Charlotte Morgan

Brueck: Screening India

February 21, 2010

Guide Film Review

Guide, written and directed by Vijay Anand, is a film consisting of a series of unraveled flashbacks, beginning and ending both in the present. The start of the film is outside of a jail, where our hero, Raju, is finally released from his sentencing for forgery. The allegation that this man Raju is the story’s hero will only make sense once the entirety of the plot is laid out, as well as the lives of the rest of the characters. When Raju’s mother and his former “almost wife” Rosie arrive at the jail to take Raju home upon release, they learn that he has been let go early and has failed to come home. Both women are shocked and heartbroken, and Rosie takes Raju’s mother home and begins to tell her the story of her love for Raju. Rosie’s tale begins the flashback that encompasses most of the movie.

Class is one theme that serves as a primary element to the movie Guide, especially in regards to Rosie. Rosie’s mother is a courtesan, and does everything in her power to remove Rosie from this atmosphere, and give her a more respectable life than her own, even at the cost of loosing her daughter. Rosie’s mother arranges for her to marry an older, wealthier, upper-class man named Marco, who stifles her expression by forbidding her to dance, expecting her to be a submissive wife. Marco expresses that she is not low-class anymore, and that because she bears his name she will no longer dance and act like a whore. Rosie begins to “find herself” through Raju, their guide, while on the trip, and realizes that she would rather give up her class in order to dance, her passion. Raju encourages Rosie to continue to dance once they had eloped to his mother’s house, despite being frowned upon by his village and disowned by his friends. I think that Rosie and Raju both realized in this moment of the film that other people’s connotations of class and ideas in regards to her dancing were unimportant, and what mattered was that they were together and happy.

Rosie and Raju’s relationship in the movie Guide has no place in respectable society at the time, and their live-in situation is obviously not accepted throughout the movie. Raju’s mother becomes so infuriated with the situation that she leaves her home. Rosie’s marriage to Marco was diminishing her identity as her own woman, leaving her with a barren life. Her love for Raju saves her, and brings her liberation. This idea of their marriage being the demise, and an unofficial love affair acting as the savior to Rosie’s humanity, is not the accepted ideal in Indian society. This affair denotes traditional values of a mans parents approaching the woman’s parents in arrangement of marriage, as well as presents the ideas of infidelity and a non-married life as “liberating.”

We are constantly reminded throughout the movie of the fact that Rosie has no home to look back to. Marco removing her from her mother and class erases her origins, and Raju who rescues her from her marriage then removes her from her only home with Marco. This “unattachedness” contributes to the unfavorable way that Raju’s mother and others see Rosie. Once Rosie embraces her dancing, the seemingly disgraceful pieces of her past help her to become successful and famous. Raju’s character is deeply planted in his origins, which can be seen in the way that he brings Rosie back to his house despite the connotations that she brings, as well as the fact that he returns home once him and Rosie have a “falling out” near the end of the movie. In my opinion, the fact that Raju would not return home after he was let out of prison reflects an even stronger respect for his origins, his home, because he did not want to tarnish his family and their reputation with what he had done.

The gender roles presented in the movie Guide were very interesting to me in contrast with our previous films. In Guide, we moved away from strong female roles and instead focused on the highly eroticized role of the male hero, Raju. Throughout the film, the character of Rosie and her role as a newly successful dancer and reinvented woman is eventually pushed into the background. Although Rosie has worked her way from nothing to making a name for herself, Miss Nalini, we end the movie focusing on Raju. After Raju begins to ignore his wife, commits forgery, and ends up in prison, he reappears heroically after his sentence in a remote village pretending to be a saint. Neither going to prison or pretending to be a saint to a famished village are noble or heroic situations, yet when Raju is cornered by the villagers into fasting for twelve days to spiritually relieve the drought, he then is enlightened and becomes a martyr.

Raju inhibits many characteristics of the “universal good” in the story, despite his apparent faults. He has respect for his mother; especially when he doesn’t believe Rosie tried to persuade her to stay in her home, and he creates strong emotional bonds with the men of the village, which encourage them further to think he is their saint. Raju displays intense religious tolerance during his fast and after his enlightenment, and his devotion to the village and the end of the famine shows the love he has for his country, and especially the people of his village and surrounding areas.

