Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi – A Review

The first question that comes to your mind after watching the movie is – why the hell is Chitrangada Singh not acting in any more movies? Damn – she is right up on my list after Scarlett Johansson.

Anyways, the movie is based on the Indian society and the revolution and Emergency in the 1970s. The film is centered around the lives of three DU students Vikram (Shiney Ahuja), Shiddharth (Kay Kay Menon) and Geeta (Chitrangada). I already have a very high opinion of Shiney and Kay Kay and to me they represent the best of Indian actors, ahead of the Khans and the Bacchans, well at least one Bacchan.

The movie weaves through their lives, while in college and then outside it, and is interlaced with the political upheaval in India in the 70s with Emergency, and Communism just about finding it roots. Siddharth, son of a judge, is attracted to the extreme Communist ideology and swears by the Naxalite movement. Geeta is initially reluctant about the movement but joins in later and starts working in a village. Vikram uses his networking skills to move up the social ladder. He is the man who can get things done. Though Vikram is manipulative and a political figure, he remains good at the bottom of his heart, and his love for Geeta is unending. Siddharth, though committed to the revolution, loses focus as the movie progresses. Geeta, initially not so optimistic about the revolution, works whole heartedly once she starts working, and in the course of her faces every possible misfortune and even gets raped by the autocratic police. Siddharht too suffers a lot at the end of the movie and is mentally disabled in a police beating. However, it ends on an optimistic note with him and Geeta coming together at the end.

The movie is very well directed and very well paced, and the actors give brilliant performances. In all, a must watch movie. I dont know how I missed the movie when it was released. The movie draws its name from a Mirza Ghalib ghazal quoted below:

हज़ारों ख़्वाहिशें ऐसी की हर ख़्वाहिश पे दम निकले
बहुत निकले मेरे अरमान लेकिन फिर भी कम निकले
मुहब्बत में नही है फ़र्क जीने और मरने का
उसी को देख कर जीते हैं जिस काफ़िर पर दम निकले

Another couple of lines from Rahim, which I really like and believe in are used once in the movie.

रहिमन धागा प्रीत का मत तोड़ो चटकाए
टूटे सो फिर ना जुड़े, जुड़े गाँठ पड़ जाये

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Black Friday

I saw this movie quite a while back, but the scenes are still fresh in my memory. The gory scene just after the blast and the deformed bodies. The police torture scene and the man shooting himself and his family. The exploitation of angry Muslim youth by Tiger Memon and many more. Its hard to believe that the same director has actually directed Shaka Laka Boom Boom.

The movie has been adapted by Anurag Kashyap from a book by Hussain Zaidi. The movie is fast paced and moves effortlessly form the past to the present and various scenes. The movie uses original names, from Tiger Memon to Dawood Ibrahim. No one has been spared, not the Muslims, not the Hindus, not the Police and not even Balasaheb Thakare. For once a hindi movie has called a spade a spade. The movie even manages to humanize the terrorists without actually pardoning them. As Ojas puts it here, “And that graffiti on the police station cell wall and that chase sequence… they have managed to catch even the minutest details.”

The brilliant Kay Kay Menon, as Inspector Mario, speaks more from his eyes than his actions. The scenes with his dipping his head in a bucket of water, and giving the lady her spectacles back are just awesome. However, the movie’s best act goes to Pavan Malhotra as Tiger Memon. He has played his part exceptionally well. Tiger’s histerical shouting after his office is burnt down and his manipulation of the angry Muslim youth is spell binding. Also worth mention is a splendid performance by Aditya Srivastava as Badsah Khan. His potrayl of Badsah’s journey and the troubles during it make you sit up and take notice. His tussle scene with Yeda Yakub for his passport gets you to the edge of your seat. Overall the movie gets a 4.5/5 from me. A def must watch!!

One complain with the movie. I think at points it has under used the music by Indian Ocean. The song Bandeh comes at the end, and is a masterpiece. I wish I hear them play it live once.

अरे मंदीर ये चुप है, अरे मस्जिद है गुमसूम, इबादत थक पड़ेगी हो
समय की लाल आँधी, कब्रिस्तान ये रास्ते, अरे लतपट् चलेगी हो

अरे नींदें है ज़ख़्मी, अरे सपने है भूखे, की करवत फट पड़ेगी हो
एह आंधी चोट तेरी, कभी की सुख जाती, मगर अब पाक चलेगी

PS: What is it with guys and water. I personally feel so much better after a shower when I am depressed and also how sweet the rain feels at times.

Rozana

This is the brilliant song sung by the now-seen-in-every movie, yet brilliant, Amitabh Bacchan. I personally know some one who wouldn’t be complaining at all.

The movie is Nishabd, apparently the RGV’s version of Lolita. Anyways, I liked the song and am posting the part of the song I really loved.

