Murder, She Decreed - My Thoughts on Saat Khoon Maaf (2011)

Valentine's Day, 2011 was a new day for me .... a day that for the first time in the last 3 years had no meaning for me whatsoever..... the only thing that was worth my attention on this strange day was the premiere attendance request I had for a beautiful movie - 7 Khoon Maaf.... (7 Murders Forgiven) .... a movie by Vishal Bharadwaj ....

I was in no mood for movies but then Kolkata can be a trifle punishing for a lonely soul on Valentine's Day.... And sometimes, when you are in an alien city, and that too alone, it's better to be by your own self then to be at the mercy of your memories....

Based on Ruskin Bond's brilliant short story, "Susanna's Seven Husbands", the movie is a brilliant adaptation of an unbelievable story..... the mood is dark, the camera moves in dark spells, the ambiance is unbelievably gothic and the story dark... but trust me it's worth every minute and every penny ..... my personal advice, do watch it....

The Wife:

Priyanka Chopra has been recently in the news for trying her best to leave some sort of an artistic legacy behind her and this I daresay is the right vehicle for a mighty purpose.... First thing first, she gets the look and the language correct.... the role is author-backed and well-etched, it's complex and it's well-fleshed out and Priyanka does try her best to fit the role.... her eyes are expressive, her actions well-thought out, the movements subtle and the intensity well-documented .... to be fair to her, however, this is a role that requires immense maturity and understanding of the art of cinema and would have been a difficult preposition for any one in her shoes.... the characterization is complex, dark and pervades your conscience, in fact, it looms over every action, making it a tough act to perform and follow ... she does well, brilliantly well and there are times when she is the perfect peg for the perfect hole but then there are other times too..... I would have loved to see someone like Smita Patil or Shabana Azmi or maybe Neena Gupta try this role, the result would have been devastating, still Priyanka has her moments and they are well-utilized.... Indeed, none from the current generation could do it better....

And now let's look at the husbands: each one of them well nuanced and well prepared, such that they appear not only perfect in themselves but also the perfect complements of the characters, they are supposed to play....

Husband No. 1: (Major Edwin Rodrigues)

In Napoleon's times, there lived a soldier called Chauvin who could not hear anything wrong against Napoleon... from him comes the term Chauvinist and the most famous abbreviation of recent times: MCP (Male Chauvinist Pig)... there is of course an equivalent in gender terms ... FCB but it does not concern us here.... So what is a MCP? A classic example would be Major Edwin Rodrigues

A man given to every sort of insecurity can only make a woman insecure of her own position .... he's lame in a leg and lame in his mind, suspicious and insecure, an earnest soldier trying to secure a wild Arabian mare... the result would be obvious to anyone who has ever learnt horse-riding ..... Death!

Neil Nitin Mukesh is simply one of the best actors in the industry today who has been grossly neglected, unappreciated and under-worked.... right from the days of Johnny Gaddar to this beautiful movie, the man maintains his career profile with the same intensity and performance that makes him in my book someone to watch out for.... the contortion of the face to hide jealousy and rage, the deep stare that hides mountains of anger and self-pity, it requires an actor who has studied his own dark side to understand his own insecurities to pull off a role, as uncouth as this one and Neil is bang on target.... Reminds me of Danny Denzongpa in Dhoond.... excellent performance, on the spot

Husband No. 2 (Jimmy Stetson alias Jamshed Singh Rathod)

There is a beautiful story in the Greek mythology about a character called Narcissus ... a man who fell in love with himself to the utter oblivion of everything else.... a man as selfish and as self-absorbed as to be a Narcissus can at best be a leech, fit to be killed with salt than to be a husband... such a man cannot see beyond himself, he can only use all for his purpose....and such a parasite dare not try to cling around the oak... for what follows in the embrace of an oak is.... Death!

John Abraham is a revelation.... I have never thought of him as an actor except in a few movies here and there, which do not merit him as an actor outside of those films but it appears that a good director can indeed make an actor out of even wooden boards.... John plays the role of the self-obsessed, addict to perfection ... I do not think it could have been done any better....

