Bollywood's Queen

We are just three months into 2014, and have already had three mainstream movies from Bollywood that had broken the mould through its unconventional women characters. The women in Dedh Ishqiya, Queen and Highway are in no way the standard heroines that Bollywood usually demands us to be contented with.  But of the three, the movie that I personally feel has taken a step forward is Queen. While Dedh Ishqiya and Highway are important voices, the former stops short of playing with audience intellect and the latter, in many ways, is a problematized and reductionist account of class politics. Nope. This, in no way, means these are bad movies and dismissed. These are important films that have expanded the boundaries of content, characterization and, particularly, the roles of women in them. It is just that for me, personally, Queen scores a little better than the other two at certain levels. 

Dedh Ishqiya, is definitely a leap forward. Released immediately after one of the country’s retrograde judgment on IPC 377, the movie is a celebration indeed. But what the movie cleverly does is, at a certain level it discreetly takes the Bollywood’s long celebrated route of escapism to make it appealing to the masses. And with the response that the movie has received, it is quite evident that movie has managed to succeed in that. The same-sex relationship between the two women is cleverly hidden in the narrative, that it only winks at the audience. Thereby, it has become an art form that is appealing only to the well-read intellectuals of elitist circle. Of course, people who are familiar with Ismat Chugtai’s short story Quilt alone can make the connection and enjoy its context. By this, the movie is already eliminating a large chunk of audience in its reach. Well, this is still acceptable if the movie is only aimed at the niche circle of the audience. But, no, the intention of the movie clearly is to have a mass appeal that it is happy to present to the rest of the audience the same-sex love story as a platonic intense friendship between the women. And this is problematic! And the same-sex portrayal by itself is problematic is a different perspective that should definitely be discussed among the debates centering around queer relationships. 

Highway is a rare mainstream movie, that understands the power of visuals to convey the emotions and subtleties. But, it shies away being an incisive critique on the class division of our country. It takes quite a convenient path. But Alia Bhatt is quite an unconventional character that we definitely do not see often in Bollywood movies. 

Finally, coming to Queen, this movie has enjoyed more mass appeal than any of the other two. Definitely, this alone does not make it a better movie than the rest. But what makes it better than others is despite its clear intention of reaching out to the wider audience, the story is bold enough to take a stand. The stand that Queen takes maybe very basic. But given the context of the Bollywood movies that we consume, we have never had even this simple feminist statement made in our mainstream movies before. A clear statement that woman does not need a man to celebrate her own life and find happiness. The movies with such statements have either been those content with film festival tours or those that are very emotionally intense with no scope for joy and celebration.  We may have had a refreshing English Vinglish two years back. But the movie was very much stuck within the framework of family-based role for the woman. Even in Shashi’s final monologue, she advises the bride and groom to have a small family for themselves to keep their lives anchored. And she understands how to love herself only through a French man who quite predictable falls madly in love with her. Queen, on the other hand, goes a step ahead to tell its lead woman that she can anchor her life and celebrate it just being single. And she doesn’t have to have any romantic encounters with a man to discover or love herself. In the process, it trashes all the fairy tales that our women have been told time and again growing up. In a country, where most of the girl children grow up readying themselves in every little possible way to have good marital prospects,  this is a step forward. It may not seem revolutionary for feminists (including myself) and next generation intellectuals. For many men and women, who lack the privilege of spaces available to them in engaging with multi layered and deep intellectual thinking and discussions, it is definitely empowering. And that exactly why it is an important film that needs to be welcomed and not dismissed as a story addressing very basic issues with a lack of understanding of broader politics. 

