Not quite Van Gogh but getting there. Review on Mausam

I am not quite sure what to make of Mausam.It is one of those films which undoubtedly touch you because of the grandiose canvas on which it is painted but leaves you hanging nonetheless. Before I make any comment about the film itself, it is important to highlight that Mausamshould be seen for its aesthetic nature. If there is anything that stays with you after the end credits roll, it is definitely the cinematography – those picturesque locales, be it the villages of India or the exotic splendour of Scotland. Why do I put such emphasis on aesthetics? Well, mainly because not many films are made which purely relish and bathe in natural beauty, and when they do, they are mistaken for pieces of ‘art’ and not entertainment. The biggest mistake I can commit is terming Mausaman ‘artistic’ experience. As the viewer, you are posited to have a tryst with nature, along with the characters themselves. The camera doesn’t rush from one scene to the next; instead it hovers over, letting you seep in the natural aura. Let me clear this upfront: people expecting a tight and racy plot, witty and slick dialogues, item numbers, identifiable heroes and villains would be disappointed. Mausamhas none of those. It is a period drama. But it is entertaining nonetheless.

Let me take you through the plot through the symbolic ‘seasons’. Pankaj Kapur should be lauded for using this extremely clever plot device, which I might say is a touch Shakespearian. The title of the film ‘Mausam’ can seem to infer the four seasons that characters experience throughout their journey.

Summer: It is the year 1992. Harinder Singh or Harry (Shahid) is a typical village brat. He bides his time doing all the things that boys are notorious for, all the while waiting for his dream to come true – get the acceptance letter from the Indian Air Force. However, destiny has other plans. His life is thrown in turmoil when in comes Aayat (Sonam Kapoor), a girl who ends up in the village due to the insurgency in Kashmir. This part has all the makings of a summer romance – love at first sight, beginning of courtship, innocence of first love etc. It seems like the sun will shine on the lovers forever. However, the demolition of the Babri mosque signals the end of innocence. Sides need to be taken and the lovers are torn apart amidst the political turmoil. In the meantime, Shahid gets his ‘dream’ job and gets accepted into the IAF and Sonam moves to Mumbai.

Monsoon: Monsoon, or as Pankaj Kapoor portrays it – the pain of separation. The lovers, now at the opposite ends of the spectrum are hardened by circumstance, not by choice. Shahid begins to settle in his new life and so does Sonam. Any hope of seeing each other again is all but lost and this hardens them both even more.

Winter: Winter or reunion by destiny. Shahid and Sonam meet again at a Mozart concert in Scotland. Sonam is not the shy girl anymore. She has become the vivacious diva, which rather surprises Shahid, melting away his hardness and reigniting his passions once more. You can feel the ‘cold’ vibes between the lovers and the cobwebs that time has put on their love.

Spring: Shahid gets injured in battle and realises his ‘dream’ was something else all along. The lovers meet again, this time amongst the carnage of the Gujarat riots. Will love conquer all or will political turmoil once again play spoilsport? The question remains: “The trumpet of a prophecy! O Wind, if Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?”

Even after the clever use of the seasons as a plot device and the beautiful aesthetic nature of the film and the structure of a period drama, Mausamnever quite touches the epoch of brilliance. There is still a lot to be desired. Firstly, the circumstances in which the characters are thrown into do not seem to be all encompassing. The characters always have the choice to be together (and no, I do not mean that in an existentialist sense). It is just that regardless of the political turmoil there is nothing that keeps the two protagonists apart. As a viewer, it does seem a bit childish and naïve that the lovers could not overcome this one single obstacle. Perhaps if a series of obstacles were placed, things would have been more convincing.

Secondly, the dialogue of the film was very weak. Even though the film relies more on facial expression to convey feelings, it does not completely do away with the necessity of good dialogue. There is hardly any point of reconciliation. Both characters are unable to convey the dilemmas they face to each other and they have many chances to do that. This is where I think Veer Zaaraworked much better. It had a similar premise, but we knew what held each character back and both Veer and Zaara knew that too. Also, by the end, Zaara was told what held Veer back and that was in itself a poignant moment. There is no such moment in Mausam.At no point of the film do the characters confess what held them back, not even in the end. This makes for painful viewing because it makes it harder to care for the tragic circumstance of the characters. Also, the predictability of the plot is a big concern. There is no twist, or at least the audience is not kept in anticipation for the fate of the two protagonists. They meet and part, meet and part and after a while you can almost predict the cycle. At 2 hrs 30 minutes, this becomes torturous.

Cast:

I will only comment on Shahid and Sonam’s performances as all the other characters were very much fillers. This was very much a lead pair film. Shahid was much better as the younger man in the village. The moustache looked corny, but more importantly, it made him look childish in the emotional scenes when he needed gravitas and composure. Shahid should also never attempt to cry as it is hard to connect with his pain when he is making such a ridiculous contorted face. All in all, Shahid was excellent in the first half, the moustache was avoidable and definitely needs to work on his emotional scenes. Sonam definitely outshone Shahid. She was vulnerable and shy in the first half as the displaced Kashniri girl and vivacious in the second half as the diva. She managed to pull off both ends of the spectrum with aplomb. She also looks stunning in all the costumes she is asked to wear. We saw a glimpse of that in Aishaand we see that again here. Not hot mind you, beautiful. Reminded me of Audrey Hepburn, especially in the second half. She also managed to pull off the emotional scenes much better. The chemistry between Shahid and Sonam was definitely there but it was more spiritual than sexual or romantic. I wouldn’t call it sizzling, but rather, poignant.

Pritam’s music was good. All the songs were situational but more importantly, gave us an insight into both protagonists’ psyche and what they were feeling at those moments. Binod Pradhan’s cinematography was excellent, almost unreal at times in its aesthetic splendour. All in all, a decent attempt by Pankaj Kapur that deserves a watch for aesthetic brilliance. Not quite the magnum opus he would have hoped but there is enough to keep you engrossed.