Lifestyles of the Poor and the Un-Famous - My Thoughts on Chakra (1981)

The Truth of Existence is that the word Existence means different things to different people - to me and you, sitting in this air-conditioned room here the terminology of this word is very different than from the one who does not know what an air-conditioner means..... For people like us who would not mind spending a fortune on getting and buying goods that make us feel good, it would be indeed surprising to know that there are people in this world who do not know the meaning of the word 'feel-good'...

There exists beyond our beautiful and well-maintained flats and well-manicured bungalows, a tribe of forgotten people that spends its life in houses made from tin sheets and jute rags. While we, the citizens of an emerging India sit on computers and discuss the latest philosophies of human existence, these tribes live the same with a dry tear in the eye and a stony silence on their lips. While we guzzle mineral water and shout blue on the slightest whiff of load shedding, these children of a lesser god find it tough to imagine life with amenities that we consider necessities.

It's true that evolutionarily speaking, we both belong to the same genus and species ‘Homo sapiens’, but look at them and then look at the others that do not inhabit their space and then tell me - are we the same? If they are the form of Homo sapiens, then what are we and if we are the specimens of the one we call Homo sapiens, who are they?

Who is this breed of half-humans who are like us in blood and sweat, in flesh and limbs, in tears and smiles and who show all physical characteristics of my self but who are so different from me that I end up feeling guilty or surprised at my audacity to live when they can barely survive.... Yes, we all belong to the same family but it will not be long that this current state of deprivation and longing may turn them one day these two into separate sub-species; something like what H G Wells envisaged in his cruel but possible sci-fi classic "Time Machine"

Nothing between us is common; not God, not religion, not social mores, not thinking, not morality, not even life. They may seem to live a similar life, have a similar God and follow a similar religion but guess what God forget these people long before they could even claim a kinship with him.

These are tribes whom we often encounter at busy signals, tourist destinations, outside railway platforms and many such other places where we do not see anything, except what we want to see... These are people who are alive but are counted among the dead; who do not exist as far as we are concerned; who live life in a manner that would surprise, nay shock the rich and the famous. My thoughts today then are about the Lifestyles of the Poor and the Un-famous.

It's not really a matter of great surprise to note that these people were often forgotten by those who made movies - I mean who would be interested in watching a movie about human beings living in an environment that one would not consider fit for even pigs and dogs? So while we made movies about each and every strata of society from the urban to the rural, the zamindar to the smuggler, the true untouchables of modern Indian Society were conveniently forgotten.... Who would want to make a movie on them, whose existence was a blot on those who were used to seeing our India in more glossy colours and hues and shades....

Chakra was among the first movies that dared to speak about the life of theses forgotten citizens of India. It was bold enough to enter into the world inhabited by these sons and daughters of a lost India and depict their lives in all its surreal reality. When you watch this movie today, it appears as if you are entering into a world, which is unreal and many will not believe it is possible for the sublime, thinking man to survive like this; but if truth be told, Man can live where even the Devil would have reservations about cohabiting.

This is a world that many would consider more fantastic than the fantasies of the Harry Potter variety... It's not like the world of Harry Potter and his wizard friends where miracles happen in life courtesy a wand made of dragon-skin but more like the world of our modern times where life itself is a miracle. A world where morals are at a premium and prostitution is accepted as a career; where multiplicity in sexual partners is not a matter of cultural debate but a fine art that many hone to perfection for surety of existence, where funerals are a time for a good meal and a good booze and bootlegging is no crime; but a career option.

Artistically speaking, Chakra was one of the few films in the 1980’s, (the most artistically starved period of Cinema) that deserves a standing round of applause for it’s true-to-life content, brilliant scripting, strong performances and able direction. In it's own style, the book is a look at life through the eyes of 3 people who inhabit the dirt and filth of the underbelly of Bombay. It boldly and realistically depicts the life and dreams of Amma, her son Benwa and Looka, Benwa’s friend and Amma’s part-time lover and in it's own way brings to our mind that whatever be the conditions, the aspirations and desires of man, even in those dark squalid rooms is not different from the posh penthouses of Malabar Hill or Hiranandani, Powai.

Smita Patil as Amma has given a powerhouse performance as is expected from an actress of her calibre and talent. Amma is a simple woman, who dreams of nothing else, but of having a small shack of her own someday... She is very much like the Aunty who lives downtown in a rented house and dreams of  a small home of her own someday. You could meet her anyday and everyday, a number of times as you stand waiting for the bus or while you travel in a crowded Kalyan or Virar local. Then what is different - her address; that reeks of the slum where she lives and survives....

