Panchamda

Ghar [ Home ] is one of those movies which I have heard more than seen. I know it has Rekha and Vinod Mehra in the lead roles, and I know it has one of the most memorable songs ever in Indian cinema. But, apart from catching up with the songs, I had known or seen very little of the movie. And now that I have seen it, I find it quite pleasantly surprising, on how brilliantly subtle and sensitive this movie is. Ghar is directed by Late Manick Chatterjee [ contrary to the misconception that Gulzar directed it]. Be it the polka dots on Vinod Mehra’s shirt, or Vinod Mehra’s mentioning of the 1970′s movie Sunflower [the one where De Sica directs Sophia Loren]; being a movie of the 70s, this movie is filled with references of that period. But that is just me being a bit too inquisitive about that period. Ghar, as a movie, captures an intense husband-wife relationship which struggles through an unfortunate incident. And when you see Ghar, you get the realisation that it does not take huge mansions or eye-blinding visuals to tell a story, when simplicity does it all so perfectly. The title here is a metaphor which plays at different levels. It refers to the initial premise of the story, when the couple faces difficulty in finding a proper home to settle down. But it is also refers to the home shared by the hearts of two lovers brought to the test due to an unfortunate incident. The home which provides shelter also becomes a space of insecurity and grief. All of this is revealed in layers in the plot, and I won’t keep pondering over it. Oh, there is so much to talk about. Brevity has never been one of my skills, but I will do my best to keep my praises short.

SYNOPSIS: **SPOILERS** AVOID IF YOU WANT TO KNOW IT FIRST HAND!

Also after the Jump: The Immortal and ‘Second to None’ Soundtrack of Ghar
[Continue Reading…]

{ 12 comments }