Young people speaking their minds....

I watched Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi earlier this evening and I'm impressed. I'm not really in the mood to hash out the plot, but the film basically deals with the Naxalite movement in North India, and the ruthlessness with which it was dealt especially under Indira Gandhi's rule. I don't think I've ever seen a baldly political Indian film before; I'm sure they exist in languages other than Hindi, but I'm not well-versed enough to know. I have to admit I was skeptical - I'm an incorrigible film snob - but it's a very well-written script; it treats politics not in isolation but as an insidious part of our every day lives. The film has several signs of being written and directed by someone truly interested in the complex post-colonial politics of India, and tackles several issues that our country seems to have forgotten about. For instance, to me, it is simply mind-blowing that nobody talks about The Emergency anymore. I wasn't even born when it happened but it is the period of contemporary Indian history that most fascinates/repels me. If nothing else, I'm glad the film draws attention to the brutality and oppression faced especially by those marginalized by caste and economics during the reign of The Widow.

A lot of people thought the ending was "unrealistic" because Siddharth's actions are "out of character." In fact, I thought it was the most realistic part of the film by far. No matter how idealistic, no matter how dedicated, the fact is we're all inescapably human - I don't want to say more because I don't want to give away the ending. I think everyone should watch this film, particularly if you're interested in South Asian politics and/or disillusioned with the state of Indian cinema. It's certainly not a perfect film, but it was unostentatious and genuine which is more than I can say about a painful percentage of Indian films. It is beautifully shot with some very interesting, almost Godard-like editing to capture the instability and shakiness of the times. I wasn't that impressed by the acting or the character development, but Jesus, Chitrangada Singh is beautiful. Seriously. Impossibly so.

I don't have much more to say - The film is very sobering, and I have a lot of thinking to do.

For your further entertainment, Pictures!


Last Six Months in Bombay

The Family

Montreal Madness