Queen, definitely has many issues. And problematic too! To begin with, it is very simple. Too simple with a linear narration that lacks different shades of the characters including the lead woman. She is naïve. She is innocent. That seems to be highlighted more than few times in the movie. But, this at some level makes it relatable for many. But  again, don’t we have many women conditioned into embracing naivette and innocence as virtues of womanhood? Like the movie points out, we still live in a world, where a burping woman is considered to be ungraceful. In fact, we live in a country where women are told it is unwomanly to eat “large quantities” of food. Especially for a country that has strong track record of having more malnourished women. And, I consider this cinematic liberty that the movie has taken only to make an impact on the woman’s journey is pardonable in this context. Also, the movie never attempts to change the basic fabric of Rani’s character. In the end, she does not become a strong willed woman devoid of her innocence. She still makes a fool of herself by believing that she is funny. She is still the same with her naiveté intact. Just that, her perspectives and understanding about happiness and life are altered. 

And another glaring problem with the movie is its simplistic view on progressive outlook. The movie fails to understand that clothes hardly have any relation to one’s attitude and outlook. Rani is forced to wear ultra modern low-neck clothes. It is seen as though by slipping into such western outfit, one’s  outlook on life and issues can get an automatic make-over. What if she is just comfortable with the kurtas and churidhars that she has brought along from home? Does it, by any measure, make her journey less impactful? It reinforces the India’s middle and upper middle class’ mentality to assess a person’s character, outlook, attitude, strength, respect, worth, sexual orientation, gender and what not, based on one’s clothing. But surprisingly, the movie tries to take a dig at this mentality too in quite a contradicting way. When Vijay comes back to Rani just by seeing the photograph of her in a modern outfit, it highlights the mentality of our middle class and upper class men. Vijay sees her change as something that suits the tastes of the class he belongs to. But again, he wants this change be made only for him, thereby commoditizing and owning the woman and her life. Through this sequence, the movie highlights and addresses the level of patriarchy that is well prevalent in our society. 

Queen also has another disappointing dimension to it. Its mild contempt towards working class people! In the drunken moments that Rani tries to reason with herself regarding the unsuitable match with Vijay, she refers him to as someone who looks like a bus conductor or a street vendor. This is condemnable and one can imagine that such a reference makes it clear that the movie targets only the middle and upper middle class of the society. By this, we come to the larger problem of the movie. Its mass appeal only to the middle and upper middle class! In its outlook, it conveniently misses out on the problems and challenges faced by the marginalized sections of the society. What if Rani had been a working class woman? What if she did not possess the luxury of travelling across the oceans to a faraway land to discover herself?  What if Rani had belonged to a conservative household that is bound by the rules of patriarchy with a father who may have made a decision that her daughter travelling alone to the other side of the world is a taint on the family’s reputation? These are very likely and realistic situations that women find themselves more often than not. In fact, these are the same reasons why most of the women get trapped into the institutions of marriage irrespective of their choices. By setting the story in an affluent family, the movie ignores to address these important dimensions. But, one can hope, that by showing Rani’s story, despite her privileges, it can influence the mindsets of the society in at least a very small way. What is change after all? Attitudinal change is never radical that happens overnight. It is a cumulative outcome of many baby steps that we take as a society. And I would like to believe that Rani and her story is one such baby step towards a desirable larger outcome.

And there are many other issues that we may have with the movie. Such as the debatable racist attitude in a scene or two and the necessity of Rani’s brief and unimportant romantic encounter with the handsome Italian man. But the movie works despite these pitfalls, because of its larger theme.

Most important of all the specifics that makes this movie stand apart from rest of the Bollywood’s offering is its characterization of Viajayalakshmi. Well, she is half Indian and maybe the movie has, thereby, taken a safe bet here. But even then, when was the last time did we see a woman, that too a single mother, being unapologetic about her active sexual life? All we have had so far is a Deepika Padkone in Cocktail who realizes her unsuitability of being a wife, because she has been too promiscuous and regrets for the same. And Vijayalakshmi is never judged for who she is. Rani, who has not even had kissing as the slightest sexual encounter with a man before, is non judgmental and tries to understand life through her. Even when she meets a commercial sex worker, her questions to her as to why did not she choose any other profession is not judgmental but only seems curious to understand the story. Such portrayals definitely challenge the middle class (the class that movie largely addresses) understanding of virtues, culture and life. And another scoring point of the movie here is that someone who helps her in overcoming Rani’s heartbreak is not another man, but a woman friend. This is a significant change for Bollywood, because even in reality, men and women deal with their heartbreaks by only getting into another relationship. Through this story, the movie has reiterated the necessity of having an emotional space for oneself before getting into another torturous relationship. Love and relationship have been so far been too overrated in movies that this comes as a breath of fresh air. 

