MASOOM (1983)

I've got a bit of a history with this one… some months ago, I almost bought the DVD, but then changed my mind when I couldn't recall how favourable the film's review on Filmi Geek had been. Then I found out that Filmi Geek (and her readers) loved it, and so I finally went back to the bookstore to pick it up a couple of weeks ago. I'm so very glad that I did…

We each have our 'hot-button' issues – those human phenomena, those occurrences in our world, that somehow just elicit a very strong reaction from us – those things that just get to us, that move us, that upset us like other issues don't. Sometimes it's because we've lived through those things and can relate to how painful they are, other times it's more difficult to explain why these issues hurt us so much. Filmi Geek's recent review of 'Bombay', for example, reveals that sectarian violence is one of her hot-button issues.

One of mine is this: I really hate it when children are made to suffer the consequences of adult actions – and sadly, this happens everyday in our world, to millions of children. I always feel – if you've been hurt by another adult, take it out on the offender, do what you need to do (within legal limits, of course) to be able to move on, but please leave that innocent child who is in no way responsible for your hurt out of it. Why should a child have to suffer for adult actions?

I think this is partly why Shekhar Kapur's 'Masoom' (1983) evoked such a strong reaction in me when I watched it, and why it's stayed on my mind till then. As the name would suggest, 'Masoom' is a film about innocence – about the innocence of a child who comes into the world as a result of a grave mistake. The question is: should he have to pay for that grave mistake? Gulzar is one of my favourite scriptwriters, and his screenplay for 'Masoom' is masterful, rich with metaphor and compelling – yet gentle, simple and subtle – it kept me engaged and engrossed right up to the end (I had planned to watch the film in two sittings, but I was absolutely glued to my screen). The film is filled with lovely, sometimes enchanting, sometimes haunting images, as well as beautiful songs (the music is composed by RD Burman) that fit in perfectly with the mood and themes of the film.

DK and Indu (played by Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi) are a happy, loving couple with two adorable daughters and a comfortable home. Although DK would like a son, he's very pleased with his little family, and so is Indu. As with 'Kabhi Kabhie' (although 'Masoom' is a very different type of film), 'Masoom' is the story of how a ghost from the past comes to haunt this hitherto peaceful home, in the form of a child named Rahul (played excellently by Jugal Hansraj). Rahul is the result of a one-night stand DK had early in his marriage to Indu (at the time, Indu was pregnant with their first daughter), while he was away at a college reunion – unbeknownst to DK, the other party got pregnant as a result of their tryst.

The movie's tagline sounds like one for a horror movie – it's 'Can this boy destroy your family?', and although 'Masoom' is not a scary movie (at least, not in the sense of the horror genre), it's somehow quite apt – not just for the storyline of the film, but also for what you see in Rahul's huge blue eyes. Shekhar Kapur manages to elicit from Jugal Hansraj sadness but deep hope; hesitancy mixed with faith; re-awakening and eagerness layered over numbness; love mixed with pain. It's a vulnerable, haunting combination that just hurts you to look at it – and helps you grasp the difficulty of what Indu is feeling.

The film is sad from the start – we first see Rahul lose the mother who meant the world to him. The kind, elderly schoolmaster who looks after Rahul following his mother's death senses that he is reaching the end of his own life, and realises that he cannot cope with the care of the child, that the child needs more than he can give. He is left with no option but to deliver a bombshell to DK – to tell him he has a son, and moreover, that the son is being sent to live with him in Delhi. DK in turn has no option but to receive Rahul – but first he must break the difficult news to a horrified Indu, who is left to not only struggle with the crushing pain of DK's uncovered betrayal, but to be daily confronted with it in the form of Rahul.

Rahul is a loveable child – he's sweet, sensitive and shy. Although the pain of losing his mother is raw, he holds tight to the hope of one day meeting his father, whom his late mother (who was herself a haunted, traumatised young lady with a premonition of her own premature death) had always said would one day find him. Although his mother is the only family Rahul has ever known, his disposition is such that he quickly forges a bond with his half-sisters, and with DK (for me, their scenes together are the most beautiful in the film – watching their relationship deepen was very moving). However, Rahul has no idea who DK and family really are – he thinks they are distant relations and calls DK and Indu 'Uncle' and 'Aunty'.



With DK's marriage under tremendous strain (Indu almost leaves, and although she eventually stays, their relationship takes a huge nosedive – with Indu barely speaking to him), DK decides to lose the child in order to save his home. The decision is difficult for him, because he has come to love his son and probably realises that sending Rahul away is not the best choice for such a sensitive and vulnerable child – but he loves his wife more, and is determined to rescue his marriage and family by packing Rahul off to boarding school.

