DHURANDHAR- Calls for discussion and contemplation beyond the apparent.

BEWARE OF VIGILANTE-

Critiquing a movie like Dhurandher is complex and fraught with perils of being misjudged . The social landscape and mood in the country is volatile enough to put one on the dock if it dares pass even a fleeting unfavourable comment upon certain things/issues perceived as sensitive or sacrosanct !

MASALA POTBOILER-

Now that most of adult India has probably seen this movie, the storyline needs no introduction. It has stirred up the audience in unexpected ways and created a mass frenzy by its songs, themes and dialogues going viral with funny memes flooding all social platforms. 

My personal take is that DHURANDHER is a thoroughly enjoyable Bollywood masala entertainer replete with right dosage of action, thrills, romance, intrigues, vengeance etc . In essence, a delicious potpourri served with dollops of patriotic flavours, linking facts with fiction deftly.

THE SWAG & THE DAZZLE- 

It’s USP is the brilliant acting by the all star ensemble cast, snazzy songs, taut screenplay and powerful direction by Aditya Dhar, the man of the hour! It brings Bollywood style panache and glamour to the real life gory, ruffian underworld with pedestrian looking dons and their sycophantic stooges.

An incredible story of real events- is the tagline. 

‘Incredible’ should be the key word. How tantalising it’s to imagine us as an all too powerful nation capable of all the superman stuff! 

It assuages the hurt and anger felt by the nation by creating an immersive experience into those turbulent times, and the catastrophic effects of terrorism unleashed upon India in the past couple of decades.

THE FACTS Transgress into FICTION-

Dhurandher has enough merits on its own to be a thoroughly enjoyable flick without lurking into the dark , dangerous and treacherous territories of neighbours to be a success.

Ranveer singh (the protagonist) could’ve very well been an undercover cop infiltrating an underworld gang aiming to incite gang wars leading them to their doomsday.

But then would it have been so impactful? Bashing in-house enemy can never match the adrenaline rush felt while checkmating the 'outsiders'! 

Hence the cross-over between the turmoil in Lyari area of a hostile neighbour and terror activities in India that time. 

Clever juxtaposition of simultaneous events in 2 neighbouring countries with no verifiable facts to connect the 2, creates a tense atmospheric trance for the audience drawing it into a vortex of known facts, unknown variables, guessing games, and ultimately getting consumed by the cinematic splendour of the movie. 

THE ORGANIC SUCCESS- 

Opening to decent figures at box office and jumping onto the gigantic amount of success is a testament to the strong foothold of word of mouth/ internet chain reaction , publicity when it comes to the world of entertainment. 

It comes organically and insidiously. You want to see it , if not for a personal preference, then to be able to chat, opine, to relish the flavour of the month/ year, whatever one may label it as! FOMO syndrome works overtime.

TREADING ON THIN ICE-

Dhurandher’s box-office juggernaut, growing from strength to strength and minting unprecedented moolah, is a revelation for movie watchers and the critics.

The film may not qualify as a landmark that redraws the contours of Hindi cinema, but it is unmistakably the culmination of a popular narrative that has been simmering beneath the surface for over a decade. What once crept along quietly has now found a wide opening to erupt; volcanic, spectacular, and irresistible in its scale.

One can only hope that this lava dazzles from afar without scorching our collective reason, empathy, and sanity.

Let the Raja beta grow up Indian mommies!!

Apple of my eye, my little munchkin, my guddu, mera raja beta, Indian mums are gung ho about their son. They love their daughters equally but the sense of pride they feel with a son is unparalleled!

Even when a foot taller, bearded and trying hard to be all macho, he has a task cut for him, protecting his cheek from doting kisses of a fawning mother.

If it would only stop at kisses! Nope, Sir! Mother hens go overboard in fawning over their offsprings. They get fixated on their male progenies like anything. From his nursery days till school and college, Indian mothers hover around their sons obsessively.

They love it when their daughters consider them their centre of world but their hearts swell with immense pride when their sons inform, discuss, consult on even the most inconsequential stuff in life. If per chance the little guy fails to do so, he is chastised in no uncertain terms about his lack of reverance for Mother superior, the nomenclature made to order for mothers in India.

