1084, 1084 ki maa and nandini

What is common between: eunuch, conversing with a gentleman in 11 pm in night, I used to pass by on Tilak bridge while walking past matunga to dadar for my 12^th classes, commercial sex workers roaming around and attracting men at the fort, mumbai and dead body of a1084 numbered naxalite – for me they represent that part of us which we disguise not only because they represent the DON’Ts of socially acceptable behaviors but also probably out of envy in not being able to ‘experience’ the other side of us that’s stifled out of fear of being rejected in society..? I am longing to be with them, to know them as they are, to understand why they chose to be?

Read Hazar Chaurasavi ki Maa by Mahashweta Devi.. as always thanks to Ranoo, for recommending me this book - not only recommending but putting a copy in my hand. A small book of 130 pages talks about a naxalite as a protagonist, strongly putting forward two images of India – one consumerists and other exploratory, experimenting, concerned, revolutionary, at times cynical..

I fell in love with character of Vrati. Seemingly indifferent to begin with, but as the story unfolds came to know the deepness within him. He chose life out-of-ordinary and was killed as 1084 numbered naxalite. He supported his mother, Sujata, who has been staunch in her own beliefs as an independent and confident woman but put those out - first out of family pressure and then due to indifference out of mundane life. Her husband is typical; dominant, unscrupulous, having many relations out of marriage, flamboyant .. Vrati’s other 3 siblings are more or less like his father; only Vrati, his mother and their maid Hem are different. With such a small piece of novel and few words only someone of caliber of Mahashweta Devi could have made it so impactful.

Seeing the trajectory of life chosen by Vrati and his love Nandini - the reasons behind their choices of revolutionary path they have chosen, the idealism in early twenties, how it gets shaken by some of vested interests.. There is reference in the book saying in 1970s there was time, when generation of youths between 16 to 40 in Bengal and around has been almost wiped out after being killed by police. These two and their like-minded friends were compared with their siblings who are consumed by their consumerists lifestyles lost without any aim, however outwardly successful – What an irony!

Frankly I am not capable to understand Sujata with my maturity and understanding. I felt like she is majorly biographical portrait of Mahashweta Devi in her 50s and also culmination of many of those women who were sensible enough to live a life having their say but got lost somewhere.. There are many subtle layers to her characters effortlessly and completely elaborated by Mahashweta Devi with minimum words and incidences. Unlike her I could relate with Vrati and Nandini as they are about my age. I guess I would require 3 more decades atleast to understand her.

I was so much moved by the impact created on me by the book alone, I enquired to know more about Mahashweta Devi. Thanks to Google, I could know her from her Magsaysay award declaration. She was a professor of English literature, married early and took divorce. She spent later part of her life in doing social activism, choosing to be among tribals and oppressed class forming their federations. She wrote books depicting their struggles. Thus the books did not remain as fictions alone but have been portrayed as stories of unsung heroes. Reading her entire life story was an experience..

I couldn’t resist myself from seeing the film by one of my favorites filmmaker, Govind Nihalani. I downloaded 12 sets of 10 minutes versions from youtube and watched it! Looking the genre of book, someone out-of-ordinary like him could have directed it with this fineness. I am mostly a man of films than books, you can say I prefer 2D over 1D ( and not 3D). Having read the book first, I was so curious to relate to characters from book to that of films! I knew what was going to happen after that.., their conversation, dialogues. I wondered how it would have been, had I watched film without reading the book or have read after watching film.. No doubt, the film made justice to the script, the sensitivity of the issue. The film is so subtle, multi-layered. What I find good - in a good film is that director leaves many of the things to the audience to interpret; many of conversations do not happen with only dialogues as medium but also gestures and postures..much is said when actually left unsaid. Govind Nihalani, being a cinematographer turned director, the simple yet meaningful frames of the film makes it a wonderful experience. There couldn’t have been a better climax, where Sujata is sitting in her room and writing diary reminiscing his son Vrati with a dim light partially lightening her face and coupled with simple yet meaningful dialogues. I simply wished I could have cried to express myself! Govind is like my alter ego – if I turn to film-making I would do it after being a cinematographer and would probably follow same genre of films.

Sujata by Jaya Bhaduri is aptly performed with the required emotions, intensity as portrayed in book. I understood her as detached person describing two opposite worlds; that of her husband and son with her own inclination towards later. She has not expressed herself by own but more through Vrati and Nandini –that’s the beauty of characters! No doubt, Jaya Bhaduri played it well, but don’t know why she doesn’t touch me beyond a limit, she still keeps it close to rationale and maybe incapacitated to touch out-there.

Sujata ponders after meeting Nandini: Something has died inside Nandini. Will she never become normal again? Never be a wife? Never be a mother? From the light on the road, human beings, each and every part of this land – she loved. That person would never become mother? And one who can’t tolerate a child, changes men in life one after another, need cocaine after wine, goes places without any aim – those mothers in their loveless, careless life would give birth to children! ‘What a wastage!’

Joy Sengupta is awesome! I loved him and was beyond ‘joy’ seeing him playing a marvelous character like Vrati. Well, it’s a dream to be enacting a character like Vrati who is effervescent yet deep. He looks terrifically handsome, 20 year old idealistic, caring, matured, intelligent guy. I am remembered of Naseeruddin, Om Puri, Irrfan Khan seeing him. I wondered where is he lost after this. He has lot to offer. I longed to be like him..

Sujata remembered Vrati saying: It’s difficult to be yourself..

Nandini, Vrati’s love – was brought to life by Nandita Das. Both she and Joy are tailor-made for their roles. She not only represented her part but put forward the idealism, frustrations, hope, helplessness of the entire generation which opted of guns in their hands instead of a secured future. It’s convincing enough. Her face, body was in absolute resonance with what she was saying. She said all that Vrati was undergoing in front of his mother but couldn’t convey her when he was alive, growing to be a man from a boy. I loved these three characters; Sujata, Vrati and Nandini from the book and the way they were given life in film.

Nandini after released from jail after inhuman torture says to Sujata: I find myself agitated, disturbed and imbalanced. All seem unknown, un-identified. I cannot identify myself with anybody. With last few years experiences have made me unfit for this so-called-normalcy. What you feel as normal, seems abnormal to me.. what shall I do, tell me..?

The climax is not there in book. The book although ends on many questions, intensity, leaving you perturbed; the film ends with a very positive message. The end where Sujata is writing her diary addressing Vrati, was a tribute from a common man to people like Vrati, who live their life not shortened by duration it was lived, but for their madness - finding meaning out of it, for a personal commitment.

Thanks so much Mahashweta Devi and Govind Nihalani..and... Ranoo and Youtube!