Indu, for her own part, is deeply troubled – so much so that she cannot sleep. Everytime she sees Rahul she thinks of DK's unfaithfulness – and 'the other woman'. The drama she has only watched from afar in the lives of others is suddenly a part of her life, her marriage, her family – the things she holds most dear. The dream has suddenly become a nightmare. And because she's not a very voluble type of person (and also, I guess, so as to protect the children from the tension that has seeped into the home), a lot of the pain, anger and sadness is ‘controlled’ and internalised. Every now and then the volcano erupts though, with the innocent Rahul suffering the pain of rejection more than once. Being the sensitive child he is; he feels the difference; the repudiation and discomfort in her attitude towards him very keenly. On the other hand, though, Indu's motherly heart is drawn to Rahul – she sometimes finds herself feeling protective and compassionate towards him, loving him despite herself, until she remembers who he is and what he 'stands for' in her world.

Meanwhile, poor little Rahul is about to be on the receiving end of a bombshell himself – and the story gets even sadder at this point… I will stop myself here so as not to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen the movie. I will just say that the characters each have to work through their issues themselves – and I like that Gulzar makes a point of showing that it really is about them coming to their own decisions, not just acting upon the advice of well-meaning friends, because, as the film shows, well-meaning friends have their own lives to live and have been known to change their tune when circumstances change. Our main characters must each do what is right for them. I love that there is something very empowering about the film's ending in this respect, especially for the character of Indu (who, with the arrival of Rahul, seemed to have come close to losing her power in her own home). Indu effectively is able to disarm the past (along with everyone else – even I was disarmed).

Anyway, this is one absolutely lovely and very moving film. The songs, as I mentioned before, are beautiful, and are simply and sweetly picturised on the adorable children. The performances are uniformly wonderful – I've already praised Jugal Hansraj, but Aradhana and Urmila Matondkar (yes, 'Milli' from 'Rangeela', most recently seen doing an item number in RGV’s flop ‘Ram Gopal Verma ki Aag’) are lovely in their child roles too. Shabana Azmi conveys the conflict within Indu excellently; just in the way he holds her body, the way she moves her hands, the tone of her voice, the tilt of her head. Fantastic. She is just so compelling to watch (hence all the caps of her in this post - and I've got loads more on my computer). And I just adored Naseeruddin Shah as DK – I loved how he communicated so much varied and raw emotion seemingly effortlessly. He was DK – I completely believed him and immediately got him. Brilliant.

(If you haven't seen the movie and you don't want to know what happens at the end, please don't scroll down beyond this line.)

And I absolutely loved this – it was a nice little treat, a boon for the viewer: those haunting shadows of uncertainty in Rahul's eyes are so gone…

In other unrelated news, my friend Uzo and I have finally taken the huge step of buying the flight tickets for our first trip to India, and I just got my visa today..... We’ll be spending a whirlwind ten days in Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Mumbai in the middle of next month. I will definitely not be blogging while I’m there, but I will come back with loads of pictures and stories to share here. It will definitely be an exhausting and challenging ten days, but we also hope to make it a hugely memorable trip… and any suggestions, tips etc are most welcome from anyone who reads this blog and has experienced these cities…

LIVEBLOGGING 'MOTHER INDIA' (1957)

I must warn that there are some spoilers in this.

00.39 I hereby bestow upon thee the In Praise of All Things Dharmendra-Related award for the most unappealing opening frame ever.

04.11 Awww… you don’t want the pretty garland? Maa, you seem very sad. What gives? Oh, I see... it reminds you of your bridal garland, huh? Flashback time…

07.07 Mr. Groom, you look both terrified and eager… I’d be spooked if I was your dulhan…

09.02 Giving your groom a leg-massage on the wedding night? Oh dear… so who gives you a massage?

10.26 And so the slaving away begins… poor dear, you have to help the in-laws pay off their mortgage…. Not exactly an auspicious welcome.

12.23 Well at least your husband seems nice enough for a coy game or two…

16.23 Hubby seems nice enough, and he’s got a sweet smile… but I get the strong feeling something terrible will happen to him soon.

17.31 Oh goody, a song! It’s about time we had one.

21.14 A little bitty bachcha… awww….

23.00 Oh no… turns out mother-in-law was swindled by the evil money-lender. Injustice!

38.04 I love the gutsiness of this kid. So great.

42.06 Awww… why can’t this sort of sadness and despair be confined to the movies? This movie is a real downer. Nice fake clouds though.

