Film/Stage

Punjabi Cinema Comes Of Age - At Last!

by KISHWAR DESAI

Being on the jury for India's 59th National Film Awards was a particularly exciting privilege and I have to say that it was both enjoyable and educational. To be able to take two weeks off and just sit back and view the best cinema being produced in the country is an opportunity not to be missed - and quite honestly I would be happy to do it all over again!

Regional Excitement

It became obvious, quite soon that the more innovative and stimulating films are being made in regional cinema and thus it was no surprise when we chose two regional-language films jointly for the best feature film award. Byari, a film in the eponymous language, and Deool, a Marathi film, both swept us away with their sheer boldness, chutzpah and energy.

And while I was really happy when we agreed that Vidya Balan should get the best actress award for The Dirty Picture  it was equally thrilling when the best supporting actress award was given to a little known young woman, Leishangthem Tonthoingambi Devi, for her role as the sister in the Manipuri film, Philjee Mani.

So, this unearthing of treasures from the states became the most fascinating part of the screenings.

Two other films which especially stood out (for me) were both debut presentations from young directors, the Tamil Aaranya Kandam and the Punjabi Anhe Ghorre Da Daan.

Made in the neo noir style, Aaranya Kandam directed by Thiagrajan Kumararaja, served up a deadly, clever cocktail of a gang battle ending in bloodshed. Fabulously shot and conceptualized, using music in a very evocative fashion, it was head and shoulders over most other films - and unique because this genre has not been really explored in India and especially not in Southern cinema.

Both Aaranya Kandam and Anhe Ghorre Da Daan also went a long way in breaking many stereotypes. 

Aaranya Kandam especially showed the firm and confident hand of a debut director who, while paying his homage to Quentin Tarantino, was also able to use a large ensemble cast (that included Jackie Shroff) and pepper the story with humour and pathos, creating the analogy of the urban jungle where lives are meaningless.

Indeed , many of the films this year dealt with declining social and political values, with the twin issues of corruption and the misuse of religion and religious symbols dominating thematically. It was a reassuring indication film directors are bravely evading the song and dance trap, choosing to create thought-provoking cinema, instead.

Flavour of Punjab

Similarly, the low budget, NFDC-produced film which walked off with many of the accolades was Anhe Ghorre Da Daan. 

It is completely contrary to most Punjabi films thus far made, relying neither on the obsequious bhangra or a religious theme or any of the usual tropes in the story telling.

Indeed, the film is sensitively crafted and based on a book by Jnanpeeth award winner, Gurdial Singh, using real locations at a village near Bhatinda, Punjab, and in the city itself.

Good cinematic adaptations from literature are notoriously difficult to achieve but the director, Gurvinder Singh, has reached into the heart of the novel and given us a film which is both reflective and absorbing.

As a Punjabi, I am very pleasantly surprised: the film is edgy and modern, with fabulous cinematography (for which Satya Rai Nagpaul has won the award; it has also won the prize for the Best Punjabi Film) even though it revolves around the fraught theme of migration: both rural and urban.

The director, a graduate from the Pune Film and Television Institute has dedicated the film to Mani Kaul, who tragically died last year but it is Gurvinder Singh’s own vision and personal story telling that makes a very difficult and poignant subject come alive.

It is also refreshing to see an authentic Punjab village on screen and not the Bollywood-ised version from films such as Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. It seems that this, too, was one of Gurvinder’s primary objectives! His filming of life in rural Punjab (I could relate to every scene!) is convincing even as the tension of impending tumultuous change hovers over the protagonists.

Using real life actors is not an easy process, but was a very crucial decision – as this is a subaltern story perhaps told best by non-actors. The on-screen faces, wrinkled with age and experience, are beautiful and unusual. These have been largely ignored by popular films shot in Punjab - as the producers of the latter kind of cinema would prefer to rely on white wigs and enormous amounts of grease paint on actors such as Dara Singh and Kirron Kher. Only the lead actor, Samuel Johnson, is apparently a professional stage actor.

The film has deservedly picked up other awards as it does the rounds of the film festivals. I have just learnt that it has also got the $50,000 Black Pearl Trophy at the Abu Dhabi Film festival and has already been screened at the Venice Film Festival as well as the London Film Festival and no doubt will continue to win praise for the director.

I do hope it heralds the coming of age of Punjabi cinema and that Anhe Ghorre Da Daan is a turning point. In a cinematic landscape peppered with fake sardars played by everyone from Chintu Kapoor to Farhan Khan (even if sometimes brilliantly executed!) it is reassuring to hear the actual rhythm of the language and see a well-constructed narrative set in a genuine Punjabi setting.

 

[Courtesy: Tribune. Edited for sikhchic.com]

 

April 4, 2012

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