Aar Ekti Premer Golpo has paved the path for the issue of alternative sexuality find access to the arena of popular Bengali cinema. But Bengali cinema is yet to come of age when in comes to representing alternative sexuality; for, it’s high time that queerness was rescued from being an issue and represented as ‘normal’. Whether it’s Aar Ekti Premer Golpo or the present film Memories in March (Dir: Sanjay Nag), the endeavour to ‘normalize’ queerness is more than honest; but the very fact that it’s an ‘issue’ is something none of these films have been able to transcend. Perhaps, because Bengali cinema is still at a very immature stage of representing queerness, that it tends to get preachy documentary-style whenever queerness is discussed. Therefore when a disconcerted Mrs. Mishra (Deepti Naval) innocently asks Ornab (Rituparno Ghosh) that whether her negligence or her inability to spend quality time with her son Siddharth has anything to do with the ‘abnormality’ in him, Ornab is infuriated and tells her to have herself examined by a psychiatrist. Bengali cinema is still at a stage when a queer relationship cannot be represented like any other heterosexual relationship without the weighty baggage of justification. Many would argue the very concept of being queer is rather ‘new’ to India; in fact, the heteronormative/queer binary has entered the popular consciousness of the country after the economic liberalization in the early 90s. Therefore, it is impossible not to address the question of associating abnormality with queerness even at this stage. But I believe that queer cinema comes of age only when it represents same-sex relationships as natural, and not as something deviant which demands to be integrated into the mainstream. Memories in March has failed to achieve that maturity.
Coming to the film proper: Memories in March is not a merely a film about a gay relationship; it is something more than that. In fact, like many other Rituparno Ghosh films, it is about human bonding, about the genesis of new relationships between strangers despite apparent differences. However, things seem to happen too fast. Mrs. Mishra arrives in Kolkata to collect the ashes of her deceased son when she shockingly discovers that he was gay. She learns from Shahana (Raima Sen) that he was in a relationship with his boss Ornab, whom she accuses of having seduced her son. Ornab loses his cool and enters into a verbal tirade with Mrs. Mishra which ends in an emotional calamity. However, Mrs. Mishra gradually comes to terms with her son’s being gay and accepts Ornab and the fact of his being an integral part of her son’s life.
What strikes us as unnatural is how amazingly composed the characters are! Be it Ornab, be it Shahana, or be it the bereaved mother herself − all of them a remarkably controlled. Although Ornab breaks into tears sitting in the car at the place of the accident, the way he dresses up the very next day in office does not carry any mark of what he is going through. Shahana claims to be in love with Siddharth; but she too is exceptionally unperturbed. Mrs. Mishra too seems to rise above the trauma much too soon. Perhaps none of the characters believe in public display of private emotions. But somehow Siddharth’s sudden death does not seem to be a harrowing affair. There’s too much of an economy of emotions which at times appears incredible. However, I must admit that the songs penned by Rituparno Ghosh with their melancholy notes compensate for the emotions that seem to be lacking.
The film may appear a bit stifling for most of it happens in a poorly-lit apartment; perhaps the apartment contributes to the dark mood of the film, but somehow it appears a tad claustrophobic. Even the rains which come in the end only slant into the balcony of the flat drenching the clay ash-container. Besides that, too many television-style close-ups grate on the nerves at times; there’s barely a long shot in the entire film. Sometimes it seems that you are watching a telefilm.
Veteran actor Deepti Naval is simply outstanding; she is never over-the-top. Although remarkably composed, her eyes speak volumes. She does not act; she behaves and that too with an amazing dignity that suits her personality to a T. Rituparno Ghosh was comparatively better in Aar Ekti Premer Golpo; however, he tries his best to deliver. But his English is slightly strained. Raima Sen is extremely unimpressive as Shahana, although expectations were higher this time.
Memories in March is nonetheless sensible and demands a one-time watch at least. And let me tell you it does not appear to be a Rituparno Ghosh film as many had anticipated it would. Although the look-and-feel is reminiscent of many a Ghosh flick, none can deny that it has been made by someone else. It’s a Sanjay Nag film, after all. Despite Ghosh’s script, it certainly lacks the fine emotional touch that is the hallmark of an out-and-out Ghosh film.
N.B: I have one fear though: Rituparno Ghosh should not become the face of gayness per se. All gay people are not like Rituparno Ghosh. Perhaps this could have been better established had the film shown Siddharth over whom girls too used to drool and with whom Shahana fell in love, head-over-heels. That too would have contributed to breaking the stereotype even more!