42.27 Radha is a good woman, if I were in this situation, not only would I let my hubby beat the horrible moneylender up, I’d probably join in. But violence solves nothing, and Radha, wise woman that she is, knows this.

43.09 Gotta love this kid. Who played him? I think he’s remarkable.

44.07 Awww… and you were such a good man up till now! Why hit your good wife who has done all she can to support and care for you and the kids? Why? This film is very upsetting.

45.07 Kids are amazingly resilient. The older ones who are more aware of their dire straits are sad, the youngest smiling away. God bless children.

46.09 How beautiful. These people are determined to make me cry.

47.05 It was obvious that something terrible would happen to Shamu – but it’s terribly depressing nonetheless.

48.23 So not PC… but sweet and charming anyway.

50.46 The only phrase I can use to describe this is a kicked around cliché – ‘man’s inhumanity to man’.

56.44 This is just so sad. It’s a good song though.

1.00.07 What? Dadi’s dead too??!! No doubt Shamu’s death was a contributing factor.

1.01.10 Wow, a death, a new life… the circle of life. Eeyah, four kids and only you, Radha?

1.02.03 I love this kid. Bas.

1.03.47 Talk about an iconic image. Wow – great picture. Nargis was bahut khoobsurat.

1.07.42 This looks very DeMillean… nice shot.

1.08.36 Na wa o... in fact e be like say na pidgin wey I go take nack dis one. Oyibo no go do am, dis one don pass me. Wich kain wahala bi dis now? Sufferhead don join bodi.

1.09.06 Wow… powerful imagery – woman and mother, carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders – like some Greek god. The divinity of womanhood.

1.10.16 Oh great, now she has to go and lose her strongest reminder of her dear Shamu as well. There is really no end to Radha’s suffering, is there?

1.14.59 How many women have been forced to make these terrible choices?

1.15.49 Powerful. This is a great performance by Nargis. I will have to look for more of her films now.

1.18.04 Those 3 dots on the chin. I remember Ash had them in ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ too. Is it a religious symbol, or cultural or both? I’ve also noticed that a lot of words I’m used to hearing with the ‘z’ sound (ziruddh, zameen) are being pronounced with the ‘j’ sound (jiruddh, jameen) in ‘Mother India’. Is this a different regional dialect of Hindi?

1.19.06 I really hate it when they don’t subtitle the songs, especially when the songs are so significant. And didn’t they subtitle the last song where she was yearning for Shamu? I really need to know what she’s saying here.

1.21.06 Testimony to the woman’s ability to inspire and lead…

1.21.21 They’re big boys now… as an old friend would say, hmmm, how time flies!

1.23.28 Eeyah… wouldn’t it have been great if this could have happened? But life had other plans – plans of hardship and heartbreak…

1.24.28 Again, I so do love this kid! If it weren’t for the ‘be careful what you wish for’ thing, I’d wish for a kid as lively and full of oats as this one!

1.25.04 I’m so loving the music in this film

1.32.04 Wait a minute, wait a minute… so all the ‘ah ah, ooh ooh’ Birju was doing was a ploy to ‘toast’ this girl – to tell her she’s nicer than all the village belles? And here I was thinking he was coming to learn so that he could read Sukhi Lala’s account books… oh, okay he was getting to that part…

1.33.06 Sacrificing so much and yet still getting robbed…

1.38.01 I miss Nargis… she totally dominates this movie… it’s mean, but I really don’t want to see her son’s girlfriend dancing around. But the song is pretty hot.


1.41.31 Awww, this is very pretty. Sunset and shadows…

1.42.43 This is my first Sunil Dutt film – bahut scary aadmi hai. I see where Sanjay gets ‘it’.

1.44.47 Oh dear… super-tragic as it was, I think I’m liking pre-interval ‘Mother India’ better than post-interval ‘Mother India’. It’s getting a tad draggy now. Quit clowning and get to the point, Birju.

