Charlotte Morgan

Deewar Film Review

Screening India

March 1, 2010

The film “Deewar,” directed by Yash Chopra, was a very interesting transition from “Guide” into the role of the hyper masculine male hero. In the beginning of the story, we see the father figure of a family get shunned from his village, allegedly for being a thief, who then banishes himself from his family and his home. We are left with his two sons, Vijay and Ravi, and their mother, who are harassed so badly by the rest of the village that they have to run away with nothing. The two boys and their mother end up living under a bridge in complete destitution and poverty in the slums of India.

The idea of the state is present through their poverty, especially in the scene where Ravi is watching the schoolyard, dreaming of an education, while the national anthem is playing in the background. This demonstrates how the slums were being kept out of national development. As the story progresses, Vijay chooses a life of crime, while Ravi becomes a police officer. From this point on, Ravi’s character is the embodiment of the state, displayed through his education, “ideals and principles,” and loyalty to his nations law through his work.

A very interesting aspect of “Deewar” is the female social critique that we have from the mother of the boy who Ravi shoots on the train tracks. The woman yells and displays Ravi’s misguided justice in shooting her boy, but then is immediately shushed and pushed away by her husband, who disregards her as “uneducated.” The wife brings up the important issue of the police working with a corrupt system, which punishes the poor and the disadvantaged, and serves to make the only link in the movie between what smuggling does to society. The woman is pushed away, and we see the father figure then represented as wise and intelligent because he says that he is a teacher.

Throughout the film “Deewar,” we see the idea of religion present in the everyday routine of Vijay, Ravi, and their mother. Vijay refuses to go into the temple after his father has left them, yet his devotion to his mother remains in the fact that he still goes with her every day and waits outside. Vijay goes on to lead his life of crime, and in the end his faith is what ultimately saves his mother, and saves him from himself. He finally goes into the temple to pray for his mother’s health, which proves successful, and ends up dying in his mother’s arms on the steps of the temple. When he is dying, he returns to his innocence by shedding his sins and his badge, a symbol of his strength. Anita, the other character in the film possessing the “universal bad,” has a similar enlightenment at her death, where she says she doesn’t feel like she is dying but instead is being reborn. Both of these characters’ demise eventually leads to a spiritual end, both being rescued from their previous lives.

The idea of dating and relationships in the movie “Deewar” were very different to what we have been seeing previously, especially in the way that premarital sex between Anita and Vijay was so blatantly exhibited. This premarital sex resulted in Anita becoming pregnant, and I believe foreshadowed their deaths. The dating between Anita and Vijay, and Ravi and his girlfriend was more modern and physical, and was unknown to their mother, which was seen in the scene at the train station between Ravi and his mother.

Most importantly, I think “Deewar” illustrated the idea that the slums were being outcast from the progressive movements at the time. Vijay, to me, represented the slums and the reality of the situation, where Ravi represented the law and the government, which was naive to what was actually going on. I think this can be seen in the scene where Vijay and Ravi meet under the bridge, which ironically opens with the national anthem, where Ravi vaguely goes on and on about his “principles and ideals,” and defending his nation. Vijay responds by reminding him where he came from, and that ideals and principles cannot provide you with food. On a larger scale, this is saying that the elite can easily spout things like ideals and values because they cannot begin to understand that the people in the slums have to fight for everything that they have. The bridge in this scene is a crucial symbol in the movie, because it is the only thing holding the two brothers together. It is their home and their origin, and the only thing that they still share.

The western clothing and language, as well as Anita being the embodiment of a westernized woman, contributed largely to the film. I interpreted this as being a factor of a changing society in India, becoming more modern in ways such as dress, language, and interaction between couples.

There were only about 3 songs in “Deewar,” which was a surprising change from the extensive love songs in Guide especially. The film was more focused on the masculinity of Vijay, and his role as the bad hero, which made the song sequences more about him and his action, and less romantic. Vijay’s relationship with Anita wasn’t particularly romantic either, which would explain the lack of love songs between them. On the other hand, the song sequence between Ravi and his girlfriend was much more romantic and sing-songy like “Guide,” except I found it to be much more physical.

I liked the film “Deewar” very much, and so far it was my favorite. Although I love the beautiful dance and song sequences and traditional clothing, it was a nice change to see a plot with more action and less romance. One thing that bothered me was that Vijay and Ravi’s father ran away like a coward, when he could have left with them and helped his family build a new life. I also was disappointed in the way that Ravi came out as the hero in the end, because I see him as ungrateful and naive to what reality is. I believe that was the point of the ending though, because even though the character that followed the law and was the “embodiment of the state” ended up on top, the audience as well as their mother favored Vijay and what he stood for.