I am also trying hard to name another movie that had portrayed so beautifully the friendship between two women. The two women have their own time of drinking and fun. They do not discuss men in their lives. They party hard. They have dinner on top of the Eiffel Tower. For stressing the importance of such non-romantic  and non-sexual relationship for women, just for this alone, the movie can be termed as an accomplishment.

And most importantly, the message of the movie to women is quite clear. Celebrate yourself! It tells women that the tales they have been told about marriage and life so far are pure lies. A woman’s life is too precious to be wasted brooding over any man, deserving or not. By making this very simple and basic statement (I would like to believe it as feministic), this movie has a great potential to touch the lives of many men and women who are chained in the name of traditions and culture. And this has been achieved through a fun ride! Not through a regular fare about maligned women with bouts of sorrow and emotional tangles that we often see associated with feministic tales on screen. Feminism can be celebrative in nature too. It can be just pure joy, because of the very reason that it is empowering. And that is the power of this movie. It celebrates. The journey that Rani takes maybe simple and too idealistic as it is devoid of any encounter with real dangers of life. And at many times may be coming from a very privileged outlook. It definitely does not address many of the other issues of class, caste and race. But, it is definitely something that is joyful and celebratory. Not being radical, does not make it less important because a change has to begin somewhere. Though very late, it is a change that has to be welcomed. This maybe a sign of hope that a radical change is around the corner. Maybe, we can now expect more layered shades to the simple Rani in our next outing.

Heterosexism Takes Viswaroopam

Finally, when Kamal’s magnum opus, Viswaroopam, managed to see the light of day in Tamil Nadu, his fans thronged the theatres to watch this much-awaited and controversy stricken film. While, there will be a continuing debate on the movie’s representation of a particular religious community, it would not be surprising if those same critics ignore the movie’s problematic portrayal of another minority community. For the minority status of this community is not because of its religious faith but the group’s sexual and gender identities. Viswaroopam, apart from being totally one sided in its pro-American troops storyline, laughs up its sleeves, a misguided portrayal of the queer community.

Like has been the case with many movies in the past, Vettayadu Vilayadu, Dostana and Goa to name a few, it is very likely that any argument against Viswaroopam in favour of queer community will only be rubbished with furor by the mainstream audience. On second thoughts, it may also be quite an injustice to group Goa and Dostana under the likes of Viswaroopam, because the problem with these two movies has more to do with the heteronormative portrayal of the gay relationships and less about how “normal” they are. Coming back to Viswaroopam’s portrayal, it is much more dangerous and harmful just for the reason that it uses the word “normal” from an uncomfortable dilemmatic viewpoint in the dialogue rendered by the femme-phobic wife as an introduction to the effeminate Kamal Hassan. And few scenes later, when the wife realizes that he is macho enough and not as “umanly” as she suspected him to be, falls desperately in love with him. And this falling in love just happens in a scene in which he walks down the stairs exhibiting his machismo. While, this scene alone is heterosexist enough and portrays a nauseatingly shallow understanding about falling in love, the problem with the movie is much deeper than this. It goes back to the earlier introduction scene which indirectly questions the normality of any sexual identity other than heterosexual orientation. This outlines the movie’s strong prejudice against the queer community. It may be easy to trivialize the issue as too petty be taken seriously by the larger section of the audience. And we can be totally certain that such a trivialization is what we would be hearing in future, if at all this criticism gathers any momentum. But only the queer and queer-sensitized people would be aware of the potential of such a portrayal to cause a deep psychological scar in the minds of sexual and gender minorities. For years now, the queer community has been bearing a heavy burden of the labels such as “normal” and “abnormal”, which has been used as instruments to create hatred and prejudices against the community. At this juncture, where we have only taken few baby steps of success in bringing forward a change to the society’s larger mindset towards sexual and gender minorities, movies like Viswaroopam are an unfortunate hindrance towards the fight for equality and social justice. For the sake of few laughs here and there, it has become a recent norm in Indian movies to take a dig at queer community. But a movie like Viswaroopam goes a step ahead, and has gone back in ages by portraying homosexuality as a deviant beahviour. Well, yes, it is not explicitly told in the movie. But such indirect references portrayed by a mass hero will only reinforce the already prevalent hatred and prejudices against the much maligned sexual and gender minorities.