कुछ गाऊं तो याद आते हो
गुनगुनाऊं तो याद आते हो
कुछ पेहनू तो याद आते हो
कहीं जाऊं तो याद आते हो
कुछ खोने पे याद आते हो
कुछ पाऊं तो याद आते हो

Brilliant lyrics and song. Go check it out.

Most underrated hindi song

Here is what I personally believe is the most under-rated hindi songs of our times!! Brilliant lyrics by Gulzar and sung by the extremely talented Jaspindar Narula, this song is extremely touching. Annu Malik has the knack of coming up with brilliant music every once in a while, and this brilliance is undermined by loads of pedestrian stuff.

ना ले के जाओ मेरे दोस्त का जनाज़ा है
अभी तो गर्म है मिट्टी ये जिस्म ताज़ा है
ना ले के जाओ…

उलझ गई है कहीं साँस खोल दो इस की
लबों पे आई है जो बात पूरी करने दो
अभी उम्मीद भी जिन्दा है ग़म भी ताज़ा है
ना ले के जाओ…

जगाओ इस को गले मिल के अलविदा तो कहूँ
ये कैसी रुख़सती है ये क्या सलीका है
अभी तो जीने का हर एक ज़ख्म ताज़ा है
ना ले के जाओ…

• Movie: Fizaa
• Singer: Jaspindar Narula
• Lyrics: Gulzar
• Music: Annu Malik

Madhusala – Bachchan

Madhusala by Harivansh Rai Bachchan is one of my favourite Hindi poems of all time. Below are a few excerpts from it. You can read the entire thing here.

मुसलमान औ’ हिन्दू है दो, एक, मगर, उनका प्याला,
एक, मगर, उनका मदिरालय, एक, मगर, उनकी हाला,
दोनों रहते एक न जब तक मस्जिद मन्दिर में जाते,
बैर बढ़ाते मस्जिद मन्दिर मेल कराती मधुशाला!।५०।

आज करे परहेज़ जगत, पर, कल पीनी होगी हाला,
आज करे इन्कार जगत पर कल पीना होगा प्याला,
होने दो पैदा मद का महमूद जगत में कोई, फिर
जहाँ अभी हैं मन्दिर मस्जिद वहाँ बनेगी मधुशाला।।५३।

कभी न सुन पड़ता, ‘इसने, हा, छू दी मेरी हाला’,
कभी न कोई कहता, ‘उसने जूठा कर डाला प्याला’,
सभी जाति के लोग यहाँ पर साथ बैठकर पीते हैं,
सौ सुधारकों का करती है काम अकेले मधुशाला।।५७।

छोटे-से जीवन में कितना प्यार करुँ, पी लूँ हाला,
आने के ही साथ जगत में कहलाया ‘जानेवाला’,
स्वागत के ही साथ विदा की होती देखी तैयारी,
बंद लगी होने खुलते ही मेरी जीवन-मधुशाला।।६६।

PS: A few spellings may be incorrect but there is only that much a transliterator can do.

Kamal Hai!

Quillpad is an online transliterator (complete with AJAX and the works, with a very Web2.0 feel) which I have started liking immensely. An Indian startup, it does a pretty decent job and provides you a very very clean and simple interface. It also supports Kannad, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi and Malayalam. Below is a sample, lyrics of the song Tere Bin from Bas Ek Pal. Since my Hindi is not great I do not know if the spellings are alright but they seem decent.

तेर बीन मैं यूँ कैसे जीया
कैसे जीया तेरे बीन
तेरे बीन मैं यूँ कैसे जीया
कैसे जीया तेरे बीन
लेकर यादें तेरी रातें मेरी कटी – 2
मुझसे बातें तेरी करती है चाँदनी
तन्हा है तुझ बीन रातें मेरी
दीन मेरे दीन के जैसे नही
तन्हा बदन तन्हा है रूह नाम मेरी आँखें रहे
आजा मेरे अब रूबरू
जीना नही बीन तेरे
तेरे बीन मैं यूँ कैसे जीया
कैसे जीया तेरे बीन
तेरे बीन मैं यूँ कैसे जीया
कैसे जीया तेरे बीन

क़ब्से आँखें मेरी राह में तेरे बिच्छी – 2
भूले से ही कही तू मील जाए कभी
भूले ना मुझसे बातें तेरी
भीगी है हैर पल आँखें मेरी
क्यूं साँस लूं क्यूं मैं ज़ीयू
जीना बुरा सा लगे
क्यूं हो गया तू बेवाफ़ाा मुझको बता दे वजह
तेरे बीन मैं यूँ कैसे जीया
कैसे जिया तेरे बीन …
तेरे बीन मैं यूँ कैसे जिया
कैसे जीया तेरे बीन …