Most of the time, mothers even get to select a wife for their ‘aankhon ka tara’. They sift, scan and finalise a demure simpleton for him. But behold! In just a few weeks and she transforms into a femme fatale, twisting their dear boy around her delicate finger. They mistrust this intruder but are helpless. They are infact asked to grin and welcome this interpolar. They do so grudgingly with a plastic smile, putting up a charade of warmth while secretly determined not to let a ‘stranger’ usurp their dearest and most precious possession. They swear to stamp their authority in their sons’ lives in the most aggressive and intrusive manner possible.

Thus starts the interference and control of son’s life. She is the Mommy and Mommy always know best, or so it is claimed. Hence her conception of ‘best’ imposes and infringes upon the personal life and space of her son. She never learns to take a back seat. Privacy and independence are alien terms to you. So she continues with her controlling act and the tussle for ‘power base’ – with her holding it back and the children pulling it with all their might – continues unabated lifelong. That unfortunately is the sorry state of affairs in many a household in India.

This dominance of the Queen Mother is nowhere more defined and established as it’s in India. From Shravan Kumar who carried his blind parents on his shoulders to Ramji who abdicated his rightful inheritance to do his stepmother’s unjustified bidding, the mum-son equation is paramount in the scheme of things that make the family-structure function seamlessly.

The birth of a son is a major achievement in a woman’s life, across all classes of indian society. It is a trophy or a distinction which accords a superior status to women automatically. Naturally enough, they are most reluctant to hand over this trophy to the next generation.

Fortunately for Generation X, the influx of globalisation and the emergence of nuclear families as a natural corollary of the same, is facilitating a less acrimonious change of guard. The most pious relationship in the world is getting redefined and realigned in sync with the shift in new age thinking and philosophy of “Love me? Let me loose!!”

You mommy dearest have to learn to loosen the strings of possessiveness because only then mutual respect will grow leading to a wholesome, deep relationship between you and your children.

THE POWER OF MATURED LOVE ❤

Love has got to be world's most potent and most volatile emotion. The amazing thing about romantic love is that it is unique for each couple depending upon their relationship dynamics. And every couple's love story has its own graph- the ups vs downs, intense vs indifferent, comfortable vs annoying etc..their love travels through different phases at its own pace and is never static.

If we talk about matured love or love between a couple in their forties, who have been together for a considerable length of time, then it is very different from the puppy love or youthful infatuation between a younger couple.

After years of being together, the attraction and combustion is replaced by compassion and understanding. You don't count the hours to meet at a restaurant looking your best, rather you count the hours when the hubby returns from his office carrying the bakery or stationary stuff you reminded him to bring home. Instead of you rushing to greet him with a warm hug n kiss, it's the kids who overtake you in exchanging pleasantries. 

Any privacy is no longer sought to jump into the bed for action but to slump down and slowly share the day's hectic happenings. Priorities change gradually and before you realise you become uncle and aunty from Bhaiya and Bhabhi. The wrinkles and grey hair crop up surreptitiously and catch you unawares. Piles of extra kilos surface over the years and you stop weighing yourself for fear of landing into depression.

Life is tougher now but infinitely more fulfilling. From making plans for your own future you shift to planning for your kids' future because you know somewhere you have peaked professionally and personally. At forties, love becomes a homogenous mixture of respect, companionship, appreciation and dependency. The sore points have been sorted out and the irritants ironed over. 

Trust and loyalty are the two pillars of a long standing relationship. After investing heavily (emotionally and physically) into your partnership you want to keep it going.

Love in forties is stable and secured wherein you bask in your partners care and attention. It's gentle and soothing unlike the brash and fervent youthful love. It completes you and defines you as an altergo of the other.

Life begins at 40s some say, love too comes onto its own during this time after the jittery, nervy, volatile initial years of courtship, matrimony and series of adjustments in your relationship. It settles finally into a soothing, calming presence in life. From occupying the centre stage for years altogether, it receds to the background but does not fade away. It becomes firmer and more grounded. It intensifies into a solid, secure sea with none the nervous energy of youthful spring.

But love till 40s stays strong only if nurtured properly. Negligence and/or bickering takes the sheen away from it and it shrivels up to die forlorn and lonely.

Like life, love is most unpredictable and the only certainty attached with it is its longevity. Love outgrows life and generations and the best love stories are not of your college sweethearts but of you parents and grandparents. Even if procreation is the goal, love gives it a glamorous avatar. Falling in love and making love makes the world go round and are root causes for many of mankind's wars and progress.

There is no debating the power of matured love and like vintage wine, the older it gets, the better it tastes!

Three cheers to LOVE, the elixir of life! Drink it, savour it and preserve it.