It is very clear that Kamal Hassan, in his efforts to showcase his acting prowess, has gone ahead and essayed this role of an effeminate man, as has the case been in his earlier movies like Dasavatharam and Avvai Shanmugi. He has sketched this initial part of the story to set a platform for such a character. And so the queer community ends up being exploited for him to exhibit his skills as an actor and director. This alone acts as antithesis to Kamal’s claims over his own intellectual capabilities in storytelling.

It’s time that we stopped expecting anything more than ordinary from his movies as this is proof enough that his stories can sink well below the standards of average masala movies to pull in the crowds to theatres. It’s a caveat for us to stop thinking that there is hope in the horizon for Tamil movies and audience. Movies like Viswaroopam are made often to teach us a lesson or two. A lesson that Tamil movies will continue to be hopeless as they are now!

The Stories I Tell, Share and Hide

I have many stories to tell. And there are many more that I can’t tell. The stories I can tell, I sit with people across the table and tell them with cinematic twists. Sometimes I add melodrama and spice to it. Some stories, I tell people with pride and joy. And there are many more which I tell them with the right mix of drama, humour and poignancy. Then I go back, earning their pity, love and friendship. Sometimes, I even return home with their admiration.
There are other stories that I pick and choose to hide it silently under the floor carpet that has been sprawled out in my living room. Sometimes, I take those stories and fold them neatly into tiny packets and place them under my sleeping mattress. And then I go about doing my daily chores pretending I have no stories of shame and guilt that lay silently buried under the mattress. And sometimes, I break them into tiny pieces, and drop them one by one on the streets I walk, imagining myself to be Hansel who has lost his Gretel and the broken bits to be bread crumbs. I also hope that the crumbs be eaten by a hungry crow so that those unbearable stories disappear without any trace. But the crows never come. And the stories patiently wait under the bed for me to return.
So, in the Ionely nights, I hear those stories’ husky whispers. Then, I scream loudly begging them to stop. But they never stop. They haunt my dreams and lives. And when the dawn breaks, I go about keeping them unnoticed. They are absolutely humiliated by my indifference. So every night, they return to haunt me.
And I have few other stories that I always carry within me. They are invisible. But they are present around me. But people never notice. And that is convenient. When I walk around laughing and chattering loudly, I have them trailing around me silently. I am conscious of them. But I know they will never get known to others. And so, I hold my head high and take them around with courage.
There are few other stories that I don’t see but others do. Others see through me and they know the stories that I am part of. I never get to see those stories. Those who see them, pity me. Sometimes they are repulsed. Sometimes irritated. And many times surprised. In other few times, they offer love. People do all sorts of things. But I never get to hear those stories. I know there are some stories around me and within me, the plots of which I will never know. I frantically look for them around me to know those thickened plots. I see them scattered all around me. But there are too many stories and too many fragments. It is not an easy jigsaw puzzle that can be solved in this life time. But I never give up on my search.
These stories are not solely mine. These are stories of my mother, my grandmother and great grandmother. Roots of many stories trace back to a forgotten time, probably to a time when the first generation of my family was born.
Those stories I can’t tell people, I share them with that black dog that comes running behind me every night when I return back home late. He comes running wagging his tail. I sit with him in front of the gate of my house and tell him the story. I tell him with high drama, that after a while, he turns and runs back to his home. He is simply not interested. Or perhaps, he thinks I am taking his love for granted. For the love he offers to me, I return it with a heavy and boring story that fails to impress him. He is disappointed with me every night. So, I stopped telling him stories.
Sometimes, when alone at home with my pet dog, I lie on the floor next to her and try telling her stories. Minutes after I start, she just moves away to the comfy corner under the table. She is just not prepared to hear all the drama. She knows the dram queen I am. Her life is filled with enough drama. Every day, she has to struggle through the cinematic rivalry with the street dogs in the neighborhood during her evening walk. That gives her enough dose of drama and she is not interested in the stories of humans that are unnecessarily melodramatic. So, I tell those stories to none.
Depressed and empty, then I run to the dark cinema halls to listen to the fictional stories instead. And in the darkness, amidst the sounds of popcorn crunching and Coke slurping, I let my emotions run wild. Then I return to the bed, under which lay those stories, silently, waiting to haunt me. And I listen to their whispers.

