(Dhurandhar-The Revenge... Is there a right-wing narrative of Nation First ?)
"Nafrat hae mujhe duniya ka har woh Kanoon jisey mera baap manta hae" - That was angry young man ....
... Amitabh Bachchan in 'Shakti'. The one-liner means - "I hate every law on earth that my father abides by and glorifies".
That was a different era. Father-son chemistry was often decided by how much one scored in Maths. The only purpose of Life was - an admission in an Engineering College.
As a college going youngster -- we were moved by Amitabh's roles and dialogues. This blogger also thought about his dictator-dad ... and I would have easily said:
"I hate Science .... not because I want to hate Science ... I hate it because my father said I should love it".
Where are the claps man ?
 |
| Father-son tussle in iconic Trishul : "Mr R K Gupta and his angry illegitimate son" |
A few decades back; Angry youngman followed different tracks of pathos. Guru Dutt's 'Kaagaz Ke Phool' dwelt with the Conflict of Man and Success.
Well, am I getting lost into a thought on Guru Dutt’s life and films, especially the path-breaking ‘Kagaz Ke Phool’ ? In that film, life offers the protagonist nothing but failure and humiliation.
Similarly in another Guru Dutt film, 'Pyasa", the hero is let down by the people who are closest to him.
***
In a Facebook posting after my meeting with L K Advani on December 16, 2014; I had posed a simple question whether the not so often said maxim, “the Success is the ultimate failure” would really apply to the BJP patriarch !! .... Well this is not a political piece.
Here I want to talk about Dhurandhar-2 -- As we know Bollywood screen tales -- 'defeatist' protagonists generally symbolised despair.
Jaskirat alias Humza is different. He symbolises endurance.
Paradoxically to a large extent Ranveer Singh’s Jaskirat Singh Rangi, alias Hamza, is not a winner at all.
Jaskirat loses ties with his family, his identity, the love of his life and his emotional anchor even as he wins the war against terror for India.
The new era Hero - Hamza’s motivations stem from grief.
He is defined and motivated by loss -- Perhaps has to do with today's era wherein man/woman is essentially a loner and also has lost the bigger parts of Life.
Lately, a Naga politician had lamented saying : "Politics has failed me !!"
Humza's or Jassi's emotional graph is rooted in separation and longing. He is separated from his wife Yalina (Sara Arjun) and their child in Pakistan.
This, after Ranveer's Jaskirat has already suffered personal loss back home in India at the start of Dhurandhar 2.
Knowingly or otherwise - the film makers have positioned Hamza not as a triumphant warrior.
He is carrying irreparable emotional fractures. but he is a man fighting -- or rather discharging his duties for the country.
Is that a right-wing narrative of Nation First ?
Importantly, he forsakes everything not for personal reasons ...
not because he was angry with his "Najayaz Baap"....
, but for a much greater cause – Bharat or Hindustan; the nation.
There is yet another strong element -- He fights not because he believes he will win, but he fights .... because he has nothing left to lose.
Even the romantic song ...
Gehra hua, gehra hua - It has deepened, it has grown deeper.
Dariya dua gehra hua - The divine river (of love) has grown deeper.
Tera hua - I have become yours.
Tu agar meri, yeh hawayein teri - If you are mine, then these breezes are yours.
 |
| Ranveer in Simmba |
Hence the theme wins --
There is a fine 'balancing' of emotional depth with flamboyance. He could be outrageous and endearing in the same breath -- as they put it.
Defeat is not a traditional failure. It is a character. It's a springboard to do better.
Hamza is quietly broken, and that brokenness becomes his aura ... ambience and flavor.
There lies another element. Another actor has arrived. And Ranveer Singh he is doing well and he is 'not a Khan'. He is neither from Nepo club !!
Critics already sent in accolades "Ranveer doesn’t just act… he absorbs, he becomes". -- says 'Glitz'.
Ends
No comments:
Post a Comment