मौसम कुछ यूं हुआ होगा मध्यम हुआ होगा सूरज और जल उठी होगा शम्मा हारी होगी लड़ाई उसने और धीरे धीरे बुझ गयी होगी रौशनी मौसम यक ब यक नहीं बदला करते खिड़कियां खुली ही होंगी पहले पहले फिर एक अंधड़ उठा होगा बंद की गयी होंगी खिड़कियाँ मौसम यूं ही बदला होगा दिन तो खुश ही रहा होगा रंगीन, रोशन , हरा भरा फिर शाम की सियाही ने मिटाये होंगे कुछ रंग तनहा रात हारी होगी उदासी से मौसम यक ब यक नहीं बदला करते सर्द हवाओं ने दिशा बदली होगी सब्ज़ बाग़ कुछ सहमे होंगे पीले पड़े पत्तों में सरसराहट सी होगी परिंदों ने भी चुप रहना सीखा होगा मौसम यूं ही बदला होगा हँसती आँखों में समाया होगा बदरंग सा तिनका कोई सैलाब सा आया होगा रुक गया होगा होंठों पर मन का मौसम यूं ही बदला होगा ~ विन्नी ४/१२/१८
was a rather dull day, almost melancholy , and one needed distractions in order to prevent the mind from dwelling on the morose.
As it turns out this film, Churchill, was not a good choice to accomplish that task, for it deals with the dilemmas and dread that Churchill faces as he contemplates D Day, the Normandy landing in all its possible consequences. This must be a first of sorts for me , for i saw a film that deals with the subject of war (WW II) without showing any fighting at all, just the trauma , the dilemma, the dread involved in decision making, a decision that will send 20000 men to war, a focused invasion of france, meant to liberate it from the Germans, and achieve a decisive victory. The invasion at Normandy was a success and was the beginning of the end of the war , with the Germans in retreat thereafter, this we know now in hindsight. the movie however shows us a Churchill, tormented with the thought of failure, riddled with the guilt of Gallipoli (From WW I), unwilling to send innocent young men to their deaths, battling with the thought of a similar debacle, very troubled.
in many ways he is a man living in the past, fighting the American Generals, disagreeing with the plan, unwilling to be cast aside in the process of decision making.
Critics have pointed out the historical inaccuracy of that disagreement, as also the inaccuracies in the portrayal of his domestic relationship, with his wife and his employees, the screenplay plays the disagreements up, perhaps in order to dramatise Churchill's psychic state.
this must happen to most generals and kings and warlords, they must be, at some point in their lives, haunted by the souls of those they send to death.
the actors are brilliant, Brain Cox tears into the role, and honestly it was for him that i chose to watch the film, and Miranda Richardson as his wife makes her character come alive.
it is a rather sympathetic portrayal, subtly British, the great leader, torn apart with the pain of the common people he leads, empathetic of their concerns, wishing to prevent death and bloodshed, yet courageous enough to contemplate joining the troops at the front.
That said, its difficult to reconcile this image with that of a man who quite cynically and deliberately, in full knowledge, made the decision to withdraw food and grain bound for Bengal and the Eastern parts of India, in order to prevent it falling into the hands of the advancing Japanese army at about the same time as the decision for Normandy was being made. Creating a "Scorched Earth" scenario for the Japanese meant the creation of a Famine in Bengal that was unprecedented in scale and resulted in the death of a million Indian citizens. the Bengal famine was a catastrophe , a tragedy of horrendous proportions, created by that decision alone that resulted in the unavailability of food, condemning hundreds of thousands of Indians to slow starvation. Perhaps not equal enough with the Europeans at stake on the Western Front? a film that certainly makes one think, regardless of perspective.
sympathy for Mr Churchill will be hard to come by in Indian parts.