The Gloom of Yesterday

Many times, things go wrong just like that. Not any particular reason. But just like that. Not that your life has exceptionally been in order for this to come as a shock. But the pattern in which it unspools itself is pretty frightening. Anything you touch goes wrong. Just like that. Anything you get into is a blow on your face. Just like that. In those times, you may actually believe that Supreme Power does really exist, even if you are an atheist. Not because you have experienced many magical moments in your life. But the chaos in your life is so overpowering that you are very sure it is not possible without the intervention of any Supreme Power. How else can you reason out such perfectly choreographed messy situations in your life, as though it was a part of a well edited movie with taut screenplay?
And the fact that few people you look up to live far across the oceans does not help. And when the few others you have always relied upon for support are dealing with a lot themselves, you know this only will make it worse for them. So you keep it to yourself. But hope for a tomorrow. A Tomorrow that will bring sunshine. A Tomorrow that will boost your low self-esteem. A Tomorrow that may help you laugh at the chaotic and gloomy Yesterday. A Tomorrow filled with a bit of happiness and a bit of energy. At least, a Tomorrow that is not as gloomy as the Yesterday.

Liberative and Poignant

In a city like Chennai, it is very rare to come across stories with unapologetic portrayals of the lives of oppressed people. But when the play directed by Srijith Sundaram, Molagaa Podi, unfolded on the stage with the mesmerizing performances of its actors, it filled the air with elation as it offered a sense of hope that marked the arrival of a new momentum gathering against oppression. The play, presented by Kattiyakkarai theatre group, is based on a short story by the Dalit writer Bama that celebrates the rebellion against caste oppression through mockery and well-etched humour. Not to forget that Bama’s short stories and novels were the ones to mark a beginning of revolution of sort in the Tamil literature space. The revolution of Bama’s writing is not only in the stories that she tells, but also in the language that she usually employs. Her stories are written in the dialect of the same people whose lives she portrays. This renders tenacious strength to her story-telling. This, I call it a revolution, because the Tamil literature space has always been dominated by many self proclaimed mavericks, who lay emphasis on language rather than on the issue. And to write in a language of oppressed people that lacks the refinement and beauty of chaste Tamil, is definitely a victory that needs to be celebrated as a revolution.

The play that was staged as part of the Chennai Rainbow Pride events at Spaces in Besant Nagar, has elevated Bama’s story to a totally new level through its nuanced narration and portrayal. To those who have already read the story, the play would be an overwhelming experience, as it has brilliantly captured the core essence and the beauty of Bama’s short story. The original dialect of the story, the nuances of which have been handled well in the play, has enriched the overall experience of the audience. The format of narration was interesting, as it gave space for the actors to interact with the audience and in turn kept them engaged throughout. The trivial alteration in the play towards the end from the original story, has only added sheen to the story, as it offered some interesting perspectives to the viewers.

