Originally posted by: pigbelly4myfeet
I just watched this movie last night and I am still so overwhelmed. I just had to find time and talk about this movie. I just could not rest until I did so because I have much to say about this movie. Watching this movie was like a completely different experience than any other movie I've seen this year, or any movie I've seen in a long time for that matter. This movie made me think and feel in a totally new way. This movie really was an overall experience for me: in terms of camera work, direction, acting, story and of course the music! Ahh the music! Really, what a genius A.R. Rahman is!! He just GOT the movie so well. And his music had that spiritual touch that this movie needed too. Especially the song 'tum tak'...that ending instrumental version of this song is still echoing in my head. 'Tum tak' basically just gets the movie.
*Spoilers*
Kundan's story, his world, starts and ends with Zoya. His love for Zoya is like his religion. The repetition of "tum tak" in the song sort of signifies this too...it's like repeating a prayer or shaking the 'dumroo' in front of Shivji's idol. Kundan's spiritual relief doesn't really come so much from the dumroo or praying at the temple as it does from Zoya. Which is why he has to go back to Zoya after he is burdened with the guilt of being responsible for Jasjeet's death. No amount of seva at the Gurudwara or sitting by the river Ganges brings him as much peace or purpose as Zoya does. Zoya is like his reason for living, his reason for hoping and dreaming. Like he himself says at the end, what other reason does he have to live?
This movie does show that love knows no boundaries: no religion, caste, creed, economic status etc. This movie does show that love knows no limits, it's beyond reason and logic. However, it also shows the consequences of this kind of love. It shows the other side as well. And it shows this in a surprisingly real and sensitive way. And this movie is not even just about love. It's SO much more than that! It's about the way we think, the way we form our relationships, our prejudices and our capacity to overcome them.
Firstly, I just have to commend this director for being so BRAVE to make a movie like this. For it takes guts to show a story like this. I knew this guy had potential as a director with Tanu weds Manu, but in this movie he just KNEW his story. He showed this story with so much conviction and sensitivity that I felt for every single character. I liked how this story was told in such an atypical way. I am just amazed at the way things like cutting your wrist, stalking, and using your friends are shown in such a convincing and sensitive way in this movie. And especially for an urban, educated audience, these kinds of behaviours are viewed in a negative light. But what if these behaviours are really done in innocence and from the heart without any malice? What if they are ways of expressing your love, even if extreme? For this was the only way Kundan knew how to express his love. Because his love for Zoya really was that innocent, it really was that all consuming. It's just that innocence that was kept intact here.
And among the many underlying themes of this movie, I think one of them is the innocence. This movie makes us question what it means to have an education. Because as much as education broadens our mind, it also brings prejudices. It also narrows your focus in a way. Because now you know that behaviours like cutting your wrist are foolish and barbaric. You have that education to back up your judgement.
But then if we're talking about equality, which was another of those underlying, subtle themes of this movie, then what gives one person the right to make these judgments? Is it their privilege of being educated? How are we equal if some of us get to decide what's right over others? Because despite all its flaws...isn't there something so sweet and pure about innocence too?
I'm not saying that this movie shows that it's ok to cut your wrist or that it's glorifying it in any way. Only that this movie provides that understanding and context. That we do live in a diverse world. A grey world where there are no right or wrong or clear answers.
I just loved the flaws and vulnerabilities of the characters in this movie. You really do feel for every single character in this movie. Things like the scene where Kundan tells Bindiya that he's getting married to her just breaks my heart. She's just so happy that it really makes you feel for her. Bindiya's love for Kundan was comparable to Kundan's love for Zoya. They both couldn't HELP themselves, despite being aware of the many faults of the people they chose to love. Kundan uses Bindiya in a way similar to how Zoya uses Kundan. Minus of course that Kundan doesn't use Bindiya in the spiteful way that Zoya does at the end. But both of these relationships have that one sided similarity. And you really do feel the tragedy for both Kundan and Bindiya.
