Apr 16, 2005 01:04 PM
1377 Views
(Updated Apr 16, 2005 01:10 PM)
Lights, Camera, Action - take it in the literal sense as in light of this movie, the men behind the camera in India would think of taking new actions in mainstream Bollywood movies. Enter Black. Let me give you some insights, Khamoshi was a great plot, with great stars, it could've been quite a brilliant movie but failed to churn out the performances. Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam on a personal note was not to my liking. ''Devdas'', needless to say, the performances were brilliant, but yet again failed to touch my heart. If ''Devdas'' was the tip of the iceberg when it came to performances, enter Black.
Where to start and where to end? The most important question being, what to criticize? In the ages when one tries to show some skin and sell movies, here is a movie that teaches those directors looking for petty gains to challenge your art, and come in and make movie. 2 hrs of brilliance, a lifetime of experience.
Starting off with a blind and deaf girl from a rich family in Simla, Michelle McNally lives in a world which is completely Black. She cannot see, she cannot listen, she cannot speak. But she can feel. Enter Amitabh Bachchan, a drunkard who gives new meaning to the life of Michelle, he gives her even more powerful weapons than senses, that being determination and self-belief to achieve the unthinkable. Debraj Sahai, he is Michelle's teacher, he is Michelle's godfather, he is her life. He is God for her. He teaches a young Michelle to feel and hence with the help of her finger, she learn the alphabets and learns how to communicate with others. She learn to type, she learns through her inner mind, her imagination. She sets off to become an Arts Graduate.
But just when one thought that everything was going great, Debraj starts losing his memory and goes into a coma, with Michelle, even after 19 attempts fails to complete her dream, their dream. Yet, she tributes her teacher by doing the unthinkable, without any senses but the touch of things, she becomes a graduate and tries to bring the lights back in the life of her teacher. She gives back whatever her teacher has though her.
Having seen various movies of Amitabh Bachchan, there weren't many which I could say would give my heart out to agree with the fact that he is the superstar of the mellinieum. But this movie has clarified things. A true director's actor, a perfectionist, he gives his best performance upto date. A special mention to Ayesha the young Michelle as she outperforms Rani Mukherjee with some flawless scenes which have perfection to match the great man himself. The standards set by the young girl are such high that Rani, even though fails to live upto the billing, gives a seller performance. She isn't exposed, she isn't showing an ounce of skin. That is art, she has shown one thing, that is her brilliant acting, again.
Credits to Sanjay Leela Bhansali, he has given mainstream cinema a new meaning, a western meaning. A realization that movie making dosn't necessarily involve song and dance sequences with a feel-good factor in the end, it is an art. An art to get the perfect settings, the perfect lighting, the perfect camera work, the perfect feel. Can I remove any flaws? Some minor ones like certain scenes although perfect fails to reach to the levels of perfection set by Ayesha, Amitabh and Rani. The sound track at times also does seem a bit off but in all remains in synch with the movie.
Yet, when one talks of crossover, SLB shows that the crossover movies have to take care of just one barrier, the language barrier. That he does it with fenache, with brilliance, with art. All I can say is I hope this movie becomes a benchmark, a benchmark to showcase art of direction and to leave behind a though when one leaves the theatre. With words like ''Black is not the color of depression, it is also the colour of knowledge.'' ''Whenever you try to reach towards light, darkness would pull you towards itself'', it made me think about life, reflect on what a beautiful movie this man has made. Watch this one alone I would recommend, watch it alone with you reflecting the movie, reacting to it, feeling it. Where was he when he made Khamoshi? The benchmark could've been set even earlier. Don't miss out on this one.