Vinny
19/11/18
पतझड़ तुम, दरिया के पार जो गए कोई सदा लौट कर नहीं आयी, चाँद उग आया है आज, शब् ढले हवा अब सर्द है और रात सियाह, और ये एक चाँद काफी नहीं दिल को रोशन करने को, मैं, साहिल पर खड़ी सदियों से इंतज़ार में हूँ, किसी एक रात में दो दो चाँद दिखें और तुम लौट आओ यूं ये महज़ एक ख्वाब हो शायद या कोई वहम, वक़्त के इस लम्बे वक़्फ़े में, सब अनबूझ सा लगता है, बस ये एक चाँद है, मैं हूँ और है एक आस, दरिया के पानियों सी उठती , बुझती, और हवाएं अब सर्द हैं ~ विन्नी ४/११/१८
THE LAST OF THE RAINS You arrived riding a tumultuous storm,
In the months of your sojourn, I've learnt to read your moods, written in the winds and the clouds, The sights and the smells , Of wet earth and blooming lotuses, Blinding and stormy at times, reminding one of one's insignificance, in the grand order of things, the melancholy that nostalgia invokes, the joys of old, swept away, As if to make way for the new, Calming and soft often, Replenishing, steadfast , joyous They tell me that you will inevitably depart, if I were to ask, Would you tarry a while to share my confusions, I need you to be munificent with your magic, While I weave my tales, Often to very illogical conclusions. -vinny 21/9/2013
रेख शाम की बरखा ने आज फिर राह की रेख मिटा दी धुंधलके में आज फिर भटक गयी हूँ मैं , अपने ही शहर में, अजनबी सी में, नए अनजान मोड़ पर खड़ी हूँ, सेहमी , सिमटी, हिचकिचाती , कोई पूछ भी ले तो , अक्सर कह भी नहीं पाती, कहाँ से आयी, जाना कहाँ है मुझे, जाने वो कैसे लोग होते हैं, जो हर हाल अपनी राह ही चलते हैं, राह की रेख हो, या न भी हो। .. `~ विन्नी
इंतज़ार
हम मुन्तज़िर हैं अज़ल से
कुरबतों की इनायत हो
वस्ल की रात हो
चाँद उरूज पर हो
उन के साथ का ख्वाब है
मुख़्तसर सी , नाज़ुक सी बात है
आखिर किस तरहाँ कहें
इस ओर रिवायतें ज़बान रोकें हैं
उधर अरमान मचले जाते हैं
मुसलसल इंतज़ार में
दिन व् रात ख़्वाबीदा से हैं
एक नज़र देख ले
नवाज़िश हो।
मुक़ददर का फेर है
वगरना यूं हम भी बुरे नहीं... !
~ विन्नी
१६/५/१८
आज उस ने पूछ ही लिया आख़िर, इस क़दर ख़ामोश क्यों हो? क्या कहूँ क्या न कहूँ खुद ही सुन ले वो जिसे सुनने का शऊर हो चुप हूँ उन खामोश किताबों की मानिंद जिन की ज़िल्दों से अलफ़ाज़ झांकते हैं ~ विन्नी 14/5/18
भीतर लगी अगन
बाहर फूट पड़ी हो जैसे
शाख़ पर सुर्ख फूल ही फूल
कोई सब्ज़ पत्ता बाक़ी नहीं
हसीं दिलनशीं दिलकश,
फरेब है लेकिन
नज़र भर का
खोखला है फूल का अन्तःकरण
कुछ सेहरा में मोह्बत की आस की मानिंद
कोई सुकून नहीं
बस फरेब है
नज़र भर का
~ विन्नी
१०/३/२०१८.
The controversies that surround the film , all seem so unnecessary, especially redundant in hindsight, not even worthy of comment. For the many months that the film's release was withheld, the nation debated, folklore and history, the right to privacy, the freedoms of speech and articulation, poetic license and cinematic freedom, multiple perceptions, even the obligation celebrities have to respect public perception. Feminism, the glorification (or otherwise) of Sati and Jauhar, how those two differ , and how war is fought and won and lost by several means!
What a waste of time and effort in a nation where people starve and diseases ravage , where life lapses into the poverty and the paucity of the medieval world with depressing regularity, where everyday struggles are basic and involve survival, not merely human dignity, which comes a distant second. Must one look for statements and issues in everything? Nah, this is merely entertainment.
That apart, the films 's claim to authenticity are two, first, the Jayasi epic is its bedrock, history is largely silent about the story (though folklore is not) and second, its adherence to the times of pre electricity brightness, the dark and the light, the fires serves as symbols of what one knows the film's trajectory to be, as well as the only sources of light apart from the Sun and the Moon, all symbols for Bhansali, who must see himself as a poet in images, if not in letters! everything is thus muted, subtle.
The Khilji character is a monster, yes, but that too is not in your face. He is shown eating, the mannerism raw, he breaks the food apart with his bare hands, his appetites (all of them ) ravenous. However the camera focuses on him, not the food. Bhansali establishes that everything that the man covets, he must have, it is this that fuels his appetite for the elusive queen, the denial.
He is the better strategist, the better General, organises his forces better and inspires them to loyalty as well, the Rawal, in contrast, rules a tradition ridden nation, given to pomp and splendour, a tad complacent. Is it any wonder then that the Khilji won?
