An unexpected meeting with an old friend resulted in an unexpected discussion over the merits and otherwise of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Black'. While my friend, HD, is gushingly pro-Black, I fiddled somewhere between a mild dislike and a brief appreciation for the movie. Still, it was enough to propel an hour long discussion.
HD has watched Black in the multiplex some three times, owns the special DVD edition and has notched a further 10 viewings at home. He now professes that Black is his ATF- short for All Time Favourite, with a mild tinge of pride. I was curious to find out what transformed this otherwise serial Rambo, Rocky and Die Hard loving, formulaic plot and gore-maniac into a "sensitive" movie buff. Did Black touch some inner recess of sensitivity I didn't know he possessed? Was Black so beautiful and well crafted a movie that it surpassed even the toilet scene in Die Hard? Or had he just grown up?
Seriously though, HD is hardly the kind of man to like a movie such as Black, leave alone profess his unending admiration for it. I was terribly curious to find out what made him love it so much. When I asked him, HD wasn't too sure about his reply. He seemed a little confused as well- had he converted? Had he abandonned his all-powerful triumvirate of John McClane, John J Rambo and Rocky Balboa? Couldn't be!
Aha, but little boys do grow up. Yes, little boys grow up, discard their dreams of earning a PhD in History, decide to give the CAT, join MDI, learn Salsa, enter a committed relationship, throw out all their baggy jeans and radically change their movie preferences. HD now loved Black. HD loved the direction, he thought the screenplay and art direction were immaculate, and the acting! "Jesus, the acting!" he said, "Rani Mukherjee was too good ya. And Big-B! Crap ya, what work!"
I don't quite share HD's enthusiasm for Black. I didn't hate the movie, but I certainly didn't love it. I think Black tried too hard- to straddle the whole "art" mentality with commercial success. Indeed, before the movie released several headlines harped about it heralding the age of "different cinema".
The movie is based upon a true story, yes, but there is no doubt that the director and writers have taken many creative liberties with its construction. Its neither complete fiction, nor is it true to Helen Keller's life. Helen Keller's teacher was Anne Sullivan, a woman committed to making Helen an individual. Helen Keller graduated cum laude from Radcliff College at age 24- as a scholar. She was never at the back of class. The addition of a male Debraj Sahai and the over-hyped, ill-required kiss between teacher and pupil was masala as well.
HD argues that the kiss is infact the turning point in their relationship. No doubt. But it wasn't a part of Keller's life- my point is, stay true to the story or call it fictional. Bhansali did neither. It was never openly called a work of fiction, and Helen Keller's story was never cited as "inspiration" either. No doubt, Mr Bachchan gave a stunning performace- far far outshining Rani Mukherjee, but I wonder if the role wasn't infact written specifically for him. Why wasn't Michelle McNally's teacher a woman? Couldn't an equally strong female bond have worked?
Frankly, no. This is where I think Black tries a little to hard to straddle art with commercial success. Mukerjee and Bachchan are huge Box Office draws, besides ofcourse, India's most famous and recognized actors. We, as an audience, are far too used to seeing a male-female pairing on-screen to suddenly digest a couple of strong women protagonists. Without Mr Bachchan, Black is an all-woman movie anyway, with barely a few male characters thrown in. The Big-B balances it out.
The cinematography and art direction were huge disappointments for me. At first view, the colour schemes are stunning, but I strongly believe that Black over-does the whole, well, blackness. Sure, we're drawn into Michelle's dark world, but the colours are beyond oppressive. That compared with the stark white of Debraj Sahai's hospital room- the contrast is just so obvious, too obvious. The atmosphere too is almost constantly foggy, wintry- once again, overbearingly dreary. That is why I think at several points, Black tries too hard. The symbolism isn't subtle, as it should be, but in-your-face.
Black is a "different" movie- a mould breaker of sorts. It should be applauded for that. But Sanjay Leela Bhansali is a very intelligent film-maker, not a daring one. A movie such as this, with actors of that calibre was a sure shot hit. He just picked a subject in chiaroscuro contrast to his earlier Devdas- impact guaranteed!
Anyway, these arguments were reserved for the Miscellany Manifesto, HD and I didn't discuss any further than his apparent transformation. We discussed how his life was now so different and how mine was about to change. How he missed his time researching History and how he still hopes to get his PhD via correspondence. I ribbed him about his girlfriend (Hi DP!) and his Mr Exec status. It was a wonderful afternoon. Sometimes you just wish little boys and girls didn't grow up- and start donating so much time to understanding and analyzing movies!