Husband No. 3: Wasiullah Khan 'Musafir'

Sigmund Freud once stated that the most polite of the characters often hide a ruthless streak.... and isn't it true? Look at all the serial-killers that have been around in history ... their alter-egos were always pretty decent, church-going, mama's boy kind of individuals... the type of guys who fit the role of the typical guy-next-door, not someone you would think would be messing up with the lonely doggie on the street... but then appearances can be deceptive... and the gentlest of the souls can really hide a violent streak....

So what's the problem with Wasiullah? He seems to be a gentle poet who seems to be disturbed by the Kashmiri insurgency but hold on, he's actually a sado-masochist in bed... his sexuality needs the abject and total degradation of his partner... what he needs is not a partner but a slave girl.... well, this isn't exactly the 10th Century AD ... Slavery was banned in the 16th - 17th century ... Mr. Wasiullah got it wrong!

Why would a woman suffer violence? Why would any one suffer Violence? Have you ever tried to fight a cornered lioness ..... the result is only... Death!

Irrfan Khan is too good.... an alumnus of the National School of Drama, there is not a single step that's put wrong... the schizophrenic personality of Wasiullah is a challenge for even an accomplished actor but Irrfan makes it seem so simple... the softness of the speech, the harshness of the violence all makes it so believable....

Husband No. 4 (Nicholai Vronsky)

I am an ardent supporter of Polyamory, of course there was a time when I desperately wanted to be a monogamist but the time is past now and I am back to where I was.... the most important aspect of polyamory is the cause of no-cheating, and complete honesty between partners.... in a way, that makes it so very difficult... but then who said love was easy? I didn't!

Cheating someone who loves you, using someone who loves you, playing with the emotions of someone who loves you, is often easy whether it be physically, emotionally, psychologically, financially - in whatever way, it's standing with the one who loves you when the chips are down, that's difficult... and what often is the result of these misdeamenours.... Death!

The Russian actor. Aleksandr Dyachenko, has worked hard on the movie... he's earnest and his earnestness comes out very well; each and every scene of his shows his earnestness and his intensity... the guy has done a good job, especially in his last scene; he emotes well but remains within the confines of his role and characterization ... maybe because it's an alien language and his body language is not complementing him but his slight diffidence pays him good dividends....

Husband No. 5 (Keemat Lal)

Keemat Lal is a nymphomaniac and here it's lust that dictates love.... but any love that has a larger complement of lust will not have the two essential complements of love, commitment and attachment... lust is never about attachment, it's always about self-gratification and self-gratification often ends the day the other does not have the wherewithal to withstand the harsh times... so deficit of money, end of love; deficit of sex, end of love; deficit of security, end of love.... the truth of many girls and boys out there, sadly!

Keemat would have done well to have studied the mating habits of Black Widows.... he would have understood that after the sexual desire has been satiated, the female of the species, as a part of her orgasm often eats up the male of the species, who often meets his end while still in the throes of sexual passion.... it's the most beautiful way to meet... Death!

Annu Kapoor has always been one of the few actors I have respected and he has never let me down.... the lecher's role has been done to perfection by so many villains in the industry that I did not have any expectations from Annu but then I was stupid, Annu actually showed me how even a role that has been done to death by exceptionally brilliant performers can still be performed with an originality that's all it's own and that's commendable!

Husband No. 6 (Dr. Modhusudhon Tarafdaar)

Have you ever heard the Devil speaking? He never speaks harshly, he is never excited; he's calm, he composed, he's soft and he's patient... because he knows what he's talking about... the duty of the Devil to excite passions, not to get passionate itself.... remember, the Devil excited Eve to have the Apple of Knowledge but he himself, never ate it nor did he pluck it!

And why can the Devil be calm... because it doesn't care! The one who cares, is bound to lose patience, to get angry, to shout back but what about one who doesn't .... he can always be the patient one because it does not effect him.... but then they can be dangerous... Remember the most deadliest of the predators does not run you down or kill you will strong claws or fangs.... it weaves a soft web and then waits patiently for you to get stuck in it ... and once you are in, this one will ensure that only one things can take you out.... Death!

