Why Vivek Agnihotri's Brand of Cinema is Important

As an ardent film buff that was raised in a family of film buffs and a film podcast host myself, I found cinema fascinating right from the word go. Any type, any genre, anything would fit my palate. My ever generous older sibling calls me a true connoisseur.

But, given the kind of diverse cinema I have watched, enjoyed and put behind, “The Kashmir Files” still rings as a watershed.  Vivek Agnihotri, with this last of his trilogy, has finally hit home in storytelling of lost identities and demographics of the Kashmiri Pandits. His previous films, “Buddha in a Traffic Jam” and “The Tashkent Files” were powerful, but went cold at the box office. Agnihotri’s latest has not only made up for the lukewarm response to the previous ones, but is well on its way to creating history at the box office – a new after years.

I would like to laud Vivek Agnihotri for intelligent filmmaking. By that I mean, adeptly adopting a different lens in building the stories he wishes to tell. Let me explain the context a little more: Since times immemorial, we have seen Indian movies taking a particular narrative position for any situation. Be it the class war, caste war classics or the escapist entertainers of the 1950-80s or the parallel cinema of the 1970s and ‘80s, the narrative was loud and clear: the angry young man or woman will rise above the system or will be totally perished by the evil system. This demonization of the system or the establishment was so ingrained into the cine-goer conscience that nothing else seemed to register. We invariably walked into the theatres waiting for the annihilation of the demonic politician, or chastening of the avaricious capitalist. From Nargis’s anguish as the farmer in “Mother India” to Chitrangadha’s idealist in Sudhir Mishra’s classic, “Hazaaron Khwaaishen Aisi” – the romantic dogma of cultural and social revolution had spilled into public consciousness. 

Now, what makes Vivek Agnihotri’s stories interesting is the important fact that he and his actor wife, Pallavi Joshi have emerged from the heart of this school of thought.  Pallavi’s long tryst with parallel cinema and some of her outstanding performances in the films of Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalani   and Amol Palekar are public knowledge. It is here that their journey makes for commentary – they chose to digress, dig deep and tell the world an alternative narrative which exposes the ecosystem that they were possibly a part of.  

Their storytelling is fairly entrenched in the milieu, and adopts an almost voyeuristic insider approach

to the people it talks about – this fluid, non-judgmental manner of leading the course of the movie can leave audiences a little confused as to what the filmmaker is actually trying to get at, till the plot thickens turn towards the message. For instance, “Buddha in a Traffic Jam” for the first hour and half promises to be any other movie about the Naxal movement and then provides a twist uncovering the pitfalls and the ugly truth behind the Red in the jungles of Bastar. The idea of engaging the audiences to soak in the “maahaaul” (the milieu) is uniquely Vivek’s style as I have observed in both Buddha and in TKF.

The characterization of Anupam Kher in Buddha and Pallavi in TKF is quite unmissable – they are both eminent academicians who have sway and considerable influence over their students and they choose to abuse this position with what their favourite students – Vikram and Krishna – discover to be consummately woven falsehoods.

 Another clever inspiration is the infusing of music from the works of the great socialist revolutionaries of yonder who get a lot of admiration from the intelligentsia and student groups in our country. Faiz’s immortal “Chand Roz Aur” and “HumDekhenge” have been nicely cooked or dare I say baked into Buddha and TKF and sung by Pallavi herself – these renditions come in at crucial points in the story and by design, drives home a message to the movie goer who would naturally be feeling a wave of nostalgia while he listens to these songs but for whom now revolution and freedom have a strange unease and disquieting note: In his mind, these are not mere ideals but possibly dangerous conduits used by vested interests to breaking the very core of the identity he belongs to. It is an astute psychology play by the filmmaker who has used the very cultural symbols and icons of the existing narrative to expose it. That he and his wife may have admired these at some point of time or still do may be a different speculation altogether.

