FILM
REVIEW: HAZARON KHWAHISHEN AISI (2005)
Director: Sudhir Mishra
Producer: Pritish Nandy
Cast: Roshan Ahuja, Kaykay Menon and Chitrangadha Singh
Radio
Sargam Rating: 6/10
BACKGROUND:
India went though the emergency years in the mid 70s'. There was political mayhem at its worst form in the country as no one could raise their voice against the actions of Indira Gandhi, who was then the Prime Minister of India. There were many in the 1970s who wanted to be big. There were many who made it to the cult status from there and there were many lives that were just strewn by the wayside as well. budding lives that could have made a huge difference to the society. Ambitious people changed tracks, lives and thinking processes of many changed overnight. People thought it was better to leave the country and make a mark abroad.
SYNOPSIS:
Siddharth Tyabji (Kaykay Menon) is an ambitious lad who loves politics more than he loves Geeta Rao (Chitrangadha Singh). Geeta loves Siddharth a lot. Adding grist to the mill is Vikram Malhotra (Roshan Ahuja) who loves Geeta. College is over and the three take different tracks and meet much later.
Siddharth is now in the villages, having joined the Naxalite movement and operates from the trouble torn state of Bihar. Geeta goes to England and returns after further studies to be a journalist. Vikram who also has had political leanings while in college gets things done for people while the entire nation in plunged into a bitter power struggle. Vikram is a big man today and it is at this juncture that he bumps into Geeta.
Vikram realises that Geeta is going through a really disturbed life due to a bad marriage. He then accompanies Geeta to the villages of Bihar while she is out on a story. They meet Siddharth there. Vikram realises that the two are still in love. Geeta and Siddharth get married.
Emergency is declared within the country. Major political leaders are jailed. No one is allowed to speak against the government. For Vikram this is a golden opportunity to cash in on. But due to Siddharth' political leanings and Geeta's marriage to him, the two of them are in deep trouble. He uses his powers and gets Geeta out of trouble and gets her to the Indian capital of New Delhi. But Siddharth is in trouble. As Vikram tries to save Siddharth, he gets on the wrong side of the law and gets badly beaten up by the police. He is now reduced to a living corpse - no more than a vegetable. Shocked and stunned, Siddharth decides to change his course of life. He no plans to move to London and study medicine. Geeta is shocked by Siddharth's decision and is in a state of deja vu? While she wants to accompany her husband Siddharth to London, she does not want to abandon the man who put himself in danger to save her love.
CRITIQUE:
The passionate portrayal of Siddharth by Kaykay Menon, the angst of Geeta, aptly portrayed by Chitrangadha Singh and the emergence of the turmoil within Vikram well acted out by Roshan Ahuja - form the highlights of this well written film.
The film has a brilliant script and could well be a great look back for people in their fifties today. Youth who wanted to change destiny and ended up elsewhere. People who wanted to be different, but couldn't. People who still managed to make it big by going abroad and coming back to give back a lot to their nation. Producer Pritish Nandy too is from the same kind of people who were affected by the Emergency. Ditto for Maneka Gandhi as well.
In fact the portrayal of a character close to that of Indira Gandhi's son Sanjay Gandhi in the film has been well done by Aditya Bhattacharya. That is a turning point in the film. Incidentally Nandy and Maneka are close friends.
For people who have no interest in the movement in the 70s, this film will not touch the heart, but they will feel that this is a good sensitive film. Period.
Sudhir Mishra should be complimented for choosing a subject which has changed many lives today.
Conclusion:
The film leaves behind a small audience, and thousands of unfulfilled wishes.
Reviewed
by: Tony
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