Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Well Done!

Politician Ram Vilas Paswan's son Chiraau is breaking into acting. Someone asked Paswan as to why  his son is going for acting and not for Politics. Paswan answered ," there is no difference.They are just performed on  different stages."  For once  I have to agree. Although  Politicians have proved terrible actors; actors on the other hand have  acquited themselves better as politicians. 

 Recently I saw two very forceful examples of politicians acting and actors making a political statement. Firstly some politician from India went to Pakistan and participated in a joint venture with a local politician in the show called "let us pretend talk". It was a farce that as expected turned into a tragedy. All actors in the play  willfully forgot their lines and finally said all kinds of things that were not in the original script. Show failed as a drama but  the actors did address their respective political constituencies by their grand standing and  their complete neglect of all  norms of civility and diplomacy.  In the end both the audience; actors and  the US show management company ; all nodded their heads , patted each other on the back and went home to prepare for another similar stage show for later sometime.  This  edition of the venture of course got thrown into a well. How I wish that well could vanish.

As if on cue a friend lent me  his copy of "Well Done Abba". The movie about about a vanishing  well .  vetern director Shyam Benegal has directed the movie and as is his won't made a lot of socio -political statements. Film is a director's medium but I must say that all actors in the movie starting with Boman Irani in a double role have been a force multiplier to Shayam Benegal's directorial effort. Very surprisingly even Minissha Lamba has done great justice to her role as a spunky  young woman.  This film is a satire primarily highlighting  corruption in implementing social  programs. The story  has been told in a refreshingly humourous tone and Shayam has avoided dark and heavy tear jerking treatment that mars such works.  In the movie eventually Lost wells are finally found back. A la bollywood style although in real life it is not easy to get such justice. Anyway It is really a movie of hope and comes with the message that we can achieve things and we can correct things if we decide.  Very good stuff! His other sub texts about  importance of Girls education; problem of sham marriage of young Indian girls to doddering Arabs; futility of of using your birth religion as your identity; are all very important statements that are made as a matter of fact.
Things that I did not like so much were a sub conscious attempt by Shayam to avoid showing Politicians in their correct avatar. He has made the officialdom the villain of the piece. In reality the politician is the fountainhead of corruption. Another jarring piece  is the engineer's  character. The fact that he is recently married  with his wife's charms  rather than his job on his mind got established in the first instance .Too many scenes of his conjugal bed were probably a little "peeping tomish".  

But hey I am not the director of the movie and there is something called commercial demands, so we'll let that slide. Even though there is a surfeit of political and social commentary ;Overall it is a movie that's well done! 

 Someone should tell the politicians that there is a difference between well done and burnt! At least they should watch this movie.


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