“Roja” Film Review
Mani Ratnam’s Roja is, at its core, a romantic and overtly patriotic love story set against the backdrop of terrorism in Kashmir. Despite starring two relatively unknown actors (Arvind Swamy and Madhoo) and an unknown musical director (A.R. Rahman), Roja was a success. Time magazine listed A.R. Rahman’s score for Roja as one of the top 10 in 2005. Richard Corliss wrote, “This astonishing debut work parades Rahman's gift for alchemizing outside influences until they are totally Tamil, totally Rahman.” The movie score and the blatantly nationalistic themes helped make the film, released in 1992, a hit.
Rishi Kumar (Arvind Swamy) is a computer engineer specializing in codes who works for the government. Having spent most of his life in a city, he goes to the country to find a bride from a village he had fallen in love with. Rishi marries Roja (Madhoo) and the two move to the city. Not long after the wedding, Rishi learns he must go to the tumultuous region of Kashmir for work and Roja accompanies him. While in Kashmir, Rishi is kidnapped by a group of Muslim militants fighting for an independent Kashmir. Roja works to get her husband back while Rishi defends his country against the terrorists.
The opening sequence of the film shows the capture of a notorious terrorist. Gunshots and the sound of soldiers hurried footsteps as they run through night to catch Wasim Khan. This scene is juxtaposed with the introduction of Roja in her village through song. The audience sees Roja as carefree and untroubled, playing pranks on those around her. When Rishi Kumar first arrives in the village, Roja has blocked the road with goats so she can see him. The song that introduces Roja is carried throughout the film. However, as the film progress the tone of Roja’s song and the other songs in the film begin to shift. In this way, Rahman’s songs “not only serve the drama, they create their own,” Corliss said.
The union of Roja and Rishi could be interpreted as the unification of the village (Roja) and the city (Rishi). It is his love for Roja that allows Rishi to stay alive and so ardently defend his country. In the same way, Rahman blended a myriad of influences, both modern and traditional, to create the score for the film. The song “Rukkumani Rukkumani” which is performed just after the wedding of Roja and Rishi exemplifies this blend. The song, which speaks about the supposed coming together of the couple as man and wife, carefully combined several different types of rhythms. The conscientious combinations of rhythms blended musical influences like reggae and bold orchestra pieces while keeping the music, as Corliss explained, intrinsically Tamil.
The representation of the terrorists and conflict in Kashmir is decidedly one-sided. The terrorists, all Muslim, are made intentionally difficult to empathize with as they fail to justify their cause. Wasim, the head of the terrorists that kidnap Rishi, both in appearance and demeanor, appears to personify evil. Even Rishi would rather die than allow Wasim to be free. The crimes of the terrorists, like kicking villagers out of their homes, murdering innocent people and kidnapping loyal patriots (like Rishi) are highlighted while the atrocities committed by the Indian army are either ignored or deemed necessary, almost heroic, in the defeat of evil. In one scene, the terrorists light an Indian flag on fire and Rishi jumps on it to extinguish it. The terrorists appear relentless in their pursuit to tear apart the nation. They are even willing to burn the symbol for the nation, the flag. In every way the terrorists are shown to destroy the nation, Rishi is shown to exemplify it. From sacrificing his body to extinguish the flaming flag to questioning the motivations of the terrorists, Rishi’s patriotism is unquestioned. The negative associations connected with the terrorists are apparent when Rishi questions Liaqat (Pankaj Kapur) on the teachings of Islam and whether it is the destruction they are causing is justifiable in his religion.
In Roja themes of national unity, through the union of Roja (village) and Rishi (city) and Rishi’s passionate pleas with the terrorists are highlighted and were a major draw to the film. The brilliant score by A.R. Rahman connected the film, its characters and themes. Despite being overtly biased against Muslims, the film was a huge success and helped make Mani Ratnam one of India’s most prominent directors.
Works Cited
Corliss, Richard. "Roja - ALL-TIME 100 Movies - TIME." Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com. Time Magazine, 12 Feb. 2005. Web. <http://www.time.com/time/
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