On the other hand, Rosie, who never committed any crime besides fleeing her miserable marriage, inhabits many of the characteristics of the “universal bad.” The fact that her name is Rosie immediately shines an unfavorable light on her because it is western, and many of the “villain” or undesirable roles have western characteristics. The fact that Rosie is estranged, or unattached from her family is also a characteristic of the “universal bad” in a role. Also, I interpreted Rosie’s dancing in the film to be portrayed as uncontrolled sexuality, because she was inclined to do so despite what everyone thought of her. Rosie’s suicide attempts in the beginning of the movie also seemed to reflect her ignoring fate and religion. She also seemed to reject her culture by leaving Marco, and not marrying Raju. In the film, only once Rosie sees Raju as a martyr during his fast, does she appear in an all white sari, removing her jewels and material items. This appearance of “purity” in Rosie only comes after the hero of the film is made clear, where she can then be pushed into the background unnoticed.

This self-centered male role of Raju in Guide creates a new homoerotic image of the male figure in the films so far. We end the movie with an unattached male hero, becoming a martyr in solitude for the lives of the people in the village. Raju is seen as enlightened, powerful in his struggle, and completely devoted to bringing his people rain.

Religion plays a major role in Guide, because it is the most important element left in Raju’s life right before he dies. Raju has gone through his life, which eventually ended in sin by abandoning his wife and mother, committing a crime, and lying to the village. During his fast, he is enlightened and realizes that he must devote himself to the people who believe in him by truly fasting. He confesses his sins and dies a reconciled man. Raju’s new found devotion to the people of the village construct the idea that a man can always redeem himself through religion, and find identity and devotion to the people or place that needs them most. Although Raju’s martyrdom wasn’t on a national level, his actions showed that he cared for his people enough to die for them, which is an ideal parallel with national identity.

The musical style and songs in Guide were all different, yet interesting with many shared characteristics. The songs with the picturesque mountain scenes in the background with Raju and Rosie singing to each other as lovers, was magical and romantic, even though somewhat more “cheesy” than previous songs. Once Rosie began to discover who she truly was, and wanted to be, the song sequences became increasingly more romantic and entertaining, beginning with the song on the back of the truck in the hay. Once Rosie became Miss Nalini, her dance and song sequences became more and more elaborate, including other women dancers as well as womanly figured statues and bright color. Although this would seem to heighten her femininity and character as a woman, it contrasts with the fact that she is eventually pushed into the background by Raju’s character. In the end of the movie, most of the songs focus on Raju and his devotion, heightening his character to the upmost hero.

I enjoyed the film Guide immensely, it held my attention throughout the entire three hours, and kept me interested. I loved the character of Rosie, and her song and dance sequences were thrilling and beautiful. I initially liked the character of Raju as the guide; he was amusing and full of character, yet my fondness of him diminished as Rosie became famous. I was disappointed in the way that Rosie was pushed into the background because in my opinion, she wasn’t necessarily the hero of the story but she succeeded against all odds. Despite Raju’s “enlightenment,” I had a hard time finding him to be genuine in the end, and his disregard for his mother and Rosie after he was let out of prison really bothered me. Overall, the film Guide entertained me, as well as taught me more about the progression of Hindi cinema throughout the years!

Rachel Newsham

Screening India

Professor Brueck

13 Feb, 2010

Mother India Film Review

Mother India, a film by Mehboob Khan, follows the life of a traditional Indian woman who is faced with many trials and difficult decisions. Her ability to persevere through these trials and hold firmly to her morals distinguishes Radha as an extreme example of a traditional Indian woman and mother who is willing to renounce all for the sake of upholding dharma, the law of ethical conduct. The most important theme played out in Radha’s character is the religious based concept of preserving a woman’s honor or lãj, specifically in terms of chastity.

