Aug 23, 2006 06:46 PM
2116 Views
(Updated Aug 23, 2006 08:36 PM)
Despite a lot of controversy I went to watch this movie last weekend as I got free passes, and boy was I fatigued by the end of it all. I was counting the seconds in my clock desperately wanting the whole turmoil to come to an end.
I will skip analyzing the script, music and acting because it already has been done extensively and will come straight to the theme and message underlying the script.
My verdict on the movie is that Karan Johar knows what he is saying but does not have the guts to say it aloud. I think he does not have the guts to articulate in words the message that is coming loud and clear from his movie which is - if you are unhappy in a marriage you can walk out of it without making any effort to work on it. Why because you are unhappy and you can have multiple extra marital affairs because you are frustrated. Obviously it is not love that we are talking about here cause both SRK and KJo agree that Maya and Dev are cynical characters who may actually discover after a few years that their happiness actually does not lie with each other but elsewhere. Karan Johar is trying to shown modernity in it’s highest form, one which is also shown with restraint by the Western movie media.
Recently NDTV organized a Discussion topic on Modern Marriage, obviously inspired by the movie KANK. The panel comprised of Karan Johar, Shahrukh Khan and Sudha Menon.
The points that emerged from the discussion were as follows:
Marriage is an institution for those who are committed to one partner and not for those who face multiple attractions at one time.
KANK does not propogate infidelity but shows one path that the chracters Dev and Maya could take in real life. It purports the fact that two people may be perfect human beings but not perfect partners. The connection between them may just be missing.
Everyone in this world cheats if they get an opportunity.
Those who walk out of their marriage may actually never find happiness outside as well.
My two cents on their views and the storyline:
If KJo and SRK are not advocating the end then why show it and what is the meaning of showing it to gullible audience who do model their lives in a sense on these so called fictional themes and characters. We are not strictly talking about the Western audience but Indian audience and mind you even the NRIs (I being one) have found the very pattern, ending and the message conveyed through the same quiet indigestible. Let’s leave kids out of this for a minute. Even adults be it middle aged, old aged or young couples either married or embarking on marriage will struggle to accept the underlying and hidden truth in such a theme. What are we saying here. Adultery is a part of our base instinct and most people would like to follow their base instincts and hence indulge in it. I am sorry but I would like to disagree here. Most people in the East will not subject themselves to the ordeal or trauma of losing their peace of mind and their family life just to give in to their basic sexual drive (that is what this move seems to be driving at). People do respect and value the institution of marriage and will give it their 100% best to make it work esp if kids are involved.
If the idea is just to show free life and sex then KJo should say that this is the message. At least he should not be confusedly bashful about it. I do not know what he means by saying that what Maya and Dev did was wrong. If that is wrong then why show it. What Maya and Dev did I am sorry a majority of the married people in India will not do at least. So why purport such a message in a society which will find the whole concept unacceptable.
If a person starts to look out for a new “soulmate” after every 2-3 years, no one in the society will ever feel secure or have a sense of belonging which is the very basic need of a human being.
I think Karan Johar has very unbashedly interchanged the word “soulmate” with a new term “sexmate”. This is a very normal way of life in the west. People have multiple marriages, and several offsprings from these different spouses. There is a difference between being an animal and a human. Such a norm is quiet common in animals, but we humans are subject to certain rules / regulations which are good for everyone, they protect everyone in the society and by transgressing them we can lose sight of our objectivity, rationale and a basic sense of right and wrong.
Mr. Johar we have understood the pseudo message that your movie has tried to convey. It is just that we do not accept such a message. Please stick to making movies which suit your genre. Don’t try to experiment with an offbeat topic and something which is as controversial as this.