Smita has really got into the skin of the character and her performance liberates rather than debilitates the persona. You do not feel sympathy for the character but still come out respecting her for living a life of dignity in an environ where no dignity is possible. Her open sexual dalliance with both Naseer and Kulbhushan speak silently about life in these slums; where a woman knows that her sexuality is what will ensure that piece of bread at the end of the day or that sari that we, the more polished would call a rag....

There is an amazing scene in the movie, so well shot and so realistically performed wherein Amma is having a bath in the open with only a sari draped around her and so inner garments or any other way to hide her modesty. As the dress gets drenched, you can feel the dress getting stuck to the frame of the body and revealing all that a civilized man or woman tries to hide - and on the top of it, there is this man sitting and making propositions to her while she bathes.... Smita has performed that scene with so much natural panache that one can almost breathe her indifference and understand that depravity that makes a woman so brazen.... I mean, this is not a woman dressing down for a fashion pageant; this is a woman forced to live a life as depraved as hers....

Naseeruddin Shah as the gangster Looka is pretty convincing. The problem with Naseer and others of his ilk is that expectations with an actor of a calibre that shouts Naseer is phenomenal and you do expect a much more mature performance from him, still this is not to say that Naseer falters; far from it actually - Naseer plays the role with characteristic understatement and grows on you as the movie advances towards the climax and thankfully you do not feel cheated at the end.

A scene worth special mention is the scene wherein having been suffering from Syphilis and under sever pain, the actor approaches a chemist and beseeches him for a life-saving injection which is refused on account of his not being able to pay the chemist - one has to see the way he goes about requesting for that injection, the look of pain on his face, the shuddering hands, the trembling fingers and then when he finally frustrated lashes out at the chemist slashes him with a knife. This was one scene that counted for lot and it appears Naseer was waiting for this one scene to establish his credentials and to this one scene Naseer gives his all.

Kulbhushan Kharbanda as Amma’s truck-driving part-time lover plays his role competently. His is a small role that requires silence to be the medium of communication and he does it with conviction. An easy role, Kulbhushan ensures that it adds to the tempo of the movie.

This may surprise many that in a film that contains stalwarts like Naseeruddin Shah and Smita Patil, I would dare to say that this film belongs to someone else... But this is the Truth!

Chakra belongs to Ranjit Choudhary who as Benwa is the life of the movie. As a teenager who is growing up in a world, where depravity is all and amenity a luxury, Ranjit is brilliant. His lustrous skin tone shows that he is definitely not seen that world ever in his life; still he successfully depicts the life and pressures and the feelings of a man on the slum easily, the teen fascination with the knife and also the tendency to grow rich in an easy manner is also well-documented. As a kid growing up in a world where a 10 rupee note can be the difference between life and death, he is the perfect counterfoil to Naseer street smartness and Kulbhushan cool and detached attitude.

The hallmark of his performance is the scene in which he subtly shows his silent acquiescence to his mother's two-timing and bedding her lovers without a sign of guilt or regret and personally providing his mother signals about the arrival of the second lover while she’s engaged with the first. However, surprisingly his own double standards are also well- captured and can be seen from the way he calls other women who do the same prostitutes but is ready to kill ad maim when it comes to his own mother.

Where do these brilliant actors go away after such good performances?

All the character-actors other than the above mentioned lead roles in the movie are brilliant. If you look closely, you will find some of these who became competent actors in their own right in the future like Satish Kaushik and Sudhir Pande.

Rabindra Dharmaraj has proved his credentials as a director with this movie. This is the only movie he ever directed (he died shortly after the shooting was completed) but with this one movie, he has proved himself to be a highly competent director and just this one movie in his repertoire is enough to give him a recognition that many may not receive after a 100 movies in this industry. The way he uses silence and sound is the mark of a master. Even the flashback is used in a very effective and different manner.

Music by Hridyanath Mangeshkar is more like a background score. The songs appear good while watching the movie but do not have any recollection value. One expected a lot more from a composer of his stature.Cinematography in the movie is first-rate. The movie was adapted from a Marathi novel By Jayawant Dalvi and hence the story line is taut and sensible.

The Creator may have forgotten them but they are still his Children, so what if they are the Children of a Lesser God!