Jerk Your Hair
The tabla just sets up the scene in a
reverse chord and the entire disused temple monument was oozing with a type of
opiate atmosphere which I had replayed and watched repeatedly, and will
probably do so on occasions for the rest of my life. It's a love scene that has
been crafted like a Swiss watch but made to look as if it only took the one
take. It's of course the Meri Mannat Tu song in this tale of twisted events
that will keep you away from the kettle or answering a text.
Today, I am so pleased that my mother
forced us all to watch Bollywood movies in the 1970s and back then the stories were
predictable, tediously dull and they churned it out like sausages all designed
for the masses. Ha, things have changed since then and personally I think India
has the most elaborate, talented, skilled film industry workforce in the world
and this is right across the board from their actors, software engineers,
singers, directors to dancers.
I scrutinized this scene and had to ask
myself why is it so good, why am I hooked and the more I watch it, the more I
realise how passionate every single person was in the scene. It was almost as
if they had plucked out their heart and handed it on a tray to the director.
The director never abused that passion, he merely respected it and that's what made
this movie one of my favourite of all time. Who needs Hollywood?
The entire scene was dusted with this
shocking magenta red dye which added to the developing attraction between Tariq
and Gulrez. The thumping and thundering sound of the maram and tablas just
intensified the mood created by all the dancers. Every single one of them were
lost in the music and the song which had words like, "there are millions
of signals in your eyes, come I'll hide you under my eyelids". I do not
even speak Hindi, but I was engulfed by this song and the dance scene. It's
indeed, a celebration of love.
Then, as the dancers chant in unison the
"Jhatak jhatak zulfon ki gujariya gujariya, gujariya" which literally
translated means "Jerk, jerk your, o dancing girl, jerk your hair".
The dancers then converge and surrounded Gulrez and you can feel the potency of
the love. The writers, location finders, musical arrangements right down to how
simple all the dancers clothing were just added to the scene and I dread to think
how long they planned and crafted this scene. It's simply cinematic
genius.
The scene then followed with Tariq, a
restaurant owner serving orphan children and when they finished the meal, one
of the kids jumped from over the steps towards the van utterly oblivious to the camera crew. There were no plastic
foods being served, everything looked so authentic and organic. It is after all
called the "Feast of Love".
I decided to give up television altogether
in 2014 and I do not miss it one little bit as it was full of commercials and
repeats, so I opted for Netflix. Sadly, it doesn't have many Bollywood films so
I am on the prowl for another service where I can check out more Bollywood
movies. I will only review the films which I find exceptional or has some other
endearing quality.
Qadir - Gulrez Father
It's just Gulrez and her dad, their
relationship together filled in an existing void as her mother had passed away. He works as a court clerk and dutifully makes his daughter's lunch,
wakes her up and allows her to grow into a determined woman. There's a scene
where she's riding her scooter, dropping daddy off to the court where they have
a chit chat about life and struggles in India. He said, "In our country,
you cannot buy a house without black money and you cannot marry without dowry".
India is sitting pretty just below France in the 2015 GDP economic ranking, but
there are still aspects of this vibrant sub-continent that echoes stories from its past.
