Tayzwi
Should be reading more and writing less, but well...Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Hazaaron Khwaishen Aisi (Review)
Following repeated recommendation, I finally watched Hazaaron Khwaishen Aisi. It is an interesting love story set against the backdrop of the Indian political unrest of the late sixties and seventies, culminating in the 1975 Emergency. A good movie, bold in its theme - which could be the eternal debate between kraanti and playing it safe in this world, or an alternate theme of the growth of the protagonist - Geeta. But first, a comment on the female lead herself - she looks gorgeous. Its been a long time since I have been so enamored by a woman on screen. I don't know if its just her looks, or whether its her personality that captures me. But I digress.
Coming to the themes - Capturing the Kranti vs. "conventional success" debate on screen would be very hard. I have never seen it done on film before. Here, they make do with showing how one of the main characters' life changes from bad to worse, how his living conditions deteriorate, how his parents go from disappointment to despair, and finally, how he ends up with nothing in the end. His ideology is not met, and everything else that a common-man has, he doesn't. As road maps of ideologically driven people go, I guess this movie gives a very realistic look at how badly screwed up it can get. Not everyone becomes a Gandhi. And that is something that is not acknowledged enough. This theme is well presented in the movie. And to put my own self in better light here, I still haven't managed to read The Communist Manifesto, let alone ponder over it.
As for the growth of Geeta, our heroine - the movie shows various aspects of her life, how she handles the men who covet her, how she hold her own in an Indian Marriage, how she manages to stay with her heart and her conscience till the very end. Her sense of friendship, class, fairness, and mostly, love for her man, and what she can do for it, and finally, how she chooses something else over it - shows true character. I'd love to meet this woman.
As far as film-making is concerned, the movie is amateur at best. Editing, acting, dialogue, and barring music, everything about the movie is sub-standard (the music is superb). But that doesn't take anything away from the theme, and the overall impact. A must watch.
Coming to the themes - Capturing the Kranti vs. "conventional success" debate on screen would be very hard. I have never seen it done on film before. Here, they make do with showing how one of the main characters' life changes from bad to worse, how his living conditions deteriorate, how his parents go from disappointment to despair, and finally, how he ends up with nothing in the end. His ideology is not met, and everything else that a common-man has, he doesn't. As road maps of ideologically driven people go, I guess this movie gives a very realistic look at how badly screwed up it can get. Not everyone becomes a Gandhi. And that is something that is not acknowledged enough. This theme is well presented in the movie. And to put my own self in better light here, I still haven't managed to read The Communist Manifesto, let alone ponder over it.
As for the growth of Geeta, our heroine - the movie shows various aspects of her life, how she handles the men who covet her, how she hold her own in an Indian Marriage, how she manages to stay with her heart and her conscience till the very end. Her sense of friendship, class, fairness, and mostly, love for her man, and what she can do for it, and finally, how she chooses something else over it - shows true character. I'd love to meet this woman.
As far as film-making is concerned, the movie is amateur at best. Editing, acting, dialogue, and barring music, everything about the movie is sub-standard (the music is superb). But that doesn't take anything away from the theme, and the overall impact. A must watch.
Labels: movies
posted by Tejaswi # 2:59 AM 
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nice idea of conventional success and kranti...
well the best part abt kranti is, stories will be told after you go to heaven , even probably when u r right here on this planet
"conventional success" just helps you follow a well defined part
which is better ?
the answer is in a song :-
"You....Do, that thing you do"
whatever...i need some time to blog abt some kutchax i am not finding the time ...
:))
well the best part abt kranti is, stories will be told after you go to heaven , even probably when u r right here on this planet
"conventional success" just helps you follow a well defined part
which is better ?
the answer is in a song :-
"You....Do, that thing you do"
whatever...i need some time to blog abt some kutchax i am not finding the time ...
:))
Champions,
Kranti is obviously glamorous! But the choice between conventional success and Kranti is not as easy as it sounds. Don't get me wrong when I say that it's easy to talk about Kranti when you are doing decently well in the conventional sense - well paid job, good social life, stability in family..... You start feeling the devil bite your ass when you lose some or all of these. And attempts at Kranti of the Gandhi kind has a good chance to land you without any of the comforts you are used to. Worse, these attempts don't even guarantee you success at whatever lofty you are targeting.
