Some thoughts on Bajirao Mastani

This is a very early piece, written in Feb 2016:


It is three hundred years ago. Warrior princess Mastani of Bundelkhand decides to leave her kingdom and live with her new husband, Bajirao Peshwa- Chief Minister of the Maratha kingdom- at Pune. Her devotion to him is so strong that she can overcome all ostracism.
Fans want to see one of the latest star couples of the film industry on screen, and they are given it.
Right after the first battle where Bajirao meets Mastani for the first time, especially after she saves his life on the battlefield, almost every moment is peppered with the romance of the two. Mastani dances in his hall of mirrors to inform him that she has come; Bajirao bribes a boatman with a gold ring (gifted by his first wife Kashibai) to steer him across on a stormy night because Mastani must be rescued; Mastani is seen hugging him in the early modern CCTV technology (of reflections) projected in Kashibai’s room, and in the end, Mastani’s presence is expected to revive him from high fever before an important battle. The film closes with the death of the two individuals trapped in impossible love, and well, the battle whose tension is built up in the last sequence, does not finally occur.
Yes it is done in the “Bollywood” style; bits and pieces of classical performances are mixed with bits and pieces of Maharashtrian folk performances, ending up in the “Bollywood” song and dance- something that is growing steadily as a performance genre. Yes, the scenes will take us back to Mughal-e-Azam, the song from Bhansali’s own Devdas, “Dola Re”, and perhaps for some, impressionist paintings when Kashibai sits indoors, lonely and pensive. Deepika as Mastani fighting battle does not tie her hair beneath her helmet- yes, the stars, through their position in the film, do not have to appear pragmatic in some matters where their appearance itself is the highlight.
Call it PR machinery for Ranveer and Deepika if you want, but the beauty of this piece of work, which hides behind the set design, costume, and animation, and which is enabled by the very presence of the pop-star faces, is the story of two ordinary human beings with desires and dreams that all of humankind has.
Due to the political power and wealth that they are born into, wars, ties with kingdoms, and maintaining a certain social status even in their own family matters, are all the things that occupy their lives. History books tell us that the Maratha kingdoms were enthusiastic about expansion expeditions and tensions among neighboring lands did exist. In the post Aurangzeb period of weakening Mughal control, Bajirao was supposed to have targeted their Empire through their centre- Delhi- to make the house of cards of the Mughals tumble. In the first sequence, through a test of combining theory and practice of warfare, the Bajirao of the film also proves himself worthy of the crown through a demonstration of the same.
It was very simple- expand one’s kingdom and acquire greater revenue. He wanted to take over power from the Mughals, he wanted to conquer geographical territory for political control. We may conclude then that the influence of the culture of the victorious kingdom would follow as secondary, but that was not the intent of his conquest; especially in the film, which is based on the book “Rau” by N.S. Inamdar.

Travels

Plants & their avatars

Launching my cinema articles with a "bang"...

Quite enjoyable actually, Bang Bang. Besides the anticipated dance moves and music, the meticulously angled shots of colourful locales and stunts, let’s take another reason why. Throughout the film one can play a guessing game of how many references have been put together in a patch work.

The Jai and Veeru reference; one dies and the other avenges this. The quintessential “Maa”. The Krishh series style of stunts including the rooftop to rooftop leap. The car chases that will take you back to the Dhoom series. The police and bad guy fight in the little streets in Shimla with their changing height and puzzling visibility might remind you of Lootera. A far fetched thought of course, but Rajveer and Harleen on the beach might remotely remind you of Rohit and Sonia in Kaho Na Pyaar Hai. Then there are scenes with Katrina continuing those poses she does in her ads of bathroom toiletries and cookies.

Released on Dussehra, this film even had a mythological reference to Ravan. He is symbolically burned, and it takes more than one attempt to kill him.

Good turned bad guy (oh well, that was a spoiler), the ambiguously addressed character of Hritik is the expected superhero package- the abs, speed, anticipation, quick wit, a mission for justice inspired by past events. And as usually happens in contemporary high budget entertainers of Bombay cinema, his brilliance is reinforced and elevated by the lack of intelligence of the female lead character. Harleen is numb to danger and has to be guided on how to avoid it; she comically asks the Kohinoor thief why he shoots people, does not believe him the first time he says he is “an international criminal”, and faithfully follows him no matter what he does under the sun. She does not realise that the smashed crystal cannot be a diamond until the terrorist and her captor explains this to her. And she is inspired so much by a love for Rajveer that after all this she is magically bright enough to trace out his home address.

To add here, if we are going to be political, let’s not even begin talking about the naming of the terrorists, as well as the subtle way Rajveer, in his conversation with Harleen’s protracted “Mamaji” walks to the foreground with J&K Bank bang behind him. Again, regarding the audience’s intelligence, we did not need Rajveer’s swimming trophies to realise that he escaped through water.

Besides this, we of course should not expect any bullets to hurt our protagonists until absolutely necessary, while their bullets cause all their pursuers to tumble down one by one- that would be too real.  This movie is meant to be a fun outing and our heroes need a long life span, even better if there is a happy ending with a daring feat.

I understand the family entertainment value, but really, why is the ghar actually called “Ghar”? (All caps that too). I wonder what the Dharma Productions folks would have thought about this.

