(Shobhaa De is an established writer, columnist, opinion shaper and social commentator, who is considered an authority on popular culture.)The tragic hero of the
desi Hamlet is Kashmir, not Shahid Kapoor.
Admission: I did not love the movie (Vishal Bhardwaj's weakest in the trilogy). But I still will not advocate a boycott of the film. Nor subscribe to the vicious hate campaign let loose against the actors over assorted social media platforms.
"Hum hai, ki hum nahin?" sounded a bit too twee... even arrogant, as a take-off on the immortal "To be or not to be..." line. And that did it for me! Mind you, this wasn't even the worst line in the most-talked-about film of the year. But that's not what the protests are about. Their point is this: Bhardwaj has made a lop-sided film that projects the Indian Army in the worst possible light, seems sympathetic towards militants, glorifies terrorists, and ignores the 'other' picture (the pathetic plight and flight of Kashmiri pundits).
These strident views against the movie have found several takers who believe Bhardwaj pushed his luck by projecting the Indian Army in such a sadistic light.
He has. There, I said it. That's his prerogative as a filmmaker - it is his perspective. His decision. Hamlet/Haider does not matter. Kashmir does. Bhardwaj makes his contempt for the mishandling and mauling of Kashmir by India abundantly clear when Haider mockingly sings '
Sarey Jahan Se Achcha...' in a public square. There are also frequent questions about '
Azaadi' (whose
Azaadi is Bhardwaj referring to?)
It is an unambiguously political film. A position has been taken. Political cinema has never been known for its 'neutrality' (that defeats the purpose of making a political film). Perhaps, it is time for us to grow up and take it on the chin - however uncomfortable that makes us.
Critics have raved about the visual poetry of the movie. But at the end of the film, it is the prose that stays. Tabu, playing the wily Ghazala (oooof! Imagine denying the audience the chance to dive into her dark, expressive eyes by getting her to wear hideous, tiger brown coloured lenses - Bhardwaj's biggest sin), asks her noble surgeon husband, "
Kis taraf hain aap?" when he decides to operate on a militant. Dr. Hilal Meer (soberly played by Narendra Jha - but I wish Bhardwaj had not blow-dried his hair as fussily) replies steadily, "
Zindagi ke..."
In a way, that single exchange sums up the movie and its message... and redeems the film from being what its accusers are calling it - propagandist and anti-India. Though, I have to say, it's hard to overlook the obvious bias that drives the rest of the narrative.
In a bid to soften the bludgeoning of the Indian Army (for some reason, most of the tough talking officers are South Indians - Ramamurthy being the harshest), Bhardwaj has added a line or two after the film ends, about the great humanitarian service performed by the Indian Armed Forces during the recent devastating floods in J and K.
Disingenuous... an afterthought? By then audiences have pretty much made up their minds and come to a few nasty conclusions. So what? We can handle nasty! We can, right?
Yes, the film has polarized viewers, generated controversy, and is likely to be banned in Pakistan. It's fine. Powerful cinema does that to people. Unless, of course, you believe in going to the movies in order to numb your senses. If that is so, forget '
Haider'. It isn't for the weak-hearted. Go watch the mindless '
BANG! BANG!'
As narratives go, it is flawed and self-indulgent to an annoying degree. While Shahid Kapoor gives it his best shot (too much hair spray ruined it for me), more seasoned actors like Kay Kay Menon (superlative), and Irrfan Khan (effortlessly menacing), steal the show. The sexual sub-text (between Ghazala and her son, Haider), has an equally lethal embedded message, and shocks as much as the political.
Watch the movie if only to learn a favourite Hebrew word I use a lot and love - Chutzpah. Roughly translated, it means a certain audacity to get away with outrageous conduct. If only Bhardwaj and Co. had taken the trouble to find out how it is pronounced ('Hoots-pah' - NOT 'Choots-pa' as Haider keeps repeating), perhaps the movie itself would have felt more authentic.
Next time, guys - get the details right! And that extends to more than just the correct way to say and demonstrate
asli 'Chutzpah'.
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