1.45.34 Oh that’s so sweet, she really loved her Shamu… can’t blame her, he was kinda sweet, except for that time he hit her…

1.47.31 Apparently Birju is still a kid – he never grew up. Oh my.

1.48.06 I just might be scarred for life after watching this… there’s so much here to make you lose hope in humanity.

1.51.06 Not only did Birju never grow up; he also seems to be off his rocker.

1.57.06 Birju and Radha are so cute together. I’d be sorta jealous if I were Ramu.

2.00.04 I love Nargis. This is such a good performance. This scene is so cute.

2.02.02 Okay okay, what kind of nonsense is this? I’m not watching ‘Mother India’ for bowls of swinging pudding and such messy frivolities; I came here to get ‘edjumacated’… LOL

2.05.04 Birju, why the heck would you go and tell your chief tormentor that your suit has been rejected?

2.11.50 Ramu is living his father’s life. Which means, tragedy is about to strike this family again.

2.13.59 Hell no, Birju. You did NOT just slap your bhabhi. Hell to the no. You should be hung out to dry for that.

2.14.20 I don’t know what’s worse, the fact that Birju slapped her or the fact that Ramu is shrugging it off. Nasty.

2.16.20 Awww, she’s still missing Shamu…

2.18.10 A Holi song – wasn’t expecting one in this film. Nice.

2.20.20 Aww... this kid, I’ve missed you! These flashback/what-might’ve-been scenes are tough to watch – so moving.

2.23.25 Birju is crazy for real. What has possessed him to ruin Holi? I know – it’s love for his mother.

2.24.58 The warning to not argue with men makes me smile – a grim smile. How often have I heard that ‘women shouldn’t argue with men’ spiel – especially in the village?

2.26.20 Okay now this is getting insane – this is really more than enough tragedy!

2.35.06 Okay now this all just too crazy for words…. WTH?!

2.40.28 Talk about a demanding role – this one just takes the cake! Is there anything Nargis hasn’t done in this role?

2.46.09 Oh Birju, what hast thou done to thyself?

2.49.17 Powerful metaphor here on the uses of knowledge, I think.

2.53.03 Ok now that’s just insane – Radha, how COULD you? (I mean, I know why you did it, but still, it's BIRJU??!!) And that horse is just plain nasty.

2.54.04 And here comes the fresh but tainted wave of modernity… washing out the old and bringing in the new? Was the old bad? Will the new be better? Questions with no answers…

This was hard to watch but somehow I know I’ll do it again, to see if I can learn more and dig deeper into the layers of the film, as I’m sure a lot of it has gone straight over my head… I liked the first half of the film better than the second, but the whole film is really good.

THE END

Ok... this, my first liveblog, might also be my last. Who knew liveblogging was such hard work? And with my suckiness at summarising stuff, it's probably not the best option for me. It was fun to try it, though.

OKADA KA RISHTA, DIL KA RISHTA, AISHWARYA RAI AND THE FRENZY OF ECSTASY

I’ll start this post off with my okada fantasy. For any non-Nigerians reading this, an ‘okada’ is a commercial motorcycle, sort of like a cab on 2 wheels. So, anyway, I was on an okada last night and closed my eyes… and transported myself to a fictional Bollywood world. I was on a beautiful black and silver motorbike behind a handsome Bollywood star (first it was Abhishek, then it was Hrithik, then it was Dharmendra (but much much younger)). The wind was blowing through my hair (well, it actually was in real life), and there was lovely music playing in the background. We were somewhere in Bangalore, I think. It was lovely. The one thing I could not do, which I would definitely have done if my fantasy were real, was hold on tight to my Bollywood hero. NEVER! The VERY last thing you want to do on an okada is touch the okada-man. No disrespect to okada men everywhere (it’s an occupational hazard), but they aren’t very clean, to say the least (and some of them are pervs, but this certainly isn’t exclusive to okada-men). Anyway, I eventually opened my eyes and returned to the real world. My okada man went through a mucky puddle and splashed water on both of us (eww), I gave him a scolding and got off five minutes later at my house. Well, it sure was a nice fantasy while it lasted.

Okay, on to ‘Dil Ka Rishta’ (DKR), starring the khoobsurat Aishwarya Rai. I wasn’t really expecting much from this movie, basically because I hadn’t heard anything about it before I got it, and also because it doesn’t star any of my favourite actors (Ash is beautiful and dances beautifully, but she’s not a great acting talent, in my opinion). I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. It was good enough to keep my attention. I guess it’s good to have low expectations – if I’d been expecting to really enjoy this one, I just might have been disappointed.

Check out those pots... colour-coded to match Aishwarya's outfit.

