चेहरों पर चेहरे चिपकाएं घूमते है
जिस्म की बिसात पर
रिश्तों का खेल खेलते है
बेडरूम के बंद दरवाज़े को
जरा गौ़र से देखो
उतारे हुए कपड़ो के साथ
आत्मा भी लटकी है
चादरों के रेशमी तागों में
जिंदगी अटकी है
बिस्तर पर हर रात
एक नई चाल चलते है
चेहरों पर चेहरे चिपकाएं घूमते है
मुंह से निकलते धुएं को
ज़रा गौ़र से देखो
उस धुंधली सी धुंध में
कुछ सपने तर्श है
छल के इस महल में
न तो छत है,न ही फर्श है
रिश्तों के अलाव पर
सिगरेट जलते है
चेहरों पर चेहरे चिपकाएं घूमते है
After Dheeraj's post I don't think I have much to add. Instead, I'll try and put a personal perspective to the whole film.
There are two kinds of students in a college. Those who have heard about politics, and choose to ignore it. And then there are others, who get seduced, and choose to play a part. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I belong(ed) to the latter.
Nothing intoxicates like Power. And like every addiction, at times, it overpowers you... and that is what Gulal is about. Like the protagonist Dilip, I too came to 'study'... and my initiation to the Hostel was, too, in a similar fashion (Sadly, no Anuja/Jesse Randhawa!) And then there's 'brainwash' albeit in a more conventional manner...
Identities are imposed
Loyalties are decided.
Dreams are dreamt.
And there you are... ready to face the big bad world, with a new sense of being... a new found illusion of invincibility. Like Rananjay, you often think, that you can take on the world on your own, just to realise that politics is more about connections and collaborations. And you begin your life afresh. You become friends with people who have what you don't... you try and find a Duk(h)i Bana.
With great power comes great responsibility... the responsibility to organise a fest. The responsibility to fulfill the ambitions of your friends... your core group.
And with power, you suddenly become desirable too. Every Dilip finds a Kiran. And every Kiran wants a Dilip.
You also find a sense of security... a sense of being complete... a sense of being YOU. Like Dilip, you have a chip on your shoulder. You have to bring about a change. Change for a Change.
But politics is not about change, it is about status quo, and this is what you fail to realise. The protagonist doesn't fail himself, nor is he a victim of circumstances... it's just destiny... Yes, it is.
Sid
The next time you walk into your bedroom, look carefully at the television sitting quietly in one corner. Look carefully and you might realise that it, perhaps, is in the Standby .mode. It is an amazing mode....the Standby Mode. It is alive yet not living. It is dead, but still not dead. It lies there with innate knowledge that it is its destiny...to be a mere onlooker, or at best, a dormant participant. It can only console itself with the knowledge that sometime it will serve a purpose. Sometime, the intimate conversations would stop, and it would become a part of the bedroom, a part of the family. Till that time comes it has to wait. But it cannot just switch itself off. It has to prepare itself for that moment, when that button is pressed and he has to come alive and then try and entertain the occupants. It knows that this moment of glory causes a lot of pain, every pixel burns a hole in the skin, but this is its moment of glory, and to endure pain is its destiny. And then suddenly when the mood changes, with a flick of a button, it is forgotten, and it lies there in the corner licking its wounds, trying to reconcile itself, and preparing to play a part once again.
Dir:Priyadarshan (sorry couldn’t get hold of his phone number!)
Cast: Shahrukh Khan, SRK, brand Khan, Red Chillies Entertainment.
Music:Bullcrap
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It seems like that recession has even made a dent in the image of Bollywood’s biggest brand. Otherwise why would a superstar of the stature of Shahrukh Khan make a three hour long advertisement? Yes, I am talking about SRK’s latest venture Billu B****r. Priyadarshan’s (the film is produced by SRK’s Red Chillies Entertainment) ‘modern’ take on Krishna – Sudama tale is no better than a very long advertisement on Brand Khan. .
This film is absolute junk, and the only relief being the other Khan...Irrfan Khan, who gives yet another sizzling performance, as Billu/Sudama. Manikandan’s photography is brilliant in patches, and so is Lara Dutta’s back...Deepika’s abs...Priyanka’s eyes...and Kareena’s.....sorry, can’t think of anything good in Kareena!
My suggestion: Switch on the television, and watch ads...They are much more entertaining than the film.
Dir: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Abhay Deol, Mahie Gill, Kalki Koechlin
Music: Amit Trivedi
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I sat for hours in front of the computer trying to think of the perfect opening line, but my mind just kept drawing a blank. It had never happened before. Every film leaves an imprint, evokes some emotion. But his one left none. And that is what makes this film special. Anurag Kashyap has freed the spirit of Devdas from its fossils. It has managed to break free of the shackles of sentimentality that had kept it bound for ages.
Kashyap’s Dev D is intensely political, played out like a Brechtian drama, and yet at some level managed to capture the changing emotional topography of a rapidly changing psychological landscape. Unlike a tragedy from the classical mould, the protagonist is not a victim of circumstances; rather, he is caught in the structures he has created for himself. Thus the film is devoid of any emotion of sympathy for any of the characters. Although, Chanda does have a rather sad past, her actions too, are of her own accord, and by her own admission she seems to be content with the dual life that she leads. In a sense, Chanda exemplifies the Kashyap’s philosophy. In this overtly existential film, the characters are responsible for their own actions, and there is no sense of regret or revenge. Even Dev’s descent has little to do with unfulfilled love. Rather it is a tale of a protagonist trying to forge/find an identity for himself.
Instead of being mere cardboard cutouts (as they were, in the previous versions) Kashyap’s Chanda and Paro, are made of flesh and blood. Paro’s sexually confident, and she is not shy in taking the first step. In a brilliantly composed sequence, Paro vents out her sexual energies on a handpump, after being denied by Dev. Similarly, Lenny is not afraid of flaunting her sexuality, (her fascination with riding a bike can be read in the same light as the handpump scene) and even after she’s been cheated on, Lenny has the courage to move on. She is a ‘randi’ and does not take refuge in euphemisms. This sheds light on the conceited psychology of the patriarchal society. As long as Lenny wanted to remain Lenny, her presence was uncomfortable and unacceptable, but the moment she became Chanda, her presence became not only acceptable but at some level desirable too.
Kashyap’s Dev D is not a mere rereading of an old text, it is a new rendition altogether... a story so powerful, that even Sarat Chandra would have been proud of it. But does it make a good watch? You bet.
Inspite of it being heavy on philosophy, nowhere in the film does it weigh you down. It is rather quirky, crazy and to certain extent even funny. The casting is brilliant, and so is the photography. Infact, the photography is so good that it manages to induce a heady feeling, and you come out of the theatre on a high. Just go and watch this film to realise (and acknowledge) that films can be political, sensitive and yet score highly on entertainment value.