The first part of the film is used to create the idea that the land represents the nation. This film was created ten years after the independence and partition of India. One of the film’s themes is to address the Muslims who have left India after the partition and call them home. In the scene with the villagers dancing within the sheaves of wheat they have formed an outline of the country of India. With careful notice, we see that East and West Pakistan have not been removed from the outline. This theme is also portrayed in the preceding scene where Radha is calling out to the other villagers not to leave. In her moving song, she begs them not to abandon their home claiming that: “the earth is still your heart,” referring to the idea that India is still the Muslim’s motherland and they should not abandon her.

The setting of this film is in rural India where villagers must depend on the grace of nature and Sukhilala, the local moneylender. The film opens with the marriage of Radha and Shamu. When she enters her husband’s home, Radha discovers that her mother-in-law has pawned off most of their land in order to pay for the wedding. Radha, as an “ideal” traditional Indian woman and bride, is shown as diligent, hardworking, modest, and loving towards her husband. Reminiscent of a renouncer, she offers to sell her gold bangles in order to buy back their land. Her husband refuses, and they decide to work on an unruly plot of land that is filled with boulders. In their endeavors to clear the land, Shamu looses both of his arms. He is humiliated by Sukhilala and leaves his family believing that he is only an extra burden. Radha, much like the goddess in The Song of Krishna, loves Shamu and unwaveringly hopes for his return throughout the film.

The plot spirals downward from here with her mother-in-law’s death leaving Radha alone to take care of her ever-growing family. Sukhilala comes to offer her help in return for her services as a mistress, but she refuses. She has her young sons work alongside her to clear the field and plant a very hopeful crop. Right before harvest, a storm comes and sweeps away the crop along with two of Radha’s children. Unable to provide food for her remaining two sons, Radha turns to Sukhilala. As she is about to relinquish her lãj, she looks to the shrine of a goddess and is reminded of her duty to uphold dharma, which, in this case, symbolizes her chastity.

She returns to her sons and they work diligently to get back on their feet. The film skips a few years and we return to a village that has become very prosperous. Although Radha has not succeeded in paying back the moneylender, her sons have grown up into healthy young men with hearts full of love for both their mother and girls of the village. The oldest son, Ramu, marries the girl of his dreams while Birju, the rebellious younger son, is refused marriage by his prospective father-in-law. Seeing that he has no hope of gaining Chanda’s hand in marriage, Birju focuses his efforts on avenging the past grievances of his mother.

The last section of the movie is about Birju’s revenge. Unable to learn the knowledge within Sukhilala’s record books, Birju turns to thievery in order to regain his mother’s bangles, land, and honor. During Sukhilala’s daughter’s wedding ceremony, Birju makes a grand entrance with a group of rebels on horseback. After finding his mother’s gold bangles, he kills Sukhilala and captures his daughter Rupa, marking the climax of the movie.

The end of the climax comes when Radha shoots Birju. Faced with a moral dilemma, Radha views Birju’s intended violation of Rupa’s honor as a violation of the entire village. In an extreme example of renouncement, she places the honor of another woman before her love and commitment to her son by killing him, thus upholding dharma and canonizing her character as the example of the ultimate woman.

The similarities between Birju and Sukhilala are important in understanding an ironic twist in the film. By the end of the film, Birju’s character has assimilated into a character much like that of Sukhilala’s. As a moneylender, Sukhilala was regarded as a thief. Similarly, after finding his work to be in vain, Birju gave up on an honest living by taking up a life of thievery. Birju also takes on Sukhilala’s character in his conquest of Rupa. Even though he left Radha with a choice, Sukhilala had tried to take away her honor by making her a mistress. Birju, in his desire to avenge his mother, similarly tried to take away Rupa’s honor. In his desire to defeat his enemy, Birju left behind the rules of dharma and conformed to the very character he was determined to destroy.

