”Let us learn to dream gentlemen. Probably then we shall learn the truth.”
—August Kekulé
“Aankhein sapnein nahin dekhti. Mann sapnein dekhta hain. Main aankhonse nahin dekh sakti. Phir bhee main sapnein dekhti hoon. Mera sapna hain, to be a graduate!”
—Michelle McNally
Introduction
THEY WERE not spontaneous, impulsive outbursts of emotion that shaped history, nor have sudden strokes of unexpected fortune carved out its course. History has been shaped by dreams: by those who dreamt, pursued their dreams with evangelical tenacity, tirelessly and incessantly. History has been made by those who dreamt great dreams and by those who canalized every thought, every action and every last drop of energy in them to pursuing them. History has not been built by prodigy. History has not been shaped by fate. And history has not been married to destiny. History breathes in suffering and breathes out labor. History is the child of labor, unforgiving labor, against all odds, undeterred by pain and suffering.
History is not a fable to laugh, clap or cry over. History is a burning pyre of selfless sacrifices and people willing to make them. And the future is not for treasure hunters hunting for a mystical orchid. The future is for those dreamers, those madmen, to jump, unhesitant, into the incandescent pyre of history.
Let us learn to dream gentlemen… probably then we shall learn the truth!
== Story ==
BLACK is the story of Michelle McNally (played by Rani Mukherjee), a girl born deaf and blind. The world is sealed from her in sight and in sound. The things she touches are unseen, unheard, ununderstood, strange objects. Michelle is locked within herself, by disability, stagnating, destined to decay and perish within her own handicap. She cannot understand the world. She cannot ask. She cannot know. She cannot learn. She cannot say. She cannot think. She cannot possibly live for too long. Locked within herself, to a gloom that is pressing dark, and painfully silent, she will slowly crumble under the weight of her own self, decay and die.
It was only a miracle that could save her. No mere man bound to mere mundane limitations of procedure and convention can perform a miracle. Miracles have no method and genius, no procedure. A miracle will be performed by a nonconformist, a magician, a madman. And that madman is Debraj Sahay (played by Amitabh Bacchan). Michelle does not need eyes to overcome her darkness. She does not need ears to soar above her handicap. She needs the wings of words… the eyes of language…
A stagnated man cannot be saved by mercy. He cannot be set on a path to progress with kindness. He cannot be made a man by clutching his hand and mollycoddling him with love and protectiveness. Stagnation has only one cure—the man must learn to learn! Debraj knows this. With his extraordinary understanding of Michelle’s suffering, his outlandish nonconformism and relentless effort and evangelical patience, Debraj succeeds. He teaches her to learn. He teaches her to understand. He teaches her to know.
The rest will follow on its own…
== A Dream ==
EMBOLDENED BY her newfound thirst to learn, Michelle dreams to go to college. Debraj manages to convince a university to allot her a seat. She attends classes with Debraj alongside. He translates spoken words into actions that Michelle can understand. He teaches her to walk without his help. He teaches her to type on her typewriter. She learns, but slowly. She cannot pass her examinations for many, many years. But she does not look back. She has a dream. She has a great dream. And she will not stop till her dream comes true… History has been shaped by dreams: by those who dreamt, pursued their dreams with evangelical tenacity, tirelessly and incessantly…
And with her dream and her thrust and her grit and her teacher, Michelle walks the thorny, treacherous alleyways and aisles of suffering, asking destiny for directions, and stopping only to replenish her hoard of patience.
Miracles don’t have a method and genius, no procedure… Only a dream, a brilliant, burning, beautiful dream can perform a miracle…
Miracle is not prodigy. Miracle is not divinity. Miracle is not Intervention… Miracle is grit. Miracle is determination. Miracle is the willingness to suffer. Miracle is obstinate perseverance… Miracle is labor… Ah! Miracle is not chance! After all, God does not play dice!
== Cast Performance ==
RANI MUKHERJEE as Michelle McNally was, to me, a revelation. I have not seen her in too many movies, but in the ones I had seen her, she did not look anywhere near the pedestal she has put herself on, in this movie. Outstanding!
AMITABH BACCHAN as Debraj Sahay was amazing. A miracle magic-man and an incomparable teacher, Debraj Sahay is the most delicate character in the movie. And Amitabh Bacchan’s performance, much more so. Amazing… Bravo, old man!
Screenplay
TO BE very honest, the movie was too dark. There were indeed moments of happiness in the painful life of the McNally family as well, and in a movie full of such suffering, the relief of a few moments of happiness is a much-wanted thing. But director Mr. Bhansali has skipped over scenes of such brilliance, forcing back those tears of the viewer’s happiness right till the end. It probably was the best thing to do (he’s the professional moviemaker after all) but I, for one, could have done with a few more moments that relieved me from the darkness of Michelle’s life. Points? Out of ten, only six!
Music
THERE IS no scope for music numbers and dance sequences in such a story and thanks to the slow coming-of-age of Indian cinema (and cinema goers), there is no compulsion to have them either. The background music is touching, soothing and very engaging. Beyond that, there is little to say.
== In the End ==
BLACK is not a movie for those who are looking for a little entertainment to simply switch of from the monotony of routine. It is for those sensitive people who seek pleasure in knowing others’ dreams… It is for those people whose hearts can feel the subtle pulse of those dreams…
Loudly unsaid,
brightly unseen!
