‘foreign’ business success stories, this one has its heart in the right place, especially the constant references to an era when ‘smuggled watches’ were a sign of prestige and ‘local watches’ were generally ridiculed being a poor second cousin / okay quality. My personal experience will probably give a perspective, especially to those who were – er – not around in that era.

Sometime in my final year of college, 1980, I was presented an HMT Ajeeth watch with a green dial ( HMT is referred to as GMT in the TV series; click on the link to see how it looked). Now a watch itself was a prestige symbol, and a long-lasting watch, even more so (my father had the same mechanical watch for almost 40 years) and an HMT watch with its wide range was even a bigger prestige. On a visit to Singapore in 1982, I bought a Casio digital watch, which I used for a long time since the HMT had stopped working and couldn’t be repaired. Casio digital watch was the ‘hep thing’ in the early 1980s and Bombay’s DN Road had tons of smuggled watches being sold openly. Only sometime in the late 1990s did the famous Mozart Symphony No. 25 adorn my wrist by which time, I realised that not only did the Titan match in quality but also the price and feature range.

The TV series, somewhat follows this timeline and is on the dot when it comes to the Titan watches being widely available across India. Except that the story is full of dramatic incidents that we can only pass off as fully filmi. Eg – Xerxes and Aksah meet Haji Mastan? Who they discover is the king of the watch smuggling ring? Surely, they weren’t that naïve or that innocent. If as the book states, the core team had done its market research before entering the market, it surely wouldn’t have done something so foolish (and filmy). In the same way the “Titan Tune” – Mozart Symphony No.25 – wasn’t the result of JRD taking the entire team to a Western Classical Concert . Again this is a very filmi scene, but it still is nice to watch every character suddenly “connect” to THE tune that would make a lasting impression as The Titan Tune – especially after everyone is shown listening to multiple songs and tunes in various Indian languages with overall amusing results.

We can dismiss this and many other similar incidents as “creative liberty” that happily doesn’t detract from the story  but instead adds to the overall story of showing the emotional drive of the main characters. And it is on this emotional drive that the series is on target. That quality called as jazbaat  as the story telling that grabs you from the word go.

I have a problem with the overall underexposed even dull photography to depict those ‘gloomy’ times. All scenes inside the offices and anywhere else have a dank and gloomy look to it. The moment the two characters Megha and Gaurav were introduced, we immediately know that they will be ultimately married by the end of the TV series.  The real characters on whom they were based were already married when they joined the company ( at least the man was).

Despite such cliches, the TV series is heart warming and nice to see a real Indian success story without any hanky panky, due to the straight arrow guidance of JRD himself , played magnificently by Naseeruddin Shah. We know that JRD didn’t have to throw his weight around and THAT is PROJECTED amazingly by Naseer. A magnificent performance even though he doesn’t have as much screen time as Jimmy Sarbh’s endearing performance as the cranky, endearing, egoistic and finally human ‘Zee’. One would expect that the Head of Marketing would be an outgoing confident ‘Type A’ personality and this is probably the only blemish in the series, as Megha Mhatre comes across as a softspoken, somewhat diffident person. The foreigners are stereotypes – who have nothing but disdain for India and Indians. I was actually surprised to learn from the series (and the book) that “Andre Leuba” (actually the world-famous Swiss watch brand Favre Leuba) was acquired by Titan watches in 2011, which the Series shows truthfully in a small coda. (Titan sold off this acquisition in 2023).

The overall atmosphere of the late 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s is superbly recreated and the production design team should be lauded for their painstaking attention to detail in many of the scenes, especially those set in the 1970s and 1980s. The book on which this TV series is based covers the rise of the brand and its misadventures in 4 out of its 10 chapters.

What would be the best way to summarize the story ?  Simple. It is BASED ON A TRUE STORY (which means , less true story and more masala ; here the masala is in perfect proportion with the overall story. Not too much, not too little) Overall, this is an absolute FEEL-GOOD TV series that I absolutely endorse due to the overall superb performances and attention to detail and excellent production design, aided by appropriate songs from mostly 1950s, 1960s and 1970s film songs, which at times mirror the storyline.

Real history – 2 out of 5

Script – 5 out of 5

Story – 5 out of 5

Direction – 5 out of 5

Photography – 3 out of 5  

Production Design – 4 out of 5

Total – 4 out of 5

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Mai Wapas Aaunga (2026) – Poignant, Superb film

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Genre: Drama – based on Partition

Platform: Theatrical release

Director:  Imtiaz Ai

Time: 2 hours 46 minutes

Cast:    Naseeruddin Shah (Ishar Singh Grewal). Vedang Raina (Keenu / Young Ishar Singh Grewal). Diljit Dosanjh (Nirvair Singh). Sharvari (Afsana/Jiya).

