Posted on: May 10, 2008 - 2:13 pm
Prateeksha, Mumbai May 10, 2008 2:13 pm
Back home after the ‘Shoebite’ schedule and the heat and the dry winds and the glue !
As is apparent from the photograph all that extra hair needs to be put on twice a day, by the very accomplished hands of my make up man Deepak Sawant; his devotion and skill and labour being exceptional. He came on 35 years ago and I have never changed him since.
The night before, BR Films sent down the print of ‘Bhoothnath’ to Nasik for me to see. We booked a local multiplex and I invited cast and crew to come along.
‘Bhoothnath’ is a cute simple film. It is not the adrenalin pumping high octane fare, that perhaps is the norm these days, but one that is staid. It carries an innocence that we may have lost in todays fast paced world. It touches on values and tradition subtly. It actually refutes the existence of ugliness with goodness. The Mother in the film corrects her little child with ‘there are no ghosts, only angels’. Its the one factor that changes the main protagonists point of view, into being a kinder soul. Its a healthy thought. Not just for the child in the film, but for humanity per se. The ‘Bhooth’ is a metaphor.
Among the hundreds of congratulatory sms’s and comments on the blog about the film, I was most touched this morning by a phone call from the music director Shekhar. His little daughter, all of 3, had gone to see the film and on returning home picked up a framed photograph of mine that I had given to her father and put it by her bed. When asked why, she answered ‘He’s my angel’, an obvious reference to an important reference in the film.
A young gentleman expressed his utmost joy after seeing the film thus - ‘ Thank you for taking me back to my childhood. I wept profusely during the film because it took me back when I was little”. Prominent distributors all over the country, who possess extra sensory powers to smell box office, loudly proclaim it to be a ’super hit’ and to wait for the word of mouth to take over. Friends, unknowns, well wishers all send profuse praise, which I dutifully pass on to Vivek the first time director, who is desperately seeking the make up department to supply him with the false set of nails I wore in the film, he having devoured his own. And, my phone sms memory is having a cardiac arrest !
The question is not whether the film touches the topic of ’superstition’ or ‘exorcism’, as was very guardedly expressed by some reviewers both in the electronic and print, it is the faith and the strength of its existence for hundreds of years, that formed a part of the story.
The shradh, is a religious ceremony conducted in Hindu tradition, by the son of the deceased individual, for the peace and tranquility of the soul. When we express our condolences in a moment of grief, we always say in Hindi ‘Bhagwan unki atma ko shanti de’ or in English ‘May his soul rest in peace’.
The film gave a finite form to the soul in the shape of Bhoothnath the character of the ghost played by me, a name devised by the little kid, who is confused by the fact that when he does confront the ghost and refuses to believe that he is one, wants to know his name. The ‘ghost’ directs his attention to the gate of the house and the name plate, Kailash Nath. The ghost tells the kid he is a bhooth, the name plate reads Kailash Nath, so the kid reckons in his innocence that the guy must be BhoothNath !
Indeed, the revelation of the story during the later half and one which some critics tend to dislike, is I feel, the very essence of the story.
There is a disturbed soul in the house and for him to be at peace, the shradh which his son had ignored, needs to be performed. The back story is important to narrate in order to show the circumstances that led to the disturbance in Kailashnath after he passed away.
The irony, as is apparent in most problem homes is that, it is always the outsider that proves to be more ‘loyal than the king’. In this case, its Banku, the kid that has now endeared himself to Bhoothnath, who, convinced first by his own father ShahRukh in the film, now volunteers to conduct the ceremony for his ‘buddy’ himself. And the sad part is that, Banku in performing this much required deed, is unaware of the consequences - that he will lose his best ‘friend’ to the ’stars’. His friend would have achieved salvation, peace, and leave him and go away to the heavens. The separation of this beautiful relationship that both have enjoyed, and one that most critics have too, is the poignant moment of the film.
Now tell me. Anything wrong with that ?
And Khalid Mohammed who reviews the film for Hindustan Times of date, who instead of reviewing writes a personal letter to me through a public document, who wishes that I go and learn how to act from the Pune Film Institute, who laments at the only dialogue he heard in the entire film, my oft repeated ‘Haiiiiiiii’, who as director made three of the most colossal bombs in the history of Indian Cinema and who now tries to educate others in the craft, who credits the cast of the film as AB,AB AB, disrespecting the other eminent star presence, who allegedly as Editor of Filmfare, coerced the talent of his directed films to work for him in lieu of the alleged consideration of an Award, titles his diatribe -
‘TO BOO OR NOT TO BOO’
Well KHALIDA ! And this is not a gender error, but a call you respond to lovingly, when Jaya addresses you, as you spread yourself across our dining table in Jalsa, sipping our, in your own words, ‘exclusive and expensive wine’, this is what I have to say to you -
‘BOO’ !!!
July 8th, 2008 at 12:09 am
hiiii i am big fan of your hole family.and i wached all movies of your family.and no comparison between you and shahrukh because kaha raja bhoj aur kaha gangu teli.you are real super star.shahrukh is not superstar.he is looser.and abhishek and aishwariya are looking very good together.so you lucky because of abhishek and aishwariya.
give reply plz.
Dhruv Desai
Gujarat
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