The Scab

It grew like a pimple. At first not very conspicuous, but one day its ugly white head surfaced. Still under control, I thought. It's just a pimple, I've been through many.

I put ointment, and there was discomfort, on the brink of protest. How dare I? But I knew I had to make things better. In fact, I do think I'd cooled it some bit, though clumsily, letting the cream leave a mark on every object I touched.

I left it alone, and didn't bother. Didn't worry about whether it even existed.

It was drying up. And that abominable habit of mine of picking scabs- I touched it again. A slight attempt at picking it out. At first there was raw flesh, a little blood. It's almost gone now, I thought. Just like all pimples, the light brown mark will also fade away soon.

But what I didn't realise then, and see now- it just turned septic. It's festering inside the skin now, without a word to me about what might happen. And I will of course not pick at it. At most, I'll rub one of the more powerful creams on it which I know of, and wait for results.

The above is more than the story of a simple pimple. It's the tale of an event in the past, the memory of whom sits in my mind like a scar that refuses to get wiped away. It's afraid that a lot more will get wiped away, and leave me in the nothingness I'd belonged in before the time that the unwanted event happened, and just before a spring time dream had bloomed in velvet around me.

It's not worth ruminating, I know. Stiffen up soldier, I remind myself.

Waiting for time to take matters into its own hands.

Listening To Her

This Blog is part of the Men Say No Blogathon, encouraging men to take up action against the violence faced by women. 

More entries to the Blogathon can be read at www.mustbol.in/blogathon. Join further conversation on facebook.com/delhiyouth & twitter.com/mustbol

If I were a boy even just for a day
I'd roll out of bed in the morning
And throw on what I wanted, and go...

This is one of Beyonce Knowles' best loved songs (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWpsOqh8q0M&ob=av2e).

Drink beer with the guys

And chase after girls
I'd kick it with who I wanted
And I'd never get confronted for it
'Cause they stick up for me.

I like the song. I like it because of the lyrics. It's a woman trying to imagine herself in a man's shoes. The stanzas oscillate between what she understands a man generally is- his daily activities, the fun he has with friends, etc.; and how she sees him treating a woman- imagining herself as a more sensitive man than the one in front of her, than her partner.

I'd listen to her
'Cause I know how it hurts...

How he takes her for granted-

I'd put myself first
And make the rules as I go
'Cause I know that she'd be faithful
Waiting for me to come home, to come home

And a man she envisions, whose love is true and pure and selfless, because she being a woman has seen one side of the picture-

If I were a boy
I think I could understand
How it feels to love a girl
I swear I'd be a better man...

Somewhere it is also telling of the freedom and mobility that men enjoy a lot more by default, by virtue of their Gender identity. And then, how this freedom tends to make some men impatient, and some reckless- a quality that is taken for granted, and many a time celebrated as ideal male behaviour.

Yes there are many ways of interpreting a work of art. And this is my interpretation of this song. Because I think that although I've met a large number of men who respect women, there are still quite a few men, who I wish would step into a woman's shoes sometimes to understand just how she feels when he is derisive to her.

Taken for Granted

This Blog is part of the Men Say No Blogathon, encouraging men to take up action against the violence faced by women.
More entries to the Blogathon can be read at www.mustbol.in/blogathon. Join further conversation on facebook.com/delhiyouth & twitter.com/mustbol

Today I overheard a conversation in the bus. The public bus I usually travel in.

A lady was telling her friend that she'd recently seen a man making a young boy get up from his seat, and have his wife sit there in his place. The boy was around 8-10 years old, she said. The man justified his act when she questioned him, saying that he was a senior official at the Transport Corporation which is running this bus.

I wouldn't say he was being courteous to the wife. I'd say he was being uncourteous to the little boy. That is, given the reason he did.

Firstly, why didn't he make an able-bodied full-grown adult get up? Why take advantage of an innocent child, to display his chivalry?

Though I'm treading in the area of commenting on a situation that I havn't witnessed myself, it didn't sound right.

In fact, there are many ways men try to be “gentlemen”, and I wish they didn't try so hard. Because many of them are associated with stereotypes of how they think women are. I've seen men who wouldn't share hard drinks with women. I still understand when people of two generations back do such a thing, but young men in their twenties- give me a break!

And then there's lifting heavy objects. Elderly men offer to do such things for young women. And then there's the issue of intelligence- I've heard about male electricians and plumbers telling lady clients, “Saab aayenge toh baat karenge” (Let's have a detailed discussion when Sir comes home), before explaining the problem that has occured.

I do appreciate the genuine courtesy of men who help. But really, I think we should take another look at the ideas at the back of our heads around what is masculine and feminine. Alongside, perhaps many men would stop twisting these ideas to throw their weight around- just like the public bus incident mentioned above.

Given all the discussions found in popular media, about traits of men and women that attract partners for each, I'd once asked my cousin, what are the things a girl might do, that will irritate boys around her. And he said, it really comes down to the individual girl and boy concerned, the situation, the time, the space- how can you generalise?

And it made sense to me. There are no fixed answers to what and who and how men or women are. There shouldn't be. Because it leads to hollow assumptions, and expectations that in the end bind individuals and restrict personalities. And it lets one sex assume it's the protector, or the more powerful one over the other- however that plays out in behaviour.