There seems to be a common misconception among a lot of the people that I discuss Indian cinema with. It commonly all gets lumped into the category of 'Bollywood'. Some people find offense at this, some don't. I think I might have mentioned this in an earlier blog, but I thought I would reiterate it here since I will be discussing a film that does not fall into the lumped up category of Bollywood.
Bollywood is categorized by epic narratives, melodramatic story lines, romance, song and dance routines, and oftentimes happy endings (however, I've found that there are more sad endings than people actually think that there are).
A recent film that I saw has few of the characteristics that many people associate with Indian film, and it is by far one of the best pieces of cinema that I have seen in a while. Now, even I have to twist my arm to get myself to watch films that are critically high rated, but may not sound like the most interesting films. Alll I can say to this is that you will be happy with the results.
"Mr. and Mrs. Iyer" takes place en route from a southern Indian town to Kolkuta. Mrs. Iyer is traveling by bus to see her in-laws with her young son. A young man named Raja is enlisted to help her on the trip if she needs anything because their families and friends are acquainted somehow. Once on the bus however, they encounter a region where tensions between Muslims and Hindus have escalated to extreme violence. Mrs. Iyer (a strict Hindu) lies in order to protect Raja (a Muslim) from the mob that boards the bus. This scene is perhaps one of the most claustrophobic I have seen in a long time, and is extremely well done. From this point, the tension of the film increases, and it is quite possible to feel the fear and panic, and the sheer danger that could occur in situations like this. It is quite hard for someone like me, who has never had to encounter terrors such as the people in this film do, to understand how scary something like this truly is. "Mr. and Mrs. Iyer" however, puts even the most privileged and clueless people in the positions that I imagine are still not uncommon in countries where religious and political strife still runs high. While this films was made a decade after the Bombay (Mumbai) Riots, and religious tensions are said to have subsided, they are not impossible. "Mr. and Mrs. Iyer" is a very interesting and eye-opening look at how ordinary people must deal with and live through events like this.
There are many films about terrorists, and perhaps this is the wrong label for what this film is about. But usually (and since Bollywood is my example, I'll stick with it), violence stemming from national issues, religious issues, or what have you is glamorized with fast cutting, loud MTV-style music, and James Bond-like figures who try to control the situation. The film "Fanaa", which I greatly emjoy, uses a background of the political tension surrounding the disputed region of Kashmir to set an epic romance. I admit that I love the movie (as I do with anything Aamir Khan is in), however, in comparison with a film like "Mr. and Mrs. Iyer", it is clear to see with is the better film--both in cinematic terms and narratively. The latter film also foregrounds romance, however it is a more subdued and realistic star-crossed romance, where people behave as they actually might in real life. The shots are long and ponderous, allowing the viewer to soak in the whole image, and letting the actors act, and creating their relationship through their interaction, versus through editing. The music in the film does not consist of lip-synching and dancing, but is non-diegetic and adds to the atmosphere and the reflection of the film. There are even shots that reminded me of Yasujiro Ozu's work, such as a shot of an old Muslim couple, where the woman looks at her hands after her husband mentions it's the only thing he saw of her the first time he saw her. These types of shots are not necessary to advance the plot, but instead are present to add a sense of time, an understanding of their relationship, and a sense of evanescence (hence, the connection to Ozu).
The framing of the film is also something that I found quite stunning, with careful selection going into the composition, allowing at times for beautiful symmetry and also helping construct the relationship between the two people who the film is about. Which leads me back to my final point about how the characters interact. Often in films, the meeting of two people who fall in love is fast, and suddenly they're in a montage, or are in love after 2 days, or any of that nonsense. Don't get me wrong, I think this is fine (especially if, in the course of the movie, they only spend a total of 2 weeks in each other's presence, a la Fanaa). However, it is not very realistic (call me a cynic, but I have yet to witness something such as love at first sight, which I don't think I necessarily believe in). The relationship of the main characters in "Mr. and Mrs. Iyer" is carefully navigated as they try to understand one another. In a country as religiously, linguistically and culturally diverse as India, she is Tamil (I'm not sure if this is the correct term for someone from Tamil Nadu) and he is Bengali. The only common language that they share is English--a feature of the film that I also found was very interesting and that someone who does not come from a country with as many languages as India would not think about. They are from different religions, with different practices (for example, she is vegetarian, and he is not), leading to several confrontations about how they interact that are very interesting. It seems to me that in more mainstream popular cinema, this is also something that, while it is mentioned a lot (eg. "you can't get married, she's Muslim and you're Hindu!), it is not fully explored, and I think that Mr. and Mrs. Iyer did a good job of this as well.
Anyway, after a long post, and an even longer abscence, I will wrap up this post by saying that I think this is one of the best Indian films that I have seen, and I hope that I will see many more like it. I would definitely recommend it if you aren't a fan of the "Bollywood" genre, but are interested in Indian film and culture.
Let's watch that.
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