Like Kranti, conventional success has a flip side too. Conventional success could be a launchpad to Kranti. It's not easy to discount the money and goodwill conventional success helps you build. I'd love to quote the example of George Soros on this. He was an amazing conventional success. Graduate from LSE, Darling of the currency markets, finance genius and...well, a billionnaire. Now he is making good use of his conventional success to change the world. He is promoting a concept called open society through is NGO -the Soros foundation. An open society is a fully democratic, liberal, somewhat leftist society. Soros is trying to topple dictators through the money and and international goodwill he has built up. He is taking the Bush idealogy (neoconservatism) and Bush himself head on. He funded the democratic party to the tune of a few hunred millions during the last election to ensure Bush's loss.....
Finally, conventional success is not as unglamorous as it appears, despite the fact that Kranti is hundred times more glamorous. What job would Gandhi have if the common men he chose to serve didn't exist? Isn't it the common man who gives Krantikaris a purpose? Isn't it the common man who funds the adventures of KRantikaris? Isn't it the common man that makes the Krantikari a soughjt after commodity. Watch the movie called fiddler on the roof to catch a gimpse of the valiant life of the common man.
Coming to movies....I can't help thinking that Hazaron Khwahishein has strong shades of Doctor Zhivago. It may not be plagiarism though. Even if it is, it is the plagiarism of a welcome nature! I'd love to find out if the protagonist of this movie has the same poetic utopic madness in his eyes as Omar Sharif did in Doctor Zhivago. In essence I commend this effort by Indian movie makers who have made Hazaron..They have focused on something routinely ignored by Indian cinema - social implications of a political phenomenon. 1942 was a decent attempt. But I'd love to see more "Gone with the Wind"s, "War and Peace"s, "The English Patient"s being made in India.
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Kranti is obviously glamorous! But the choice between conventional success and Kranti is not as easy as it sounds. Don't get me wrong when I say that it's easy to talk about Kranti when you are doing decently well in the conventional sense - well paid job, good social life, stability in family..... You start feeling the devil bite your ass when you lose some or all of these. And attempts at Kranti of the Gandhi kind has a good chance to land you without any of the comforts you are used to. Worse, these attempts don't even guarantee you success at whatever lofty you are targeting.
Like Kranti, conventional success has a flip side too. Conventional success could be a launchpad to Kranti. It's not easy to discount the money and goodwill conventional success helps you build. I'd love to quote the example of George Soros on this. He was an amazing conventional success. Graduate from LSE, Darling of the currency markets, finance genius and...well, a billionnaire. Now he is making good use of his conventional success to change the world. He is promoting a concept called open society through is NGO -the Soros foundation. An open society is a fully democratic, liberal, somewhat leftist society. Soros is trying to topple dictators through the money and and international goodwill he has built up. He is taking the Bush idealogy (neoconservatism) and Bush himself head on. He funded the democratic party to the tune of a few hunred millions during the last election to ensure Bush's loss.....
Finally, conventional success is not as unglamorous as it appears, despite the fact that Kranti is hundred times more glamorous. What job would Gandhi have if the common men he chose to serve didn't exist? Isn't it the common man who gives Krantikaris a purpose? Isn't it the common man who funds the adventures of KRantikaris? Isn't it the common man that makes the Krantikari a soughjt after commodity. Watch the movie called fiddler on the roof to catch a gimpse of the valiant life of the common man.
Coming to movies....I can't help thinking that Hazaron Khwahishein has strong shades of Doctor Zhivago. It may not be plagiarism though. Even if it is, it is the plagiarism of a welcome nature! I'd love to find out if the protagonist of this movie has the same poetic utopic madness in his eyes as Omar Sharif did in Doctor Zhivago. In essence I commend this effort by Indian movie makers who have made Hazaron..They have focused on something routinely ignored by Indian cinema - social implications of a political phenomenon. 1942 was a decent attempt. But I'd love to see more "Gone with the Wind"s, "War and Peace"s, "The English Patient"s being made in India.
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