But what's interesting is that neither Kundan or Bindiya are pushovers. Bindiya is never afraid of trying to pursue Kundan and neither is she afraid of telling him his flaws on his face. Both Murari and Bindiya do give Kundan his reality checks, but of course the tragedy is that he's too far gone to react to logic and reality. Because it's not like he's not aware or that he doesn't know of Zoya's faults, but he STILL can't help loving her despite of it.
Kundan loves Zoya but he's not afraid to let her know his mind either. I loved the scene where Kundan tells Zoya that it is not because of her he loves her, but it's HIS talent that he loves her to this degree. And it's only at the end of the movie that Zoya finally realizes this. When she finally GRASPS the degree of devotion this guy had. His capability of loving another human being to this extent and this selflessly. It's like his love finally gets through to her, now that he has given it all. He has literally given his last breath trying to express the degree and the purity of his love. And that's when he gives up.
It amazes me how well Kundan always knew Zoya. He knew that she had high ambitions and regards for herself. He knew her when he told her that it's his talent he loves her, not her doing. And he could see through her lying right before she sends him off to that rally. A character like Kundan had that humbling quality to him because he is able to give this kind of love and understanding to another human being. Whereas Zoya considered herself priveliged in a way. Even her dialogue to Jasjeet at JNU signifies this thinking of hers. She didn't really believe in equality that way.
I loved Zoya's vulnerabilities and flaws too. I think Zoya really needed to go through this journey if only for that humbling moment she receives at the end when Kundan finally gives up on her and gets his peace. For nothing really humbles her in this movie till that end moment. Not even when she's sent away by her parents, I think. And not even when she falls in love with Jasjeet. Though when she's sent away she does loose her confidence, in her words, and when she loves Jasjeet she does learn to care for someone else's dreams and aspirations, besides her own. But even then, it's still really about HER. Her sense of confidence when she meets Jasjeet and her dreams and aspirations to marry Jasjeet. Even after Jasjeet dies, Zoya never really has to acknowledge her own faults. Or her mistakes. She still never has that self reflection moment as such. It is still about her revenge or her resentment. It is only until she watches Kundan take his last breaths does she have that self realization moment. She finally gets her humbling moment when she realizes the purity of Kundan's love.
And another thing I find interesting too is how Zoya never really discourages Kundan's affections as such. Initially of course she enjoys the flirting and the attention and all. But she isn't really a friend to Kundan either the way Murari and Bindiya are. She never really tells him straight up that he's making a MISTAKE by loving her. She never tells him that this is a wrong path for him. That this will bring him pain in the end. Wouldn't a friend do that? Bindiya and Murari repeatedly tell Kundan these things. So Zoya and Kundan's relationship has another layer that way...they aren't really friends either. Even though Zoya clearly cares for Kundan, she has a soft spot for him. And she doesn't exactly love him the way he loves her. To that depth I guess. But she doesn't want him out of her life entirely I don't think either. She doesn't NOT want his affection/love either.
Really, you can't define this relationship at all. It's like this puzzle, I think that's what intrigued me about this movie too. These characters are just so layered.
I think it's like these two people were bound by destiny. Zoya and Kundan had to learn their lessons in life and love, but the tragedy is about the WAY they had to get there. And more than love, I think their bond was also about self realization. Without each other, Kundan and Zoya would never have made the mistakes they made. Nor would they have reached the heights that they did. Kundan's jealousy and Zoya's resentment caused them to make grave mistakes, causing them the tragedies of their lives. But these two also brought such high points for each other. Perhaps Zoya never would have believed herself to be meant for greater heights and ambitions had Kundan not given her this kind of devotion? Or perhaps that was her character only...but it's just a thought. And the hopes, dreams and pure exhilaration Kundan experienced was due to Zoya.
So what I'm saying is that these two were each other's rise and fall in a way. That's just of course one part of their relationship. But there's something about this bond that's totally indescribable. I think Zoya and Kundan experienced a similar life path in a way. They both had to GROW in a sense, had to learn lessons in life the hard way. Hence I think this story is also about that innocence turning into experience.