And so is this doctor.... soft-spoken and calm, hiding his intent behind a show of culture and love, but in reality, hiding a deep and dangerous mind, one that only has it's own personal agendas always on the back of it's mind; Like any true double-gamer, he's calm and courteous, showers love and talks of till-death-do-us-part but actively and ruthlessly plans for keeping it's options open, once the other party has been financially compromised.....

Naseeruddin Shah has played this role with the aplomb expected of an actor of his calibre.... every gesture is perfect, every statement perfect, the actor shows himself in complete command of the medium ... simply awesome.... if there was an actor who ever deserved a perfect 10, here he is.... Naseeruddin Shah!

The Others: 

Vivaan Shah, on his debut scores a perfect 10 ..... the guy seems to have inherited all the right genes from his father, Naseer, as he makes an effortless and polished debut.... his is an assuring role, even the voice inflections of the role have kept pace with his screen age, which for a newcomer is commendable....

Konkana Sen Sharma, is wasted in a role that could have been done by anyone.... similarly Usha Uthup, though very expressive with her eyes does not have much to say.... Harish Khanna as the butler is impressive but does not have a lot to say for himself.... Benjamin Gilani is wasted.... Shashi Malviya does impress as a dumb jockey but then he does not have much to do in the movie...

Vishal Bharadwaj has proved to be one of the best directors and music composers in the current Indian scenario.... once again he does not disappoint you... .both the music and the direction is first-rate... the scenes well-crafted, well-constructed and well-shot.... the music topical, fresh and lovable....

I love specially the scene wherein Vivaan comes to meet Priyanka after completing his studies in Russia... the rocking chair, the seduction and the rejection are all so beautifully captured..... it shows a genius at work!Also, the final confrontation between Vivaan and Priyanka is also brilliant.... as are all the interactions between Priyanka and her husbands

But the one scene I can never forget it the last scene, after Priyanka becomes a nun and dances with Jesus Christ on the backdrop of the pain she went through in her life, looking for love.....

Vishal Saahab... Agar Aap Aisi Hi Filmein Banaate Rahe To Aapko Saat Kya Sau Khoon Maaf

(Vishal Saahab... if you keep making films like these, you would be forgiven murder not seven times, but a hundred times)

Life as a Teacher - My Thoughts on Do Dooni Chaar (2010)

Guru Vishnu, Guru Brahma, Guru Maheshwara,
Guru Saakshaat ParaBrahmaa, Tasmay Shri Gurevey Namaah .....

I once had a teacher .... a woman of iron with a heart of gold and a voice of velvet.... to be frank, she was not my teacher, she was my surrogate mother, my grandmother and elder sister, all rolled in one .... Years have passed, since I last saw her, Nineteen years to be precise but I don't think there has been a single day when I have not prayed for her well-being, and that's a strange thing to say, for I am an atheist and know no God.... Her name was Mrs. Poornima Sarkar and this post of mine is dedicated to the memory of the one woman who has never left my heart....

A nation is made of it's teachers.... a nation is made of it's professors.... a nation is made of it's lecturers.... for only they can be of the most use to the nation, who can mould the fiery spirit and innocence of childhood to a beautiful dream of a different tomorrow when the today is far from perfect... and they always end up among the poorest sections of society, except of course those teachers who have made teaching into a commercial enterprise and education a commodity to be sold at the highest price to the richest bidder.... but then, we are not discussing the snakes in the garden today, today our focus is on the gardener who creates the beautiful garden and gives it his blood, his sweat and his dreams...

Indeed, there have been many interesting movies on the educational system which have captured the imagination of the people and depicted the most beautiful relationship between a teacher and a student, notable names would mean Imtihaan starring Vinod Khanna and Taare Zameen Par starring Aamir Khan but very few films have focused on the life of the teacher himself.... a few have used it wonderfully as a support base to depict other parameters of the story but the life and times of a teacher have been rarely presented.... Do Dooni Chaar is a film that looks at this aspect of the teacher's life and does so wonderfully....