 Plot:  In the present , 95-year-old Ishar Singh Grewal is driven by the family driver to Attari check post , at the Indo-Pak border, since he wants to go to Sargodha. The BSF officers at first mock him but then quickly understand that the dementia-stricken Grewal needs medical care. In London. Ishar’s grandson Nirvair is trying various jobs while his heart is in standup comedy. He returns to India and is at his grandfather’s bedside, not dismissing his dementia-stricken words as nonsense but starts searching for the meaning and the events behind the words like Martians, Government College, curse of the women, and so on …

Partition stories mostly follow a similar pattern – tragedies, massacres, depredations on both sides, and of course the super human superman strength of Gadar 1 and Gadar 2. Rare is the film that delves into the meanings behind the words and ultimately what was the HUMAN EXPERIENCE that ended up as words and books.

This film had me choking at various moments not because of the Partition tales but because of the fact that finally there IS a “meeting of minds” among the family members who used to dismiss the “old man and his rants and ramblings”. Nirvair slowly and steadily gathers the pieces of the “Keenu’s” journey from undivided India to post Partition India and finally what was it that was keeping his grandfather alive. As the grandson, he cannot in any way relate to the stories till the time he finally understands his grandfathers’ experiences.  For others they are words; for him and his grandfather, they are life experiences that still don’t have a closure.

Nirvair’s unsettled life in London, contrasts with that of his grandfather, the young ‘Keenu” who likes and chases the young Jiya. Both are unaware of the impending disaster called Partition. Keenu, actually tells the local gangster who is threatening his life, that he wont go from this place and he can do whatever they want with him, since it is not written whether their town will be in India or Pakistan. It is somewhat crazily funny and dangerous in the same breath as no one is sure what will happen.

Partition films generally do not talk of healing and closure but to show the gradual ascent to bestiality on both sides of the communal divide. Normally they also talk about a lost time and era which appear as sepia tinted photographs. Bitterness. Longing. An Open Wound – all these and more have been covered in multiple films.

Chaliya (1960) was a rare film that spoke of healing on both sides as the Indian side adopts the sister of the Pathan as their own while the Pathan adopts the heroine’s child as his own. It wasn’t a big hit though the songs were exceptionally popular. In the modern era, Gadar , Border and a host of such ‘kill all Pakistanis’ type of films have been hits, no doubt due to the political climate in which they have been released. All the characters were cardboard cutouts.

So, we can actually relate to a Keenu and Nirvair’s bewilderment as they go about trying to unravel the happenings. Keenu’s loss of innocence is balanced by Nirvair’s loss of innocence in that he finds that he doesn’t belong in London but in India.  Keenu knows that he has lost everything yet has to seek out Jiya and it is this quest – like most stories centred on quests – that forms the core of the film.

The trailers say this is supposedly based on a true story; yet we cannot be sure as there would have been hundreds of such stories. The historical background is of course very much true as millions on both sides found a new life albeit with a sense of loss and the possibility of no return to their roots. In the final analysis, that’s what the film is all about – the search for one’s roots.

I saw the film on June 18th in a theatre in an evening show. The same day in the afternoon I had watched on Amazon Prime the TV series, “Made in India: A Titan Story”.  Naseeruddin Shah was JRD Tata in the TV series and the same evening he was the dementia-stricken Ishar; the contrast couldn’t be more dramatic. This is Naseer’s film from start to finish, and he is incredible despite spending almost all the film on a bed.  Diljit Dosanjh is also good as the grandson who starts the quest which his grandfather couldn’t and, in the process, realises more about himself than he thought was possible.

In the end this is NOT about politics or religion but the quest for completion, closure and always memories. The onscreen duo seeks it in their own way. Relentlessly.   

The films end shows the multiple wars worldwide that contribute to multiple ongoing refugee crises; and how the rootlessness of the refugees leads to an overall loss and despondency.

DO NOT MISS IT AT ANY COST. It will be worth it. These days, rare is the film that makes me want to go back to the theatre and see it again. This is one such film.

And I feel like saying “Mai waapas dekhunga”. 😊

Script – 5 out of 5

Story – 5 out of 5

Direction – 5 out of 5

Photography – 4 out of 5

 

Total – 4.8 out of 5

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