That end shot of grown up Kundan walking in the opposite direction to the young Kundan who has just realized that he's in love; gives me that feeling of innocence vs. experience. That young Kundan has just felt the best emotion he has experienced in his life. And he's running towards his life, with new found dreams and hopes and joy. Whereas the grown up Kundan is shaking his head at the young Kundan's naivety. He is amused at the realities of life. It's both tragic and amusing at the same time. You really don't know whether to laugh or cry.
The only thing I guess I could criticize about this movie was that Kundan's political/leadership qualities could've been shown in a more convincing manner during the second half of the movie. But then I can't exactly fault this either because this part of Kundan's characterization was so important for the overall story. The journey just had to be this way...this movie has managed to convince me of that beautifully.
And if I think about this one image from the movie...this image of Jasjeet as a rebel. Of him running away from the police, even befriending the police and all. There is a similar image of Kundan as such during the first half of the movie too. The scenes where Kundan is running from Bindiya's dad who is a policeman as well. He outsmarts Bindiya's dad and manages to rebel and even make him play Holi. These images are similar to both of these men, who ended up becoming leaders, albeit in different ways. So perhaps we can extrapolate that Kundan was always rebellious and a free spirit. Even the way he got Zoya out of situations shows his capacity to think creatively and solve problems.
All in all, this movie was a total EXPERIENCE for me. For the whole teamwork that went into it. And for the myriad of emotions it took me through. From Kundan's breathtaking jolt of the moment he sees Zoya and falls in love. Then the moment Kunan is 'drunk' on love during the song 'tum tak'- it's like Kundan really FEELS this feeling and is drowning in it, he's dazed almost. And then the exhilaration he experiences during the song 'raanjhanaa' and when he's climbing up that temple. Really, the IMAGERY this movie created was just wonderful! Even the intensity created in moments like the hospital scene when Zoya spits in Kundan's ear. And that last image of Kundan spitting out the blood. And moments that leave a punch in your gut like when Kundan wants to throw up as he realizes that Jasjeet has passed away. I even loved the random details like the symbol of that student initiated political party. The symbol of two hands joining. This was another way in which this movie very subtly portrayed that theme of equality.
I just want to say that I was actually blown away by such overwhelming emotions that this movie portrayed. This movie really does blow my mind, in a totally different, refreshing and wonderful way.
And the acting of course was really brilliant. I am a total fan of this guy Dhanush from here on. *salutes* I don't even have words...how can someone portray that goof, that dazed in love quality, that intensity, that guilt, and that innocence all in one so beautifully? And Sonam too was really good in this movie. I think she gave such an honest performance. And I think her face too was so right for this role...she has this mysterious, charming quality that most other contemporary actresses don't have I feel. It's like she can play that unattainable, gorgeous face...the kind that this character required...the kind that you'd think could make someone like Kundan fall in love with to that extent, the kind that was meant for better things than she had access to in her small town. But also the kind that was relatable too...that fit into the character of a Banarasi girl as well. I think Sonam has a face that can be mystifying and intriguing and average and relatable at the same time, if that makes any sense. And she really did add many layers to Zoya. Things like her cockiness and her mischievousness in the first half; and her hatred and cold, dead side in the second half. This was such a challenging character to play and I think Sonam did justice to it.
And I can't say enough about the music either. There's been such great music this year, but this has to be my favourite album so far. It's just so divine. Only A.R. Rahman can create this kind of spirituality of course. I'm so glad we got to see him do what he's best at once again thanks to this movie!
Anyways, I think I should stop...I don't even want to know how long this post must've gotten. Needless to say, I think this was a very special movie and one I'd like to watch a few more times just to ABSORB it all...and really notice all the details so craftily and wholeheartedly put in. 👏
I apologize in advance for the lengthy rambling and lack of editing. Thanks for bearing with me. 😳
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