Ruminations of a meandering mind

One can call it just a subterfuge to promote this amazing movie or just a way to say "I am still around here and not forgotten how to write" that I am re-writing this one. More importantly, its because snippets of this movie lying somewhere dormant in my memory were rekindled when I watched it the second time on VCD this past weekend and the one way to get it out was to write this again.

I make this write up on the film very short for two reasons, one for lack of time and second because its a film for which I cannot pen a review easily because of its complexity and for its many layers which isnt very easy to decipher.

A film that epitomizes realistic cinema, Sudhir Mishra's Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (HKA) is perhaps one of the best films to come out in recent times. On the surface, its a pretty complex film. Set in the turbulent period of the 1970s when the Naxalite movement was on its rise, the film and its characters continue to haunt me. The three main leads (Kay Kay Menon, Chitrangada Singh and Shiny Ahuja) are great to watch. I was drawn to the relationship that the three share and how this is so adroitly depicted in the movie. The film might not be for all tastes with its blatant blasphemy and violence which is in ample doses, but then this is what gives the film its authenticity. As mentioned, all three characters excel in their own way, Kay Kay for his conviction in the beginning and how this slowly wanes away in the end, Chitrangada for her grace and poignancy and Shiny (the most complex character in the film) for his levity. A must watch.

So where did HKA lose out that it was missed by everyone. Maybe bad publicity, maybe no known stars, or maybe as a friend of mine says "There are so many bad films being made in Bollywood that the good ones are just ignored".