Film: Darbaan (Guard)

Date:04 December 2020

Director: Bipin Nadkarni

Writer: Bipin Nadkarni, Rakesh Jadhav

Cast: Harsh Chaya, Sharib Hashmi, Sharad Kelkar, Rasika Dugal

A family nurtures a caretaker like a member of the house and a caretaker rears his son like his master, sounds confusing, well that is the intention of the story.  Darbaan was to be theatrically released on 3 April 2020, but postponed due to COVID and is finally streaming on ZEE5 platform today. It marks the debut of director Bipin Nadkarni in Hindi cinema.

An adaptation of a 1918 short story Khokababur Pratyabartan, written by Nobel Prize winner Rabindra Nath Tagore, it is a tale of one mansion and three generations. First generation is, Bade Babu/ Harsh Chaya who is into coal business and recognizes diamonds. Bade Babu brings home a young lad, Raichand/ Sharib Hashmi to look after his son Anukul and Raichand becomes a part of the family.

A few decades later, Anukul/ Chotte Babu/ Sharad Kelkar calls upon Raichand now retired in his village to look after his two-year-old son Siddhu and again, Raichand becomes a part of the family. The plot is simple so is the treatment. Time and again we deliberate on the importance of content in movies. We emphasize the need to think and write out of the box ideas but I am of the opinion that if content is original it is always impactful.  And original content surrounds our day-to-day life it is just a matter of recognizing it.

The hero of Darbaan is Gurudev Tagore’s story, a simple story of trust and submission. Lovingly shot in soft dissolves on picturesque locations, it has melodious music from Amartya Bobo Rahut and Raajeev Bhalla supported by lyrics from Manoj Yadav, Siddhant Kaushal and Akshay K. Saxena.

Yes, the pace is a deterrent because everything moves on an even keel without drama or excitement and the one scene where they artificially try to infuse hysteria in the market place is an eye sore.

There are no negative characters but they go through difficult times and perspectives change. All the actors – Harsh Chaya, Sharad Kelkar, Rasika Dugal, Sharib Hashmi deliver sensitive performances but the actor to win your hearts even though invisible on the screen is Annu Kapoor with his sensitive narration.

Darbaan is a film you can comfortably watch with your entire family and caretakers on Zee 5. I rate Darbaan with 3 stars.

Bhawana Somaaya

The Saviour: Lord Krishna saved Gokul from Kalianaag, infants from Puthna, his own life from mama Kansa, childhood friend Sudama from poverty and sister Draupadi from disrobing, our virile heroes are forever rescuing their sister, bhabhi, mother and beloved from physical and emotional abuse. Their presence in the film is to play the ultimate saviour.

The Karmic: Sri Krishna recalls all his previous births; he remembers breaking the bow as Lord Ram, he is intuitive and senses his surroundings, a facet frequently explored in stories on reincarnation be it Dilip Kumar/Madhumati, Sunil Dutt/Milan or Shah Rukh -Salman Khan/Karan Arjun.

The Artist: Krishna is the ultimate artiste who plays the flute and performs the maha-raas. Our heroes sing, dance, dive, ride, fly and play every instrument be it a flute/ guitar/ piano with ease. But while the deity is a nirmohi, the artist in our movies is forever doomed be it the writer of Pyaasa, sculptor of Geet Gaya Patharon Ne, painter of Safar or the poet in Kabhi Kabhie.

The Orator: Sri Krishna is the ultimate orator as we know from Bhagvad Gita and our film heroes deliver impressive dialogues/monologues on the screen, remember Dilip Kumar inspiring the crowd in Leader and Amitabh Bachchan delivering the passionate speech in Main Azaad Hoon?

The Warrior: Lord Krishna resorted to his chakra only in extreme cases otherwise, he fought with his mind. Films depicting heroes who fought with the mind were Anil Kapoor as lawyer in Meri Jung and many years later, as one day Chief Minister in Naayak.

The Manipulator: This is one side of the deity that filmmakers shy away from portraying but some who dared were writers Salim-Javed showing Amitabh Bachchan plotting against his illegitimate father in Trishul, and later against his criminal father in Aakhree Raasta. Sanjeev Kumar helps five boys to fight injustice in Hum Paanch the same way Lord Krishna helped Pandavas fight the Kauravas.

The Crusader: When injustice overwhelms, Sri Krishna resorts to his Sudarshan Chakra, in our movies when the villain gets out of hand, our heroes’ resort to whatever weapon available in climax, so it was a hockey stick for Sunny Deol in Arjun, bullock-cart wheel for Amitabh Bachchan in Aaj Ka Arjun and the audience cheered them because it was a fight of the good-over-evil.

The Philosopher: Krishna guides Arjuna on the Kurukshetra battle front and Dev Anand liberates a diffident Waheeda Rehman in Guide, other equally inspiring portrayals were V Shantaram transforming the criminals in Do Aankhen Barah Haath and Raj Kapoor motivating the dacoits in Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai.