6 comments:
Nice review, buddy. I was eagerly waiting for your review, and, was hence overjoyed to find it.
I saw the film, and, needless to say, liked it too. But, I can't help admit that I had expected it to be better still. Maybe I had expected too much.
What I did not like about the film is the interweaving of memories vis-a-vis a one-sided voice-over for Sid's character, while his mother grapples with his tragic demise. The cinematic device of keeping Sid's character absent from the frames could have been better utilized had the screenplay admitted references beyond the unidimensional stretches of Sid's expressions (his e-mails and SMSes); the credibility obviously seems more stretched in the second half as the languid pace leaves room for the pertinent question: Why wouldn't Sid's conversations with his mother be more dynamic? The mother recollections should also have included random reminiscing of Sid's childhood, as is bound to happen as per the grieving psyche of the mother. Kaustav, you have rightly observed the jarring notes in character development, I agree with you on those. Especially, the character of Shahana has been inconsistent for no rhyme or reason. And the final act unwittingly adds to more falseness, more imposed bits.
However, "Memories in March" does have its poignant moments that stand out. Deepti Naval expresses so much with just her body language; she happens to be a favorite actress of mine, and I really enjoyed seeing her on screen in a meaty role after a long time.
The songs used in the film have a bit of a "Raincoat" hangover, nonetheless they fit in perfectly.
The film deserves to be seen, largely for having dealt with a sensitive subject, and for having dealt with emotions without getting overtly maudlin in tone.
Rituporno should no more be cast in roles like this as it is stereotyping gay men.I too liked the music & songs. I felt it was very contrived to show Deepti Naval & Rituporno trying to guess which part of the railing was hit by Sid's car, it was too cold-blooded a discussion and people so close to the demised cannot speak like this. Last but not the least, Ornab updating Sid's status on facebook, shows how virtual networking has become an inherent part of our lives.
A very well-worded and insightful review... I have a few observations which mostly agree with yours...perhaps you could comment on them at your leisure :)
a) I agree completely about 'queerness'/'gayness' becoming a package especially with economic liberalization... perhaps, the film would have worked much better had someone (younger perhaps) been cast as Sid's lover... someone who at least on the fore-front, would have resisted the easy stereotyping of 'gay'/'queer'... in fact, Rituparno's character is not any different here than it was in Arekti Premer Golpo...plus, the personal 'baggage' surrounding Rituparno is extremely difficult for the viewer (particularly for the Bangali darshak) to shed...Ritu-da, complete with his iconoclasm and mannerisms (which in his public life may be a praiseworthy stance) is a discourse in himself...and almost all of it spills over into the characters he plays, whether here or in Arekti Premer Golpo..
b) my second observation is regarding the target audience of the film...perhaps, the "economy of emotions" is European (read 'new wave')...and here, we need to keep in mind that the film is primaryly targeting English-speaking and international audiences as also the international film-festival circuits...
this is where I feel the film differs markedly from the ones directed by Ritu-da himself, i.e., in its refraining from sentimentality... however, unlike the reviewer, this is what I ended up liking most about the film (apart from the wonderful compositions), i.e., it's non-teleological, inconclusive and fractured narrative...there are a few moments here and there...such as shots of the room, the lone fish tank with the phone ringing and Sid's dad calling (the concluding shot)...I think these actually strengthen the film in a remarkable way...'grief' doesn't need a climactic outpour, its impenetrable, personal and very, very claustrophobic...I think although Sid's mom and lover did connect vis-a-vis their shared memory, they also remained terribly isolated...and perhaps, the audience were meant to leave the theatre with this sense of claustrophobia, as Kailash Kher's voice boomed over the end credits...
just some thoughts :)
I kept wondering if I would be in a mood to throw my opinions about fish in fish-tanks after the recent demise of my beloved.
Kaustav, you are so right about the basic flaws that the movie highlights. I mean its 21st century, gays are out now, we all have perfectly manly gay friends. When will cinema break through showing the stereotypes?
And I strongly felt it through out the movie that none of the characters were showing there emotions of loss of the dearest one. A mother, a partner and a lover could have shown rational amount of emotions.
However I really synced with the pace and tone of the movie, which took me perfectly to different phases, but truly by the end I felt like the vent to let out the emotions of biggest loss was missing.
Karun
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