Anmol Ahuja
5. Sanshodhan
With this series of articles, I also found a wondrous opportunity to bring to our readers, relatively unheard of films that deserved way more recognition than they got, or at least a chance at fair judgment. Be that as it may, ours has always been an industry doused in pleasantries and drama, and that, resultant, has sometimes taken away the limelight from films actually trying to accomplish more than the regular routine.
‘Sanshodhan’, literally translating to ‘Amendment’ is one such film, and refers to the historic amendment that made it a mandate to include a certain percentage of women candidates in the village panchayat. While the judgment itself was a few years too late, the film was a breath of fresh air at a time when even cinema was dealing jacks in terms of its portrayal of women, casually foraying into misogyny and patriarchal overtones. The story deals with a similar shake up in a quaint village’s panchayat, and while the men plan on in stating dummy leaders, one of the women learns to stand up for herself and stick it back. An inspirational watch, with able performances by Manoj Bajpayee, Ashutosh Rana and especially Vanya Joshi.
4. Khamoshi: The Musical
The film that was the beginning of the Bollywood tour de force today known as Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Before Bhansali forayed into blockbuster territory and stayed there for good, he debuted with a feature film that is unlike many of his future works, devoid of the signature grandiose sets, and works simply because it has its heart in the right place much like the excellent ‘Black’, and a big beating one at that, especially visible in the performances of Manisha Koirala, Nana Patekar and Seema Biswas.
Nana and Biswas particularly impress with their near flawless performance as the deaf and mute catholic couple for whom their daughter (played by Koirala) is the only window to the world. The film is tragic, warm, intimate, beautifully shot, even beautifully acted, and lives up to the ‘musical’ in its title with many of its songs still maintaining an iconic status.
3. The Making of the Mahatma
‘The Making of the Mahatma’, as the name clearly suggests, chronicles the journey of the early years of possibly one of the most influential leaders the world has seen, and is a joint Indian-South African production. The scope of production does give the film an edge over the other run of the mill 90s productions, and in the more than able hands of Shyam Benegal who till date remains an underappreciated filmmaker, the film transforms into a more human journey. It’s not all glorification, and it certainly isn’t the second ‘Gandhi’ (1982).
Rajit Kapoor portrays the Mahatma here with skill, picking up several small nuances and making them his own. It’s a carefully balanced performance, one that was visibly invested in, and even in the few parts that the movie falters, Kapoor’s performance helps it sail through.
2. Maachis
1996 was a year of few good movies, but boy does the quality of those surpass sub-par entries in other years by miles. I can gladly say this, ‘Maachis’ is one of the few Bollywood films of the 90s that doesn’t feel dated upon repeated viewing. It still has the same crushing impact it had back then, and the sole reason for that is that the film didn’t rely on tropes like item numbers, garish sets, or star performers as a selling point.
The film set out to tell the true story of the horrors of the 1984 Punjab riots and how the youth were easily influenced pawns in the plot, and that it does. Like any other good film, the real star here is the script written by Gulzaar Saab, and no amount of text is testimony to this man’s prowess over and contribution to cinema. All the actors turn in fine performances, especially Tabu in a career defining role. Vishal Bhardwaj’s music, especially ‘chappa chappa charkha’ and ‘chhod aaye hum’ are essential highlights in this strong, fortification of a film. One of the best films of the decade, leave alone ’96.
1. Fire
Among Deepa Mehta’s acclaimed ‘Elements’ trilogy of films is an attempt so brave (even by today’s standards) that it faced delayed releases in several Indian states and protests over its depiction of homosexuality in films when it released and even sparked a larger debate on the freedom of speech and artistic liberty. Apart from being a sensitive, marvelous film, ‘Fire’ is also an important film, for it shook the collective conscience of a nation completely oblivious to this facet of human sexuality and desire.
Mehta here succeeds in creating characters that you almost instantly empathise with, and Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das, who deserved every accolade just for taking a step so bold at the time, do a nuanced job in bringing these etched out characters to life. If you are looking for some cheap thrills, you will be disappointed. However, if you wish to indulge yourself in some serious, sensitive cinema viewing, this is a film not to be missed.
Read More: Bollywood Movies 1997
