My Son - 1084. Review on Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa

Ae Rehbar-e-Mulq-o-Qaum Zara

Aankhen Na Chura; Nazren To Mila

Kuchh Hum Bhi Sunen; Humko Bhi Bata

Ye Kiska Lahu Hai… Ye Kaun Mara?

Often in my hours of silent introspection and deep inquiry - in that period between consciousness and slumber - I think about revolutions. What is that feeling that drives a human being towards revolution? Why is the cream of youth attracted towards extremism? Why does a young man who has not yet mastered the art of living unflinchingly embrace death? What is it, in the throes of rebellion that attracts young blood like a moth to the burning candle? Why does the young one of all species have a death wish when they should be enjoying life?

Do these men and women; with their lofty ideals of romanticism and revolution ever have a feel of the sufferings their families may have to endure in their absence? Do these men of enthusiasm ever stop to think of the loving mother who bore them, the caring father who nurtured them? Do they think of the grave injustice their deaths would do to their families while they die with a smile for others who are unconcerned about their existence?

Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa raises these and many such pertinent questions without getting drawn into the whirlpool of unanswerable questions and incomplete answers. Not only does it raise questions but it also questions the modern age concepts of parenting and social etiquette and also describes the role of the affluent social movers in pushing the legitimate rights of the underprivileged out into the cold from wherein they have no other option but to rebel and retaliate. But when retaliation comes, so also do persecution and repression and the denial of chaos under a façade of a false reality.

The movie is a broad swash on the canvas of our times and can indeed be considered as a landmark movie both in terms of the period it highlights and the inner turmoils of the characters that it displays. The brilliance with which such an important phase of our post-independence history has been brought to life not only speaks volumes for the director and his crew but also highlights the capabilities of our Cinema that has often been denigrated on the altars of world cinema.

Joy Sengupta in a very minimal but important role captures the essence of human imagination. Somewhere deep within our hearts our eyes keep questioning the need for a bourgeoisie to involve itself into the life and death struggle of the poor and the miserable but Joy proves his participation in no uncertain terms. The actor plays the emotions effortlessly but should concentrate a little more on his habit of turning theatrical at times.

Seema Biswas in an important role is earnest, sometimes too earnest for comfort but still manages to leave an indelible mark in her scenes. Although in her introduction scene, she tends to go overboard with her theatrics, she manages to hold our attention with her finely chiseled performance thereafter… in fact the role of an ignorant poor unfortunate woman has been tuned to a finesse by this extra-ordinary actress.

Nandita Das in her debut performance manages to bring an aura of dignity to her role. Not only does she enact the role with panache but also brings into broad relief the aspirations of the Naxalites and the reasons for their policies and principles. Indeed, her role is one of the highlights of the movie.

Milind Gunaji in a negative role portrays his role with admirable restraint and ensures that the performance does not caricature the character but actually heightens the drama.

Anupam Kher however fails to impress though one cannot actually find fault with his rendition of the role…. Maybe the script fails the actor in this case since somewhere it (the character) becomes too unidimensional for comfort.

But the film belongs to Jaya Bhaduri (Bachchan). In her brilliant portrayal of a clueless mother, a suffering housewife, a typical middle class working woman, a woman whose identity has been reduced to a mere statistic, a person trying to grapple with the twin sorrows of loss and insensitivity, the actor marks herself well beyond brilliance. The role of a woman who gains an insight on her own identity after losing her only prized possession could have easily been played to the galleries but Jaya keeps the faith and ensures that her portrayal remain true not only to the movie but also life. In my opinion, her performance of Sujata Chatterjee stands heads and heels above the award-winning performances of many an actress and can be considered among the best 10 in Hindi Cinema. The loss of this actress for a period of 17 years is indeed a thing for aficionados like me to bemoan privately as well as criticize publicly.

Govind Nihalani is a director worthy of his tag and worth his weight in gold. Right from his early days of Ardh Satya and Aakrosh to his last Dev, the director has always presented quality cinema and this movie undoubtedly adds another feather in his all-too crowded scalp. Everything, right from the manner in which the director breaks the news of the son’s death to the ensuing melee to the brutal repressive activities of the police to the face-off between reality and perception to the end wherein Sujata is comfortable with her own separate identity has been shot with minimal fuss and maximal impact. This is the mark of a good, nay great director.

To this end, one returns from the cinema with once again Sahir for company:

Ye Hungama Bida-e-Shab Hai, Ae Zulmat Ke Farzandon;

Saher Ki Dosh Par Gulnaar Parcham Hum Bhi Dekhenge

Tumhen Bhi Dekhna Hogaa Ye Alam; Hum Bhi Dekhenge