Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi - one of the best Indian movies that I've seen in the last 12 months

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I loved it too. Every damn thing about it. But why so late???

tharsica said...

I love movie suggestions. Now, with your post stating that it is the best, I have to see it! Will try to soon.

Suresh ET said...

Subhash,
Yeah, I was thoroughly impressed by the movie. I think it's better for me get on to the 'we may be Tamil or Telugu, but we are all Indian, we should proud about such an Indian movie' rhetoric. Seriously man, regardless of the reasons, Hindi film industry (at least 5 out of every 100) has become consistent in producing few international quality movies every year. Tamil movies on the other hand..never mind.

Why so late? I don't know, it was one of those movies in my long "should watch" list. I had it downloaded quite sometime ago and totally forgot that I even downloaded it. And the prospect of watching a 2-file movie always scares me. But somehow managed to watch it. I still have so many movies to watch (no, I don't mean PKMC etc).

Tharsica - yeah, you should. It's worth the time (and money if you pay for it :p).

Anonymous said...

what do you mean, no PKMC? Watch it and we shall have PKMC special roast for dinner.

The thing about HKA is the backdrop and the love story is integrated seamlessly into the narrative, with so much effort that it doesn't show as being in the face. I always lend HKA to my non-indian friends if they ask me for an Indian movie. And my Indian friends, I don't have any in Sydney. Life is good that way.

Escape.... Great Escape said...

Yes. it is one movie that brought into focus, the Emergency. Sensitive movie. I liked it.

Anonymous said...

Did you notice the numerous parallels with Marx's personal life ? After he was hounded out of Paris, Berlin, Belgium, Cologne etc. Marx finally ran to London, wrote everything he wrote sitting in the London library, & died in London too. Commie writing about communism sitting in capitalist london library.
Similarly Siddharth is born with silver spoon, preaches communism because he can afford to, & finally seeks refuge in London!
ip

Suresh ET said...

ip,

Not exactly. But yeah, I did think about this irony in general when Vikram says it. But I don't think movie lays much emphasis on that. In fact, I don't think it tries to drive any single theme. It was 'Forrest Gump' like.

Siddharth gives up almost 7 years after he goes to Bihar. In those 7 years he is a part of group that effects a change - quite significant. Here, we cannot single him out the way Vikram does (that he's got a rich dad, hence..). There are rich folk like Siddharth who smoke weed get high and fly out when it's about direct action. But there are also not so rich folk who stick with him all along (there's even a girl). I think this move was deliberate to show the randomness in committing to a radical ideology - being rich or poor doesn't really matter. This particular theme runs throughout the movie - in all their experiences.

Geeta goes after a 'stable' life only to come back to her first love (or the only love). She even adapts herself to fit into a milder version of the radical ideology.

Vikram, in spite of managing to climb up the economic ladder and gaining political clout, is never completely satisfied with his life. Even his clout doesn't prevent his father from getting arrested or getting beaten up by the police.

I loved how all of this was shown subtly. Not just that: sex, love, infidelity, everything had a very soothing liberal bend to it. There was little moral orientation in how the characters' actions were underpinned.

What seems to be a defeatist ending still has a very optimistic note. This is where the questions "how does it matter? what is more worthy?" arise.

Can Geetha, in remainder of her life, achieve what Siddharth did in 7 years?

If Siddarth becomes and doctor and serves the poor in the same village would it outweigh his role as a naxalite?

Is Vikram better than the two because he is the one, in the end, who anchors Geetha and Siddarth (directly and indirectly)?
What matters? Action or effect?

The best part was that the movie didn't try to answer any of these questions. It didn't even make these questions obvious. It just moved along with three people caught in different circumstances - micro and macro. Just like Forrest Gump it managed to touch up on several issues without specific attention to anything. Even ‘emergency’, in my opinion, was used mostly as a reference point.

I loved the movie. I think I'm going to see it again.

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