It is indeed an irony of nature and a travesty of our political system that our teachers earn less than what the peons earn in Municipal offices.... they travel in buses and scooters while the students they teach graduate to the the cars within no short time.... When did it become so difficult for a Teacher to buy himself the basic requirements of his life? Is it not a matter of great concern, if just to graduate from a two-wheeler to a four-wheeler, a teacher has to be forced to be ready to sell his soul? What kind of society is this when the one who gives us weapons for our dreams is often unarmed himself / herself?

The nation needs to think and think hard.....There is a gap here, a gap which can make the most idealist of teachers break down and sell his wares to a Duryodhana, the way Drona was forced to do for the sake of his child and his love of his child.... and this is the premise that the film beautifully captures....  Drona would have never taken Eklavya's thumb, had it not been for the fact, that despite being the best teacher in the country, his wares were for sale and had been sold to the Bharata clan... Time to stop and ponder...!

Rishi Kapoor as a middle-aged professor who loves to teach is a revelation ... as I have often noted in this blog, in his heyday, his branding as a romantic hero often failed to do justice to his immense talent and it's not strange then that once he has put down the yoke of an image, that often stopped him from proving his brilliance, the man has grown rapidly, whether it's the unmarried, still-deeply-in-love, middle-aged lover boy in Delhi-6, the mature and worldly-wise father figure in Love Aaj Kal or the increasingly assertive, used to see things in his way patriarch in Patiala House or a common middle class mathematics professor, trying desperately to indulge in his favourite passion - teaching and also trying simultaneously to juggle a highly-dissatisfied family in ever-increasing inflationary times.....

It's a beautiful role and it has been performed with a panache that comes from being secure... and security comes from trust in self, faith in one's abilities and belief in the premise of the story....  lack on even one parameter is enough to destroy one but Rishi has no such qualms... he is Santosh Duggal and we never can forget that, such is his command over the role....

Neetu Singh is unbelievable.... She left the industry when I was not even conscious of her as an actress and every time I say a film of her, it only made me think of her as this beautiful, young girl who lived only to have fun.... so it was a treat to see her perform.... what a performance... I will confess, I never knew that Neetu had such a brilliant knack of seeing through.... I mean, her performance in this film as Kusum Duggal, is the complete anti-thesis of the person she actually is but who can say that after seeing a performance as towering as this one ..... We missed you Neetu .... We really did

Aditi Vasudev and Archit Krishna as the teen-aged kids of the house are just picture-perfect... the girl's frustration at her father's social status is so very common that it points out a sorry picture for our education system... a system which makes people aware of their inadequacies but does not let them take pride in their background is a sure recipe for the making of a hypocritical nation... Indeed this is where nations are made and destroyed.... and this is where India lost it's story.... There is a lot of spontaneity in Aditi's performance making her an actress to watch out for....

The boy is also a victim of the same circumstances... the only difference being that in place of becoming a hypocrite, he has become a smooth operator of the system .... I am not very confident of whether this guy will make it big because in some of the other scenes, where a little subtlety is required, the face does get emotionless but then he does have a spark and it would be nice to see how this spark turns out to be...

Akhilendra Mishra turns in a brilliant performance as the next door neighbour, Farooqui. Supriya Shukla is also well-suited for the role of the sister but I really loved the woman who plays Mrs. Farooqui and the guy who plays the role of the Inspector....

Habib Faisal has proved to be a good addition to the director's fraternity.... at a time when making picture-postcards has become an obsession with the industry and the art of directing films is almost forgotten, the movie comes as a breath of fresh air... we hope he redeems himself by such beautiful movies and the times of the masters can at least be remembered fondly, if not re-assessed!

Lastly, I will end by stating that the Shlok I invoked in the beginning gives the Guru a place greater than even God.... they are not asking to be made Gods but at least let them live like Men so that they do not have to be forced to go to the Devil .... Think about it!