What is it about parai that its sounds make your nerves and cells reverberate with energy, hope, joy and a sense of liberation? The apt use of parai that reverberates along the story at instances of confrontation and resistance, heightened the spirits of viewers. The poignant lyrics of the songs portraying the plight of Dalits also added a definite strength to the story.

Another important aspect about the play, that makes it a class apart, is that many of its actors belong to a community of sexual minorities. Who else could effectively portray the oppression better than the ones who had undergone the agony of exclusion and marginalisation in real life? Oppression may be of different kinds, but the pain inflicted by any discrimination is largely the same. This was clearly evident when the actors portrayed the real emotions with overwhelming genuineness on the stage.

Two thumbs up for Srijith and his team who have delivered a power-packed performance and made the whole experience an enjoyable and insightful one!

Dark Nights and Fanged Teeth

It comes in the night
The past with its fanged teeth
It comes in my dreams
Not the same as I saw them
But in different contexts
Myriads of people and forms
Collage of this and that
Little from here
And a little from there

It comes in my dreams
The past with its fanged teeth
The ten year old boy with a smile
He tells me those buried secrets
They tumble out and lay there
Thumping their feet down
Demanding to look at them

Turning the face, I go back
Closing my eyes, I run
I can escape, I tell myself
But they lay behind me
Taking monstrous shapes
Chasing me till the end

I know I have to face them
Not today, but a day will come
A day from a distant horizon
With its scent of hope
And colour of rage in its periphery
Painted with streaks of love
It would be the day of closure
And a beautiful beginning of new life
Till then, I run

(This is my first attempt to write a poem. Christina, my dearest Akka (Hannah), Sridevi and Aniruddh are the ones who inspired me to pen down some of my thoughts as a poem. And to all of you, pardon me if it is sloppy or reads immature. You know I am bad at poems :))

Typically 'Ko'llywood!

When people, who rejected Vaanam claiming it to be boring and uninteresting, praised Ko for being innovative and packed with interesting moments, I should have known what to expect from the movie. Well not that I do not know what the yuppie Tamil movie goers and the elitist class of Chennai wants in a Kollywood entertainer. My friend and I just took a chance, like many of the stupid and highly risky chances that we have taken before when it comes to Tamil movies.

Well, it was not difficult to predict what kind of a movie that is going to be played on the screen, after the few initial scenes. Silly, contrived and predictable, the movie claims itself to be a political thriller. The movie is an unpalatable concoction of politics, friendship and love. Take a thread of extremely silly Utopian dream with narrow and limited understanding about corruption. Weave the thread with a triangular love story, in which one woman even while she yawns does it with extreme poise and grace, and naturally ends up being the best available choice for the courageous hero. The other woman lacking feminine grace and docility expected out of Tamil women, naturally becomes the sidekick for the hero and the heroine and obviously dies a brutal death because she is not someone cut out for any man (specifically Tamil man with high moral values!) to fall in love with, leave alone the hero. Well, what ending can you expect for a woman of such low morals and unwomanly behaviour in Tamil cinema? Then intersperse it with a pack of highly melodious romantic songs here and there, including the one which the hero and heroine sing unashamedly on the night immediately after the brutal death of her unwomanly best friend, even before she is cremated. Then, pepper it with one or two homophobic dialogues with judicious mix of anti women and politically incorrect jokes such as the ones about commercial sex workers. There, you have a heady mix of an innovative family entertainer that the Tamil audience would just lap up.

The movie could not have done any more injustice to the character of Pia, who has donned the role of ungracious woman. The character of Karthika is cliché’d, confused and fails to impress. Then you have Ajmal and Jiva, with another uninteresting subplot of friends turning foes. Phew! If you have not walked out by then, you would probably want to kill yourself for making you go through such a torture on a Saturday evening.

And if people say that Ko is a box office hit, it would not be surprising. After all, aren’t we talking about the same audience which lapped up Vinnaithandi Varuvaya with such joy and energy!