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Paheli: a feminist fable
Jun. 26th, 2005 12:16 amSaw the beautiful Paheli tonight. Based on a 15th century Rajastani folk tale, it's a movie about a wife (Rani Mukherjee), abandoned by a neglectful husband, who falls in love with a Spirit (Shahrukh Khan in a double role, as both the husband and the Spirit) who takes his form and treats her as his equal.
Short version: my favorite this year.
Long version: I knew I was going to love it from the very first frame of Rani, surrounded by colors and textures of a bridal party, being lovingly teased by her family about her marriage and wedding night. It was just so warm, so lovely, so fun. It really looked like a fairy tale, another world, from the get-go.I loved the puppet commentary throughout and the curtain at the end: reminder over and over again that this is a fable. The puppet dance at the end: wonderful.
The bright, baked colors and the melodies transported me to another world. The art design: glorious! SRK & Rani's room, the whole house, were a work of art. The well, the Temple, the village...wow. And the atmosphere was that of an enchanted tale. When I walked out, the colors seemed less intense, somehow.
I was (pleasantly) surprised by the strong feminist tone of the movie. ( Spoiler re: end )This is the antidote to all these HDDCS-type movies. Here, the woman decides.
I also loved the fact that Paheli did not make the husband an evil, horrible man. He is weak, and unromantic and not very loving, but he is not a bad guy. I loved SRK as a madly conscientious accountant...He might be a neglectful husband, but he is not cruel, or mean, or evil.
Rani was wonderful in the role. She basically has the market cornered as an earthy, warm woman and was excellent.
SRK? What can I say. Paheli reminded me why he is always my favorite, no matter how many other BW actors I like. There is just something extra about watching a movie with him: the extra spark, the extra interest, the extra something. The screen is a bit more alive when he is there. Mustache or not, if he'd looked at me with those eyes and that smile, if I was in Rani's place I'd be a goner.
I liked the two different roles. Not the slapsticky extremes of Duplicate, but the genuine different gradations. The Spirit is a mature man. He is a grown-up, secure and developed. The husband is somewhat shallow, not comfortable in his own skin, and like a child compared to the Spirit. And you can tell that when the two are next to each other. No mistaking who is who. The Spirit is, in some ways, more human than the husband. Maybe because he lived longer and he knew what he wanted and had stronger feelings and could appreciate warmth and love.
I think the message of the movie was that love is what is important. Juhi Chawla (who looked gorgeous and had great chemistry with SRK. They really should be romantic leads again) is one example of this. ( mild spoiler ) Rani forswore her wedding wows for a Spirit because she loved him. The Spirit became flesh for love.
I loved the spirit of playfulness and comfort between Rani and SRK: they tease (I loved the tickling), they are at ease with each other, and they are totally in love. He brings out the girl in her.
( Favorite Scenes. Spoilers, of course )
The amazing fact is that he does not give away one ounce of his presence, his masculinity or his mature command despite his total adoration and in some ways, submission to the woman. He does not appear one bit less the man for that.
He shows traits that are normally associated with women (strong emotions, importance of love etc) in a strong male character. Basically, my (metaphorical) hat is off to SRK and Amol Palekar for producing something this beautiful, something with such a strong feminist message, and a movie that respects women so much, and shows spouses as equal, not afraid of glorifying womanhood without negating manliness and masculinity in any way.
Short version: my favorite this year.
Long version: I knew I was going to love it from the very first frame of Rani, surrounded by colors and textures of a bridal party, being lovingly teased by her family about her marriage and wedding night. It was just so warm, so lovely, so fun. It really looked like a fairy tale, another world, from the get-go.I loved the puppet commentary throughout and the curtain at the end: reminder over and over again that this is a fable. The puppet dance at the end: wonderful.
The bright, baked colors and the melodies transported me to another world. The art design: glorious! SRK & Rani's room, the whole house, were a work of art. The well, the Temple, the village...wow. And the atmosphere was that of an enchanted tale. When I walked out, the colors seemed less intense, somehow.
I was (pleasantly) surprised by the strong feminist tone of the movie. ( Spoiler re: end )This is the antidote to all these HDDCS-type movies. Here, the woman decides.
I also loved the fact that Paheli did not make the husband an evil, horrible man. He is weak, and unromantic and not very loving, but he is not a bad guy. I loved SRK as a madly conscientious accountant...He might be a neglectful husband, but he is not cruel, or mean, or evil.
Rani was wonderful in the role. She basically has the market cornered as an earthy, warm woman and was excellent.
SRK? What can I say. Paheli reminded me why he is always my favorite, no matter how many other BW actors I like. There is just something extra about watching a movie with him: the extra spark, the extra interest, the extra something. The screen is a bit more alive when he is there. Mustache or not, if he'd looked at me with those eyes and that smile, if I was in Rani's place I'd be a goner.
I liked the two different roles. Not the slapsticky extremes of Duplicate, but the genuine different gradations. The Spirit is a mature man. He is a grown-up, secure and developed. The husband is somewhat shallow, not comfortable in his own skin, and like a child compared to the Spirit. And you can tell that when the two are next to each other. No mistaking who is who. The Spirit is, in some ways, more human than the husband. Maybe because he lived longer and he knew what he wanted and had stronger feelings and could appreciate warmth and love.
I think the message of the movie was that love is what is important. Juhi Chawla (who looked gorgeous and had great chemistry with SRK. They really should be romantic leads again) is one example of this. ( mild spoiler ) Rani forswore her wedding wows for a Spirit because she loved him. The Spirit became flesh for love.
I loved the spirit of playfulness and comfort between Rani and SRK: they tease (I loved the tickling), they are at ease with each other, and they are totally in love. He brings out the girl in her.
( Favorite Scenes. Spoilers, of course )
The amazing fact is that he does not give away one ounce of his presence, his masculinity or his mature command despite his total adoration and in some ways, submission to the woman. He does not appear one bit less the man for that.
He shows traits that are normally associated with women (strong emotions, importance of love etc) in a strong male character. Basically, my (metaphorical) hat is off to SRK and Amol Palekar for producing something this beautiful, something with such a strong feminist message, and a movie that respects women so much, and shows spouses as equal, not afraid of glorifying womanhood without negating manliness and masculinity in any way.