I would place my bets post TKF, there would be fewer souls who would not give a second thought before they hummed Faiz’s “Hum Dekhenge” to the ramifications of the cost of the “Azaadi” and what it really stands for. And that, I believe, is the success and importance of Vivek Agnihotri’s brand of cinema, his brand of storytelling – he has very ably managed to a degree, to disrupt the hitherto held notion by many about Kashmir’s Azaadi - as a romantic, fair ideal to that of it possibly being a downhill journey to irreparable civilizational damage. The power of a movie is quite evident when it can showcase the flipside so authentically to shake even the disbelievers.

Having said that, let me say, TKF is not without its flaws. Neither is Vivek Agnihotri’s brand of film making perfect. There are imperfections, as one could see them clearly as a cine-goer and reviewer.

Accusations of TKF being a propaganda movie, and that of Vivek and Pallavi zealously milking into the success of a genocide story notwithstanding; it is still a very important movie. It is a movie to make you smell the coffee, and smell it fast – as an audience, as a community, as a nation - I meant this metaphorically.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

 

 

Thappad: No mere slap

Since "Thappad" is now on Amazon Prime, got down to watching it. So, had already built my own pre-viewing impressions, basis reviews and tweets I had seen earlier and the tons of other media coverage the movie received.

Very well crafted and directed by Anubhav Sinha - the plot explores a whole set of people around the protagonist - men and women who touch her life, and that makes it all the more real and compelling.

Tapsee Pannu essays the role of chirpy Amrita, (Ammu as she is fondly called), who is content to be a homemaker to a very ambitious, successful Vikram, who is on the verge of a big promotion that would take him to London, wife in tow. Ammu's set upper middle class Delhi life comes crashing apart when the loving Vikram loses his cool over last minute office politics during a celebratory house party - and in misdirected rage, ends up delivering a thunderous slap on his wife's face, in full view of friends and family. That is it. The story begins from here. A shocked Ammu begins to question the marriage and her emotional investment of many years.

The film raises pertinent questions:

Could a mere slap become the cause for a stable marriage to end? Was Amrita making too big a deal about it? Shouldn't she just accept this as part of a relationship and move on?

To be honest, I had the same feeling persisting in my head throughout the film - but something was adding up in Amrita's favor all along. And that was, her husband's abject lack of remorse post the incident. Vikram is certainly not a bad guy - but his blissfully ignoring her anguish over the tingling public slap, and continued self absorption over the office politics and his own frustration - that is the underlying premise of "Thappad". It is not about domestic violence at all - but, about entitlement and taking things for granted. And that certainly adds up to the protagonist losing love and respect for her husband - the man around whom her life revolved for several years. Had he apologized even once with feeling, Amrita would have had no reason to question her marriage so much - forgiveness would have come in early and there would have been no story to talk about, but the apology does come, but towards the end, when the marriage is on its death bed.

It would be good for viewers to watch the movie, divorced of Tapsee Pannu's political beliefs etc - I saw a lot of tweets lambasting her as a liberal, anti-this-that, and a woman who advocates divorce through this movie. To give her the benefit of doubt, there is no divorce advocacy, per se - she has delivered a nuanced performance alongside the rest of the supporting cast.

I would recommend - watch this as a movie and honestly evaluate the situation in the reverse. If it were Vikram to be slapped in a fit of misdirected rage by Ammu, let us accept that she would have been branded as a woman with "a fiery temper and behavioral and anger issues". There would have been no justification for this unimaginable behavior at all. How could someone afford to slap her husband, even accidentally? Not too many of us, not even women,would accept it too well, and would hasten to brand the woman, as "hasty, nasty and full of attitude". I suspect a reverse "Thappad" script would have delved deep into the guilt conscience of the woman over her one-time act, more than anything else. That too, is the underlying message - our conditioning of several generations that can subconsciously accept some behaviors and not others.

In all, "Thappad" sends out a signal that questions these mindsets - there is no room for disrespect - of either gender. No one takes anyone for granted, even in a loving relationship. Accept, apologize or even better, do not commit an act you would be ashamed of, later.

