CHAMELI

Friends,

Here I start ‘Dimensions’ with a hope that we can bring a few hidden Dimensions alive. By Dimensions I mean the best part of a movie, which tells you something good or imbues you to do something good; which gives you a new vision to look at life from a different perspective; which tells you that that is the way of life you were unaware of…

Today’s movie : CHAMELI

Star Cast : Rahul Bose & Kareena Kapoor

Story Line : It revolves around the life of a prostitute which starts at night and ends by morning

My Rating : 3 /5

You know, I don’t advocate so called ‘openness’ or in straight words “vulgarity in the name of reality” in movies. When my friends came to me after watching this movie (at the time of the release, perhaps I had some work to do and I missed the first show. I don’t remember exactly as it’s way back in ---------), their bla-bla-bla sent me an impression that this was a movie which was trying to portray reality with “openness”!!

So, I planned to drop watching this movie and I did. Time passed and I had been restricting myself for long not to watch it. But one fine night while I was surfing channels, it was coming on Star Plus, I decided to watch it. Not to mention, songs of this movie “Bheegi Hui…” & “Bhage Re Mann” had been one of my favourites since its release. Really beautiful songs!! I appreciate the team, for they have done a fabulous job.

I don’t deny that it’s a movie not for children under 15 or so… Actually, they have portrayed (remind me if I say “They are trying to portray”) a prostitute whose life begins at night and ends by the morning. Character of Chameli has to be bold and specifically a combination of boldness, harshness, practicality and most important “softness of a woman”. I was really mesmerized to see that how could you enact such a character in a movie with such fineness! The perfection for which, even a prostitute will need at least 10 yrs. in the profession. Actress has done it wonderful. The scene still flashes in front of my eyes when she is telling her story to Rahul Bose. With all softness she tells her life story which can drive anyone and then all of a sudden she starts laughing and tells that it was one of those lies which she uses for her customers, to draw emotional support. Then she tells another false story (formula no. 2) and laughs again… it’s really worth watching!

Rahul Bose has acted perfectly as a man who has lost his wife; a man who thinks that it was his fault which killed her. His car broke down in the rain one night at a place where this prostitute looks for customers, and the story starts. There are numerous incidents and dialogues which are just perfect for the story line at times and you can feel the meaning or essence only by watching those scenes.

While watching, I didn’t find any exaggeration of “openness” in the movie except in the song “Bhage Re Mann”. I will count it as the flip side of the movie. I guess it was done just to pull the crowd in theatres. After all it’s BUSINESS!! ;)

DIMENSIONS

Now the question is- “What did the movie say to me - a person who is not a social worker and not much interested in rehabilitation of such people? What did this movie have for me?”

To me, this movie tells that there are numerous difficulties in life, there are numerous incidents which leave a scar (never to be healed) on your heart and generally we don’t have the guts to accept them as we are not as open as prostitutes. They have got deeper scars but you don’t see them because the profession has made them so tough that they are ready to accept the pain any time. If we could gather even a part of that courage, we can deal with difficulties very easily.

This theme has been beautifully portrayed when, in the end, the actor opens his box to open those pictures of his wife which he had closed after her death for the fear of her memories. He rings up his father-in-law with whom he had never talked after his wife’s death. He says-

“That day I opened those pictures because that day I had accepted all the pain and memories of her death. I called my father-in-law and talked to him whom I had not called since her death.”

Movie said to me that don’t fear pain and memories. No matter how deep is the scar on your heart, just keep it inside and laugh, have a few relations and don’t die for those relations, for someone dear to you has died. Live life and Love them all.

I think you can see these Dimensions...

Proofread by: -
ABHINAV
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