Much is lost in translation, they say, that language carries with it the essential markers of the culture it breathes in and that merely changing the language therefore robs the piece of its quintessence. That each word has its own subtle flavour, a nuance never quite exactly duplicated by another, even less so in another language. It was with a great deal of trepidation therefore, that one walked into a screening of the movie Jungle-Book. It was a late night show with a group of friends, hellbent on some fun, no matter what! That spirit perhaps provided the bravado, we watched the Hindi version!
They do say that sometimes the copies are better than the original!! I cannot testify if that is so in this case, not having watched the original English version, I can say nevertheless that the Hindi version holds one spell bound!!
From the opening chase, it’s clear that we’re not going to be short-changed in terms of running, jumping, swinging, and falling action, but more impressive is the balance between threat and pathos, comedy and peril, which Favreau, the Director, manages with aplomb.We all know the story of course, a boy lost in the jungle, raised by a pack of wolves, strange but largely accepted by the animals that inhabit the jungle, friends all, except Shere Khan who is hell bent on revenge, having permanently lost an eye in human encounter...chase, escape, revenge, a fight, and eventual victory, a return of harmony post elimination of evil, a story as old as the woods! What breathes new life in it is the animated format and the life like montage, the sights and sounds truly awesome.
Bollywood actors Nana Patekar as Shere Khan, Om Puri as Bageera, Irfaan Khan as Bhallu and Priyanka Chopra as Kaa, seem to be having a lot of fun, and that comes through as an audible input in the film's soundtrack. Nana has the cocksure self assured egotistical Shere Khan down to a T ! Drunk on power determined to protect his turf! Irfaan plays Bhallu with a Punjabi flavour, it's mild Delhi Punjabi though!Not quite rustic enough, entertaining nevertheless, the Punjabi simplicity and bonhomie comes through beautifully!I wondered as I watched if Ben Kingsley and Bill Murray did any better, must watch that version too I suppose!
Priyanka plays kaa the serpent seductress adequately enough,(Scarlett Johansson plays the part in the English original) as does Puri, playing Bageera who is also the narrator.
Disney movies have come to be layered narratives, the fairy tale settings allegorical, metaphors for life lessons. Thus the good and the evil is now nuanced with shades of grey in between, as with sleeping beauty, 'Maleficent' the evil witch played by Angelina Jolie, walks away with sympathy as the tale unfolds, Rapunzel is also about finding one's own niche, the Beauty and the Beast as much about the real as the fairy tale, as much about acceptance of one's flaws, as it is about the power of passion and love. The Jungle-Book too is about growing up and self discovery , about making choices and about having the courage of one's own convictions, the will and the intent to make the world see things from one's perspective . Therein perhaps lies the appeal that these films have had for the adult audience in recent times.
Each act of reading, they say again, is an act of writing, each act of translation, transcription , therefore adds an additional flavour to the narrative. I wondered how Kipling wrote the characters as I watched, and if a film makes me want to go back to the book , then at least in my reckoning the film is a success. I thought the same years ago when the television serial was being screened and yes Gulzar's Mowgli song still brings a smile to my face. Neel Sethi is terrific as Mowgli, whose frame and stance eerily echo those of his animated predecessor.
Disney movies are beautiful montages, the animated format providing just enough leeway for the essential poetic fuzziness that renders the magical, real! The detailing is exquisite, I thought the jungle was straight out of the Lord of the Rings movie, the sounds real, the animals and their movement authentic. The tree that Kaa inhabits is a sight to behold, that entire space truly magically unreal! The director very significantly uses size as an indicator of the extraordinary, the true evil, the supernatural...the elephants considered divine are humongous, kaa, truly evil is larger than life, the monkey king Louie, an Orangutan is disproportionately large. perhaps the only thing lost in translation is the self appointed gigantic king's musical abilities, the rap format falling somewhat flat in the Hindi version of " I wanna be like you"
In many ways this is a movie that could not have been made before now, as much of what one sees on screen is unreal, like Cinderella and the Life of Pie, the movie owes its success to technology, the jungle looks jaw droppingly real, the animals life like, some more than others of course, but all good nevertheless! despite the fact that the film keeps to well established troupes and is somewhat limited by that, (one waits a little to see something new other than the walking talking animals) this is a movie well worth a watch, and may be the best Jungle Book movie yet.
Oh and one last thought! Kipling did write this in India, it's an Indian Jungle, North Indian at that! makes sense that the characters speak Hindi! is that coming a full circle? You betcha, it is !!!
Oh and one last thought! Kipling did write this in India, it's an Indian Jungle, North Indian at that! makes sense that the characters speak Hindi! is that coming a full circle? You betcha, it is !!!
Vinny
23/4/16