Although this film can be hard to sit through, I enjoyed watching the characters of Radha and Birju develop. Both of them had to decide between the selfish tendency of taking the easy way out or the path of upholding dharma, which included many sacrifices. While Radha chose the path of a renouncer, Birju chose the path of the rebel. Birju’s journey led to his death, but by sacrificing her son, Radha gained the reputation of being the mother of the entire village. This film seems to point out the idea that although performing one’s duty often entails a great amount of suffering, the end reward is both far-reaching and well worth the effort.

Devdas vs. Dev D.- Old vs. New

Sydney Blach
Movie Review; DEVDAS
Bollywood; TR 3:30-4:45
February 8, 2010

Devdas vs. Dev D.

Devdas is a timeless tale focusing on a “woe-is-me” central character, Devdas, and the story of his tragic love affair with his child-hood lover Paro. The classic story based on a popular novel by Saratchandra Chattopadhyay has been manipulated multiple times throughout the years. Its beginnings take root in 1917 with the success of the novel, soon after in 1935, New Theaters produced the screenplay version of Devdas directed by P.C. Barua. The story was once again re-worked and once again in the version Produced and Directed by Bimal Roy released in 1955. This version will be the basis of this review. The story was also re-told in 2002 directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and finally in 2009 in a film called Dev D. written and directed by Anurag Kashyap; of which this review will compare to the 1955 version by Roy. Each film follows the same plot line, yet seeing as there is a tremendous difference in their generation the main problems, trials, and actions are dealt with in a fairly shockingly different manner.
Overall each version is an epic story of young-love following two childhood sweet-hearts forbidden to marry due to fluctuating circumstances. In the 1955 version what stands between the young couple is the controversial caste system that rules the country. Devdas’ family are rich landlords placing them high-up in caste, whereas Paro is of a low caste servant family. On the contrary in Dev D. what separates the couple is not the disproval by family, in fact Dev’s dad even exclaims at one point in the movie how perfect he esteems Paro to be for his son. Instead, it is Dev’s own revelry and a silly misunderstanding on Dev’s part that keeps the couple from committing to one another. This notion is also observable in the 1955 version, for example when Devdas himself explains to his companion “She chose the path of matrimony and I chose the path of destruction.” This difference between the two central characters is explicitly presented in the earlier version as Paro goes on to get married as a result of the rejection by Devdas. Rather than settling down, in both films Devdas/Dev have a sexual based relationship with a woman named Chaudramukhi/Chanda who in the 1955 version is portrayed as a “prostitute-like” woman trained in classical singing and dancing, and in the 2009 version is a full on prostitute.
Another notion that is portrayed similarly yet different in each of the versions is the theme of Paro being a non-traditional/modern central female character. By modern I mean that in each instance Paro behaves in a manner when it comes to her relations with Dev/Devdas that in traditional Indian standards of female code of conduct, would be frowned upon. In the 1955 version Paro is rendered as an innocent, young, naïve girl who is hopelessly in love with a forbidden lover. At one point she exclaims that she would ask Devdas to marry her, and then proceeds to enter his bedroom in the middle of the night. This notion is almost reminiscent of Shurpanakha in the Ramayana when the audience sees Shurpanakha lusting after Rama and confessesing her love to him. The purpose of this portion of the epic story is to set up a contrast between an ideal Indian woman- Sita and a repulsive woman- Shurpanakha in order to teach the audience the proper behavior expected from a woman. The traditional woman is the one that waits for a man to approach her, which is not what Paro does either. Once again this concept is more overt in Dev D. For rather than simply not having the patience to wait for her lover to approach her, Paro is shown engaging in explicit sexual encounters with Dev in all sorts of different exclusive locations around the small town.
The central theme of the film and of both versions of the film seems to revolve around the concept of forbidden love and what the denying of that love does to the emotional psyche of Dev/Devdas. In the 1955 version Devdas’ father sends him away to Calcutta to end all relations with Paro causing the rest of the film to follow his downhill slope to an alcoholic and meaningless life of a relentless lust for Paro. The same notion is dealt with in Dev D. but rather than just covering his emotions with alcohol he resorts to hard drugs, vodka, and a partying lifestyle. Paro seems to in a sense move on in both cases while Dev/Devdas is left battling an internal struggle and self destruction.