To be continued

Lord Krishna is Dasha-Avtaari and all these avtaars have some time or the other presented in our movies.

The Prankster: Krishna harasses the gopikas and robs buttermilk from the neighbours’ homes, but mother Yashoda can see no fault in her lalla. This obsessive relationship is evident in our old and new films be it Mother India and Deewar or Raja Babu but the best example of the hero as a prankster is Shashi Kapoor- Amitabh Bachchan in Rakesh Kumar’s Do Aur Do Paanch.

The Seducer: It is not just Radha but also the gopikas who love Kaanha and so does Rukmini and Satyabhama. Hindi cinema has innumerable examples of more than one heroine in love with the hero, so in Baharen Phir Bhi Aayengi it is Mala Sinha and Tanuja, two sisters who are drawn to Dharmendra and in Silsila, Amitabh Bachchan is torn between the wife and the beloved, the eternal Rukmini – Radha syndrome. It is Sri Krishna’s leela that that his devotees overlook his wanderings almost in the same way that the audience forgives Jeetendra in Raaste Pyaar Ke and Maang Bharo Sajna.

To be continued

Date: 20.11.2020

Director: Buddha Dev Dasgupta

Cast: Nawazudin Siddiqui, Pankaj Tripathi

Stars: 4****

High on the slope surrounded by the mountains, a vast, arid playground is spread like a carpet and in the middle of it is a narrow pathway, where voyagers pass by, a toy seller, a musician, a water seller, a daily wager. They cross each other in silence, sometimes they wave or nod but most of the time, they are preoccupied.

The static frame captures all this and the changing skyline, the silent moment stretches for more than a minute and it is magical! Ask any director and he will tell you that the most difficult things to project in cinema is silence and Buddha Dev Dasgupta proves that he is a master of quietude.

The 76-year-old Dasgupta has been making movies for 50 years now and is a five-time national award winner. He directed his first Hindi film Andhi Gali starring Deepti Naval in the year 1984 and now 36 years later, Dasgupta brings his second Hindi film, Anwar Ka Ajab Kissa that also has an English title, Sniffer.

Anwar Mohammad/ Nawazudin Siddiqui is employed by Kolkatta’s detective agency Inner Eye. His office is frequented by all kinds of people: A husband snooping on his wife, a wife hunting for her missing husband, a father on the lookout for his missing son and a daughter desperate to solve the mystery of her dead father.

Stories lead to further stories and characters to more characters. The narrative treads between illusion and reality, you sometimes feel that the events are unfolding in the character’s life and sometimes, it appears as if it is all happening in the character’s imagination but it is not at all disturbing.

The director introduces his cast leisurely, allows them ample space and time to unload their complexities. So, one does it sitting on his bed relishing a cup of tea, another prefers to meet outdoor and share a dark secret and Anwar shares his daily observations with his pet over rum and coke sitting in his balcony.

Anwar’s neighbors are curious about him and Anwar is curious about life, people and befriends strangers, what is admirable is that the way the narrative alters pace to reflect Anwar’s mindset and location. When he comes to the hilly village, time stands still!

There are five strong reasons to watch Anwar Ka Ajab Kissa:

1. Sound: By none other than the Oscar awardee Rasul Pookuty is spectacular be it the street sounds or the Inner Eye office.

2. Locations: Shot in the hill village Shimutala, Bihar and Kokatta the frames are picturesque. 3. Music: There are two songs and both foot tapping, the background score is heart wrenching and haunts you long after the film is over.

4. Imageries: created both by words when Nawazudin describes a postman is spellbinding and the cinematography, breath taking.

5: Message: The film dwells on human relationships, loneliness, incompleteness and aching vacuum.

In the 80s art cinema ushered a new sensibility and created a revolution in our movies. Anwar Ka Ajab Kissa/ Sniffer brings back memories of that era. If you are a lover of that cinema, Sniffer is for you- reflective and thought provoking. If not, watch it just for Nawazudin Siddiqui who delivers yet another sensitive performance.

Pankaj Tripathi is mentioned in the credits but is visible only in a special appearance as breezy young, searching soul.

Anwar Ka Ajab Kissa is  for the soul and the mind, go for it and  thank you Buddha Dev Dasgupta for this sparkler at 76.

I rate Anwar Ka Ajab Kissa/ Sniffer with 4 stars.

Amidst the lights and the revelry of the Diwali festival, a sparkling star of Bengal cinema made a quiet exit and his presence will be missed not just in Kolkatta but all over India, how do we remember him as the dreamer of Apur Sansar or the charismatic Amal of Charulata? The detective of Sonar Kella or the romantic of Basanta Bilap? So many roles, so many decades, so many facets to a personality. Some know him as a poet, some as an elocution artist, some as a painter and some as an indefatigable writer. He is perhaps the only actor who has published volumes, worked in over 300 films and that includes the genius Satyajit Ray. Good bye Soumitra Chatterjee, Ray will be happy to be united with you in paradise.