It's all very grandly, very well done, the Rawal who has the Queen , comes across as a cultured man, bound, a tad too much and perhaps foolishly, to the dictates of tradition, antiquated notions of honour , a code of conduct that his adversary will not adhere to, and a code that his Queen too finds perplexing. She is a foreigner to the land after all and understands better the laws of nature, where might is right and power is everything. Introduced as a hunter, ( reminiscent of the forest dwellers of 'Avatar) she is practical and forthright in her understanding of men and their motives. The Rawal, on the other hand seems hemmed in, chained to a tradition, a code of conduct conspicuous by its absence in the corridors of power. It's already dated, a thing of the past. He too is shown eating, the food served in silver bowls, several little dishes, each distinct, partaken of a morsel at a time, delicately!Perhaps civilization does this to one, as perhaps it corrupts others, institutionalising sentiment, alienating, dehumanizing. The metaphors abound, she comes from a kingdom that earth and water, he comes from one that's arid and hot, fire reigns. Those contrasts are drawn out, in the individuals who have imbibed them as well as the cultures that have fostered them.
Everything is fair in love and war, anything for success. Two contrasting worlds. the characters merely play their parts, including the Queen, who must die to uphold honour, not to do so would be an unimaginable disgrace.
The 'Ghoomer' song is a delight, showcasing not only the art form, but the scale and grandness of the set as well, Deepika's best moment!
The human element comes from Kafur, there's real emotion there. this character gets a brilliant introduction. A slave bought in the market, he is presented, veiled as a woman, as a "nayaab cheez" to khilji, who has just been robbed of another 'nayaab yakut' ( his could be the Kohenoor diamond that he did get as part of the loot from Deogiri, but one is not told so) Kafur is a vicious killer and an able general, but more importantly he becomes Khilji's most trusted aide and perhaps his lover. Does he love Khilji afterall? or is he merely a slave bound to wish fulfillment. The Actor's face falls everytime Khiji mentions his desire for Padmani, the author backed part superbly played out on screen. Kafur gets the best song too!
Bhansali has over the years created his own genreI in a film where one knows the entire trajectory beforehand, the possibilities are limited, despite that the Bhansali essentials are all there, the grandness, the costumes, the chandelier, the lights the Bhansalieque one lines. There's plenty to remind one of the jungles in 'Avatar', in the opening scenes with Deepika and the 'Game of Thrones' in the battle scenes and the Khilji courtroom in the latter half. Also as Ranvir runs through the battlements of Chittor in the Climax, does he conjure up an American footballer in the mind's eye...his multi layered shoulder guards do!
The fact that it's based on a poem would not be lost to those familiar with the Operatic world.The film is an Opera in another medium and perhaps for that reason lacks the intimacy of storytelling, or it may be that reducing a legend to the personal tragedies of the protagonists, always a difficult task, escaped Bhansali, in this telling.
Do watch it though, there's enough to keep one engaged and watch it in 3D , Do!
Missed this one on screen. it is perhaps, the softest of the songs in the album and could have added the human sentiment, the emotional content missing between the Rawal and his beauteous queen.
~Vinny
9/2/18
I've had a long day, she said,
I've often wondered, he said,
What does it mean when one says that ?
For all days are measured much the same,
Are they not? The seconds and the minutes,
the hours precisely count to twenty four !!
All together and apart!
His eyes twinkled!
Ah! She sighed,
there are days that begin mid morning and end late afternoon,
Gently fade into nothingness,
With the Sun,
And then there are those that one endures,
From dawn to dusk and beyond,
Unceasing the clock goes on and on,
Don't you know those? She said,
The ones when the light burns your soul
Black to a cinder,
And the night whips up a wind,
That scatters one's parts apart,
incessant, such that one comes undone,
Ripped asunder,
They say the Japanese have an art
Whereby they patch up such parts
With gold, such that the broken
Illumined, shines better than one that is not!
He smiled
Though one be broken, black and blue,
That is where the light gets in !
~vinny
6/2/18
Everyone has a story to tell, he said,
your's for instance, could be Envy,
considering you are all green today!
i wonder what has you so thralled!
Ah, she said, shouldn't you know?
considering that you are the one telling the tale!
i merely count the what ifs' and the would bes'
that pepper the telling, he said,
it's your tale, coloured with the oohs' and the ahs'
that collectively give you away!
I've been looking, she said,
in admiration , (i tell myself!)
at this and that and the other,
the curl of that eyelash and the bounty of that mane,
the rose in that cheek and the spring in that step.
the zeal, the zest and the laughter,
the effort in the fragrance, disguised just so, with such elan,
and I've been wondering if i can keep up with the pantomime,
so rehearsed, yet so nonchalant!
yes, i could well be Green, she said!
~Vinny
2/2/18
