Sexual harassment is about power

Los Angeles settled Jagmohan Mundra’s new film Bawandar (Sandstorm) is inspired from a real life incident, the controversial gang rape of Bhanwari Devi in the village of Rajasthan. Starring Nandita Das in the lead role as Sanwari and supported by Raghuvir Yadav, Deepti Naval, Rahul Khanna and Laila Rouass, Bawandar tells the story of a low caste woman, working with the Rajasthan Government’s women development programme ‘Saathin’. Trouble begins when Sanwari voices protest against the prevalent custom of child marriage in the village. The upper caste leaders, to teach her a lesson, gang rape her in the presence of her husband. They expect her to flee the village in shame after the humiliating experience, but Sanwari, in a rare glimpse of courage and determination decides to fight back.

Supported by her husband, activist Deepti Naval and other village women, Sanwari fights oppression and moves the legal system to seek justice. It is a long journey of heartbreaks... For in the process she is used as a pawn by the political opportunists. Recurringly interrogated at the police station, the doctor’s clinic and later humiliation in the court, is Sanwari’s second rape! The unkindest comment coming from a woman constable who mockingly asks, "kitne aadmi the..." The issue gains international focus and Sanwari is caught in a media storm, leaving her further disillusioned!

Inspired from an article published in an international newspaper, Mundra was intrigued by the photograph of a Rajasthani woman in her traditional veil, intrigued by the seemingly contradictory image of feminism. To his credits it must be said that Mundra does not gloss over the rape, but on the contrary, underplays the tragedy. He explored the topic 14 years ago. Kamaka, also inspired from a real life incident. And he does it again. Bawandar is a story of hope. It inspires courage and most important, ends on an optimistic note...

Sanwari rises from being a rape victim to an activist fighting against the menace. With sterling performances from the cast including a cameo from Lillette Dubey, it’s probably the first film where actors speak in three languages (English, Hindi and Rajasthani). The dialogue are strong and thought-provoking, specially during the court scene when Sanwari is deliberately humiliated by the prosecution lawyer. Set amidst the picturesque sand dunes of colourful, contemporary Rajasthan, Bawandar isn’t about the rape, but the cause of the rape. Sexual harrassment isn’t about sex, but power!

Stepping into Papa’s shoes
Two occasions the Hindi film industry is unusually emotional about, are the wedding of a star daughter and the launch of a star son. The most bitter rivals, have over the years dropped their hostility and risen to the occasion. One saw glimpses of it more than 25 years ago, at Raj Kapoor’s daughter Ritu’s wedding to Rajan Nanda, to as recent as Rajesh Khanna and Dimple’s daughter Twinkle Khanna’s engagement with Akshay Kumar. If the launch of a star son seems even more significant, it’s because it implies the continuity of a tradition. The stakes are higher and the defeat, public.

After launching his two elder sons Randhir and Rishi, an older and exhausted Raj Kapoor wondered if he could do justice to his youngest offspring. He tried doubly hard and triumphed, never mind if the film Ram Teri Ganga Maili was a bigger success than the hero Rajiv Kapoor. Everyone remembers the nostalgic launch of Sanjay Dutt’s Rocky. Mehboob Studio blossomed like a bride. The covering shamiana lined up with blow-ups of junior Dutt all the way to the sets inside and the studio vibrated with goodwill and tears. Equally vulnerable was Manoj Kumar at younger son Vishal’s debut recording. The veteran actor burst into tears while addressing the press conference. Rajendra Kumar mixed the right ingredients to designer launch his son Kumar Gaurav, but overcaution destroyed natural rhythm. Perhaps, had Gaurav senior let the reins slightly loose, and not been such a control freak, Gaurav junior would have been riding the front lanes today.

One remembers a nervous Dharmendra at the muhurat of Sunny Deol’s Betaab and a few years later, an emotional father weeping and hugging younger son Bobby Deol at the premiere of Barsaat.

Comparatively, Vinod Khanna and son Akshaye Khanna appeared composed at the gala show of Himalay Putra, but you had only to follow their eyes to know that the adrenaline was flowing...

Hrithik and Rakesh Roshan cheerfully mingled with the guests at the music release of Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai but their nervousness was transparent. It was grandfather J Om Prakash who broke defences, addressing the new star by his pet name in public. A few weeks later, after the shoot-out episode, Hrithik received a thundering applause for his emotional speech at an award function. For the proud parents it was a day of dropping inhibitions and weeping undisguisedly...

Call it genes but none of the star kids could resist the showbiz magic. Those who mocked and escaped overseas and those projecting inverted snobbery. Kunal and Karan Kapoor to Fardeen Khan and Hrithik Roshan to the latest to join the bandwagon, Tusshar Jeetendra Kapoor, eventually all walked in papa’s footsteps and nervous as he was, papa was flattered!! After all these years, Shashi Kapoor is defensive about son Kunal’s performance in Ahista Ahista. "His diction was bad and his presence had no impact, but in the fight sequence, he was even better than Amitabh Bachchan."

At the audio release of Prem Aggan, an otherwise reclusive Feroz Khan behaved out of character inviting the entire industry to come on stage and bless his son. Jeetendra looked visibly ill-at-ease watching son Tusshar face the muhurat shot for Kuch Kehna Hai. So did Amitabh Bachchan at the Refugee music release function. Eyes brimming with anticipation and gait slower than usual, the mega star sat demurely, careful not to display his magnificence. He wanted no distraction from his son’s glory.

A few years ago, when Shyam Benegal made a film on Satyajit Ray, Ray had remarked that the film had too much of Ray and too little of Bengal. Fortunately, Gautam Ghose has not made the same mistake. With commentary by Aparna Sen, Ghose takes you through the bylanes of Calcutta where Ray grew up. He introduces the people and the places Ray touched and an insight on his books and films. Author, illustrator, editor, writer, painter, filmmaker and visualiser, Ray was born for greatness. Hyperactive and compulsively creative, he was scribbling on papers even from the hospital bed.

Ghose’s documentary reveals Ray’s passions and to a certain extent, his fears. As a child, Manikda felt awkward walking to the stage collecting his trophies, watched by an audience. And yet, adulation was to be a part of his future. Towering over others in his height and voice, Ray was marked for glory. Rabindranath Tagore wrote him a special message in his autograph book and Ray’s mother preserved a scrap book of her son’s achievements till she died. The only area the film lacks in is giving insights into the man behind the mask. One is curious to know how Ray fared as a son, husband and father. Strangely, Ghose didn’t thought of including Ray’s son, Sandip talking about his Baba...

Bhawana Somaaya>>>>

email: bhawanasomaaya@express2.indexp.co.in