Psychology Note #1 Narcissism and its Entourage: The Personality Disorders

Have you ever wondered that you are dealing with a very difficult person? Or, you are witnessing someone around you deal with a massive tantrum thrower or abuser? That they are putting in all the effort in pleasing the person, pandering to his/her ego, massaging it and comforting it? That it is a one-way street in the relationship?

Have you ever wondered that you are constantly second guessing whether you are going to be found fault at, criticized maliciously in private and in public for little or no fault of yours? That you will be the victim of someone's vicious temper, anytime, any day? Or, as mentioned earlier, you are witness to something on these lines happening to a person around you?

Have you ever felt you are or someone you know is being made to feel like an angry, wicked person who is going insane?

Look no further - you are not dealing with a mere control freak - these symptomatic behaviors have a clear name  and it is called narcissism (a rip off of the Greek mythological character, Narcissus) which is at a base level - about someone who loves himself or herself to an obnoxious level, to the extent of seeing no one else in context. The person in question could be anyone you know - a parent, a caregiver, a colleague, a sibling, an associate, a friend, spouse - just about anybody.

While I had first chanced upon this word in my late teens, thanks to my eclectic, well read elder sibling, my interest in and curiosity about this term led me to read up quite a bit only over the last year or so. The world of psychology dissects narcissism quite thoroughly and you get to understand the existence of  the ensuing narcissistic personality disorder, or "NPD", as it is known.

NPD is perhaps one of the world's oldest psychological anomalies, and has fascinated modern psychoanalysts in the 20th century, who went on to coin the term, and gave it its full definition.

Our interactions and experiences with narcissists fall into two broad categories: if you observe, you will be dealing with either an overt or a covert narcissist.

The overt narcissist is not difficult to identify, thanks to the obvious self aggrandizement that the person would exude.

The covert narcissist is the tougher one to identify.

A covert narcissist is as dangerous or more dangerous than the overt one - this character outwardly projects a great facade, but can go back and be terrible to very close ones, in particular, to a spouse.

After initially love bombing, they gradually lose interest and mentally drain the significant-other (SO) - by devaluing the person for their looks, their skills, among other things. This devaluation, more often than not, will not be very harsh on the face, but, will be consistent and systematic, and over a number of years, the other person starts believing in these criticisms. After all, a lie told a 100 times slowly tends to take the place of truth, doesn't it?  This practice of systematically making another person believe in the devaluation is famously called "gaslighting".

For the uninitiated, there is a famous 1944 Hollywood classic, "Gaslight", for your reference. Some of the scenes between the lead actors Charles Boyer and Ingrid Bergman (one of which I have shared here) are excellent references to what a covert narcissist can say to make his version sound authentic.



A covert narcissist plays the game in a Machiavellian manner, ensuring that his or her victim is part of a well crafted vilifaction campaign. Many a victim of such a campaign lose face in front of people, sometimes their own dear and near ones, since the covert narcissist would have already played the "victim", thus coloring the judgment of people around.

What piqued my interest as I kept reading was to understand the genesis of NPD. As I understand, the birth of the NPD begins very early in life - as early as 3-4 years of the person, and is generally caused by severe trauma such as abuse by a care-giver (a parent, step parent), or the death of a parent, trauma caused by being uprooted and abused by a care giver due to estrangement or death of parents. The grown-up narcissist becomes the mirror reflection of his childhood perpetrator/trauma. People with NPD generally are "empty shells" within themselves or so, psychoanalysts believe - with very little love and empathy to give to their near ones, since they have huge baggage of early experience which they carry into adult life.

Getting curious? For starters, Quora has some excellent references and answers around questions on narcissistic behavior. There are personality tests online that can give you a bird's eye view about yourself and the persons you are dealing with. Therapy from a good source is the ultimate solution, but when does a thief like to be called a thief? A narcissist can not be called out, unless the other person knows how to go about it, like a therapist.

So, the next time you are interacting with a very difficult person, you might want to step back a bit, and play psychologist in your own mind - what or who is he or she? You might land upon interesting answers that can help you to respond better, and not react. That is, if you wish to play doctor, doctor. It is best advised to leave a person with NPD to his or her own devices, and flee for your dear life, if you have the choice.