A brilliant Social Cinema. Review on Chandni Bar

The Story

Chandni Bar exposes the life and reality of dancing girls at Mumbai's sleazy night clubs. Mumtaz (Tabu) comes to Mumbai with her uncle seeking a new life after communal riots ruined her home. The naïve Mumtaz lands a ''job'' as a dancer in a beer joint called Chandni Bar. A place where women with flexible morals dance and incite men to tip them. Although hostile at first, the other girls at the bar soon become very close to Mumtaz. They teach her the tricks of the trade and comforts her at times of trouble. One day Mumtaz's own guardian and uncle molests her. She finds solace in the company of her fellow dancers who shares with her similar cruel and distressing stories of how their parents, husbands or lovers cheated them and sold them into a life of ill repute.

The story unfolds to reveal the never ending cycle of crime that self perpetuates in the slums of Mumbai.

Overview

The story is based on the lives of thousands of destitute women who end up in brothels or bars all over Mumbai. This is perhaps the hardest hitting film about the street life in Mumbai after Salaam Bombay. Nothing except the foul language is omitted in this film. The movie sheds light onto the darker, untold, aspects of Mumbai, which popular culture scarcely dare explore. Here is a story that is real and believable. This film delivers a fine tragedy while drawing attention to the real social problem.

Cast

Tabu is a gem. Her performance as a naïve village girl learning to do the bar dance is unforgettable. None of the bar dances are choreographed sequences and do not have the usual synthetic feel to it. The cast and extras in Chandni Bar give a powerful performance. Everyone is given their moment of glory in this film. Some notable scenes are:

The anger of Habib Bhai (Valabh Vyas) , when Mumtaz accuses him of pimping; Tabu agreeing to the money being agreed by Iqbal Chamdi (Rajpal Yadav) on the phone. Vishal Takhar who plays Abhay as an angry teenager is memorable. This young actor has a bright future ahead.

Photography

The camera rarely faces any actors. However the camera always manages to capture the subtle emotions of the actors even in low lit scenes. One gets the feeling that the camera is the silent observer in this film. Events occur and the camera simply happens to be there to capture it. Of particular interest would be the dialogue between Deepa and Mumtaz when she tells Deepa that she wants to move out of the house where she was staying. The camera is positioned on the right side of Tabu’s face while Deepa’s face is visible in the background but off focus. Even while deepa speaks the focus never falls on her face. There are several instance like this in Chandni Bar. This is perhaps a distinct flavour of Rajeev Ravi's photography for this film.

Sound

Sound recording is a faculty that the Indian film industry is still not fully aware of. In this Film several classic Latha Mangeshkar tracks are played for the girls to dance to. I could notice how the volume changed when the doors swung open and shut in the dressing room. Such attention to detail is what sound recording is all about. Although subtle, stereophonic sound can still be experienced throughout the film.

As the story progresses one can hear the various hits from 1985 through 2000. The sound editors have been cautious in choosing the songs according to their chronological order.

Music

Raju Singh's background score is best described as perfect. It rarely interferes with the experience of this film. It compliments the mood with well orchestrated pieces. Of particular interest was the low vocal wailing during Mumtaz's desperate attempt at raising money to rescue her son. Notice how the vocals brings out her desperation as the pimp makes the phone call to prospective customers.

The Story

Mohan Azad's story illustrates in immaculate detail the circumstances that can drive anyone to a life of crime and vice. Stark reality is told in a poetic style with balance and grace. The story demonstrates a fine progression as each sequence is linked to one another and finally draws to a close. The viewer is shown step by step how an individual can be drawn into a life of crime. Towards the end of the film the two young characters Payal and Abhay emerge to take the place of Tabu and Potia. The never ending cycle of their unfortunate lives are thrown open in our eyes. The inseperable marriage between the underworld and the corrupt officials is also narrated in a vivid and convincing style. This blend of relationships and events make Chandni Bar a fine story.

Direction

Madhur Bhandarkar follows some classic direction techniques employed by directors like Goutam Ghose and Ketan Mehta. Symbolism and motifs have been used to emphasize certain emotional states.

Right before Mumtaz was about to be molested. Their neighbor, Qureishi the butcher, is shown sharpening his knife to slaughter a lamb. A fine symbolic representation of what is about to happen to Mumtaz.

While the girls share their own agonizing stories to Mumtaz of how they landed up in the bar, a tap is shown dripping in the fore ground. This is another use of symbolism to represent the tears/sorrow of the girls.

Progression of time has been executed meticulously by giving attention to the set and decoration of the bar. One can see how the exterior and interior transforms over the years. Also pay particular attention to how the looking glass in the dressing room door changes over time. In 1985 there was a diagonal crack in the glass which disappears in the year 2000.

There are several scenes in this film that show the outstanding directorial skills: Mumtaz's unfortunate initiation into prostitution; The scene where Payal glimpses the bartender while dancing at Chandni Bar; The scene where Abhay kills for revenge. Notice how every other aspect in the scene are Isolated and the prime focus of attention is drawn to the central characters in the scene.

Verdict

There was a time in Indian cinema in the early 80s when films like Manthan, Sparsh, Akrosh, Spandan were produced by great talents. That golden age of Indian cinema has passed and today films are mere entertainment. Indian films are rarely good cinema. When I finished watching Chandni Bar I was moved by its message and content. I had a better understanding of the situation. I believe this film has touched a raw nerve by bringing awareness to this social problem. This is what cinema is supposed to do to us. Make us aware of a social issue. This is a brilliant social film. One should see this to appreciate the research and dedication the production team has put in to this film. DO NOT MISS IT.