DKR starts out with Aishwarya’s character (Tia) stomping all over a man’s heart (his name is Jai, and he’s played by Arjun Rampal) when he summons up the courage to tell her he loves her. Instead of at least giving him a polite ‘no’, she looks horrified, runs away and jumps on her boyfriend Raj’s bike (Raj appears just in time). At first, I thought this was harsh, but it turns out that Jai is a big fat LOSER, and the chump flat out deserved it.

Interestingly, by the end of the film, Tia is all over Jai (yes, the same Jai), like a brazen hussy. She wants him to love and marry her so badly, it’s almost embarrassing. She throws herself at him, but he’s not biting. Why? That’s what this film is all about – the bit in the middle.

"Hey, Jai, I love you and I know you love me, so put that anklet on my ankle and marry me NOW, dammit!!"

"I wish... I wish... I wish Jai would just fall in love with me and marry me already!"

"Come on, Jai... you know you want to."

And the bit in the middle is the good bit in DKR. The lead actors are all pretty competent. Arjun Rampal, who I haven’t liked in anything else I’ve seen him in, is quite nice here, and so is the guy who plays Raj – can’t remember his name. I recognised the actor who plays Jai’s dad in the movie from ‘Hera Pheri’. He was good in this film if a bit of a meddler (a huge humongous gi-normous meddler, actually). The legendary Rakhee is also in this movie, and is as good as ever, even though I haven’t quite forgiven her for breaking Amitabh Bachchan’s heart (well, technically, the heart of his fictional character, Sikandar) over 30 years ago in the film ‘Muqaddar Ka Sikandar’ (which, by the way, is a good film). The woman who plays Jai’s secretary is absolutely dreadful. What is it with secretaries in films – does the role go to a family member of the film-makers for kicks or what? They are consistently bad. The music in DKR is quite good, especially the title track. And I like the fact that the storyline tackles the issue of drink driving, which is an important issue that often gets overlooked. If the film makes one person stop his/her drunken friend from getting behind the wheel of a car, then it will have done a great service.

Random thought: there’s also a café called ‘Café Bistro’ in the film, which struck me as quite funny. Another random thought: Don’t you just love how Bollywood films create fake-pretend illnesses (I borrowed the term ‘fake-pretend’ from Beth, she who loves Bollywood)? I mean, they just create all kinds of sicknesses, unknown to medical science, just to propel their storyline. (He has a rare type of disease, a timpanic dysfunction where he can only hear words spoken from the lips of the one he loves – hey, I’ve just come up with one!). And don't even get me started on fake-pretend cures to fake-pretend illnesses. I must admit I like that sort of resourcefulness. After all, new diseases are discovered everyday, hai na? Up fake-pretend illnesses!! As we say in Nigeria, ‘carry go!’

But back to DKR: although the character of Jai is a LOSER, he does kinda sorta shape up by the end, and I kinda sorta liked him. But the ending is a bit annoying. They find a way to patch things up very nicely (and in true Bollywood style unrealistically) and emerge with a happy family and smiles all round, but… what about Raj? I really, really liked him. Is he now going to be forgotten while Tia and Jai now play happy families? Is his son going to be raised as another man’s child? Is it fair for Tia to just move on with her Jai while forgetting all about her husband (although it’s not her fault)? And why am I now Raj’s champion? (Hmmm… just realised the 3 main characters all had 3-letter names: Raj, Tia, Jai). Anyway, like I said, the end is annoying, but the film ain’t half-bad.

Aishwarya is alright in this film, as she is in most of her movies. She looks great, dances great, and acts – not great, but good. And I noticed something interesting about her in DKR… she had a ‘frenzy of ecstasy’ (or two, or three). In fact, I realised that in almost every Ash film, they manage to covertly sneak in one or two frenzies of ecstasy. What is a frenzy of ecstasy, you ask? I’ll show you a couple from DKR:

Okay, so both photos are from the same frenzy of ecstasy.. but it was a long one.

And here are a couple of frenzies of ecstasy from ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’:

And there’s even a semi-frenzy-of-ecstasy in ‘Devdas’. You can see it rising in the eyes, but doesn’t quite become full-blown. A mini-frenzy-of-ecstasy, if you like:

BollyBitch, who has a really great blog (the link is on my sidebar) has a photo of Aishwarya having a very unattractive frenzy of ecstasy at some press event. Go look at it, I know you want to.

So that’s a frenzy of ecstasy.

For me, the star of this film (DKR), though, is this guy:

He is just so adorable, and the camera absolutely loves him! Cute little guy!

But if I were his mum and dad, I sure as hell wouldn’t be letting anyone to do this to him, especially so close to a precipice like that!! Sheesh!!!