The last few weeks have not exactly been packed with movie-viewing but I have managed to see a few talked-about ones. Two of them - Black Friday and A Wednesday - were pretty disturbing. I am not going to review them because:
a) I am too lazy
b) please refer to point a
That doesnt mean that I wont talk about them! So here's my tuppence-worth.
Both the movies were extremely disturbing in unexpected ways. And no, I am not talking about the mass scale destruction of human-kind depicted, because that wasnt unexpected. They were movies about terror attacks. I knew that gruesome scenes of death and destruction were on the menu and was prepared for that. What disturbed me more was the depiction of police torture as a legitimate, even essential, component of interrogation.
Yes, we all know about (and take for granted) the use of third degree methods by Indian police, but I was disturbed by the movies' sympathetic depiction of it! The filmi police had no doubts about the guilt of the witnesses they tortured and always elicited truthful information as a result of torture! Isnt that strange? Havent several debates concluded that a person will say anything and do anything in order to end the torture, and information thus gained isnt reliable? Am I the only one who worries about people on the street not helping me against an assailant/molester for fear of police brutality? Surely movies at least, could project a more positive image of the police (even if it is untrue)? Or is it just that since jehadis are responsible for all of India's terror attacks, the majority Hindu population is safe from police brutality and therefore, doesnt care to object?
My quibbles with it apart, Black Friday was a movie documenting the events surrounding the 1993 Mumbai blasts and did it very well. A Wednesday on the other hand, took me aback with its insane plot line. No, I am not referring to the robotic cops that seem to make-up Commisioner Rathod's police force (they obey without question and salute all the time!) and the chief minister who actually bows to a city police commissioner's judgment (Right! Thats exactly how the executive works in India!) - those deserve a post of their own!
My chief issue against the movie is that it advocates the Rang De Basanti school of thought, i.e., if you find a cancerous growth in your body, kill one or two cells and the rest of the tumor cells will shrivel up and die out of sheer fright! If not, at least we have shown the tumor what we are capable of and that will make everybody happy and the cancer will cease to be life-threatening! At Beth's and elsewhere in blogistan we have discussed the cathartic effect of filmi violence but this movie takes catharsis to new heights and provides the most unreasonable justifications for reverting to anarchy and medieval practices of justice and punishment.
Why this unusual burst of strong feelings against a movie? I had read nothing but good things about this movie everywhere. Its been touted as a very taut and well-made thriller. And it has Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher together after a very long time (the last time I saw them together on-screen was in Pestonjee, which was great!). Can you blame me for having high expectations? Sure high expectations are rarely met, but this was soooooo far from what I expected! It does its damnedest to justify the eye-for-an-eye philosophy and cloaks its horrifying message in the garb of "awakening of the common man"!
I am sure before long this will also be labeled a "classic" that shows how a "generation awakened" and "rose up against the tyranny of terror"! Please tell me I am not the only one offended by the obnoxious sentiments peddled here.
On a lighter note - no more serious stuff - I promise! More of oldie masala coming your way soon.
a) I am too lazy
b) please refer to point a
That doesnt mean that I wont talk about them! So here's my tuppence-worth.
Both the movies were extremely disturbing in unexpected ways. And no, I am not talking about the mass scale destruction of human-kind depicted, because that wasnt unexpected. They were movies about terror attacks. I knew that gruesome scenes of death and destruction were on the menu and was prepared for that. What disturbed me more was the depiction of police torture as a legitimate, even essential, component of interrogation.
Yes, we all know about (and take for granted) the use of third degree methods by Indian police, but I was disturbed by the movies' sympathetic depiction of it! The filmi police had no doubts about the guilt of the witnesses they tortured and always elicited truthful information as a result of torture! Isnt that strange? Havent several debates concluded that a person will say anything and do anything in order to end the torture, and information thus gained isnt reliable? Am I the only one who worries about people on the street not helping me against an assailant/molester for fear of police brutality? Surely movies at least, could project a more positive image of the police (even if it is untrue)? Or is it just that since jehadis are responsible for all of India's terror attacks, the majority Hindu population is safe from police brutality and therefore, doesnt care to object?
My quibbles with it apart, Black Friday was a movie documenting the events surrounding the 1993 Mumbai blasts and did it very well. A Wednesday on the other hand, took me aback with its insane plot line. No, I am not referring to the robotic cops that seem to make-up Commisioner Rathod's police force (they obey without question and salute all the time!) and the chief minister who actually bows to a city police commissioner's judgment (Right! Thats exactly how the executive works in India!) - those deserve a post of their own!
My chief issue against the movie is that it advocates the Rang De Basanti school of thought, i.e., if you find a cancerous growth in your body, kill one or two cells and the rest of the tumor cells will shrivel up and die out of sheer fright! If not, at least we have shown the tumor what we are capable of and that will make everybody happy and the cancer will cease to be life-threatening! At Beth's and elsewhere in blogistan we have discussed the cathartic effect of filmi violence but this movie takes catharsis to new heights and provides the most unreasonable justifications for reverting to anarchy and medieval practices of justice and punishment.
Why this unusual burst of strong feelings against a movie? I had read nothing but good things about this movie everywhere. Its been touted as a very taut and well-made thriller. And it has Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher together after a very long time (the last time I saw them together on-screen was in Pestonjee, which was great!). Can you blame me for having high expectations? Sure high expectations are rarely met, but this was soooooo far from what I expected! It does its damnedest to justify the eye-for-an-eye philosophy and cloaks its horrifying message in the garb of "awakening of the common man"!
I am sure before long this will also be labeled a "classic" that shows how a "generation awakened" and "rose up against the tyranny of terror"! Please tell me I am not the only one offended by the obnoxious sentiments peddled here.
On a lighter note - no more serious stuff - I promise! More of oldie masala coming your way soon.
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