Roja

Grace Hennessy

HIND 2441

15 March 2010

Roja—Film Review

Released in 1992, originally as a Tamil film, Mani Ratnam’s Roja stars Arvind Swamy as Rishi Kumar and Madhoo as Roja. The movie opens to set the tone of the movie: a Kashmiri separatist group is being chased through the hills of Northern India by the Indian army and the capturing of Wasim Khan. The next scene cuts to a South Indian village, where happy melodies are being sung and the young Roja is shown dancing through fields and waterfalls with her younger sister. These two scenes, intentionally meant to contrast each other, set up the two plotlines within the movie: the threat of the Kashmiri separatist group and a love story. Rishi Kumar has travelled to Roja’s village to marry her older sister. However, after they meet, she begs him not to marry her because she has already promised her heart to someone else. Rishi cannot leave the village empty handed and humiliated, so he chooses Roja as his bride instead. The two are married and they move back to his flat in the city. Initially, Roja refuses to love Rishi because she believes she has stolen her sister’s groom, but after the confusion is cleared up, she becomes a devout lover. A week after their marriage, Rishi, a ‘cryptologist’ working for a government contractor, is sent to Kashmir, in place of his boss, to de-code messages being received from the separatist group. Roja insists that she comes along as well, and they treat it as a mock-honeymoon. Upon their arrival, Roja immediately notices the lack of people and military presence. Rishi explains that it is a dangerous place and that there is a curfew, drawing Roja closer to him. The night after they consummate their marriage, Roja heads to the temple to thank the gods for such a wonderful husband, and in looking for her, Rishi is captured by the same militant group. The rest of the movie focuses on the rescuing of Rishi from the group, and Roja’s battle against the military to save her husband. This part of the movie is compiled of scenes in which Rishi attempts to defend India’s honor while being held captive and Roja with the guide, Chajoo, pestering officers of many different ranks. The movie ends with the release of Rishi by softhearted terrorist Liaqat, and a grand reunion between Roja and Rishi.

Roja instills a strong sense of national pride within its Indian audience as well as a fear of Islam. It presents a one-sided account of the Kashmiri separatist group and fails to comment on the atrocities India has committed against Kashmiri civilians. The separatist group is represented as extremists and a threat to India’s well being. They are incapable of separating religion from state, or practicing religious tolerance, and are depicted as praying to Allah with their guns next to them. The scene introducing Kashmir in the movie is a compilation of scenes of a military base, bombs, and the group of terrorists doing their morning prayers alongside their automatics. The separatist group is further represented as irrational extremists when Liaqat reveals that they are fighting a ‘jihad’ and that they want to be separated from India. Rishi, who they have held captive, in hopes of the release of Wasim Khan, defends the Indian nation state at all opportunities. When held up to a recorder and told to ask for the release of Wasim Khan, Rishi responds ‘Jai Hind!’ repeatedly, even after severe beatings. The ultimate scene of Indian patriotism is a scene in which the Kashmiri separatists light an Indian flag on fire. Rishi runs out of the small hut, kicks the culprit in the face, and rolls on the Indian flag until the flames are transferred to his clothes. He then continues to fight the terrorist and the patriotic song by Subramania Bharati about the unity of India plays in the background.

After watching Roja I was somewhat put-off by the portrayal of Islam and the Kashmiri separatist group. The overall movie made me feel uncomfortable and it left me with the question of whether or not the film invoked the same feeling of national pride within its Muslim viewers as it Hindu ones.