karim chacha and billa no 786
Watched Deewar for the millionth time and was wondering why vijay did not do anything for karim chacha who was a kind of father figure to him. But you can always argue ki vijay was not looking for father figures and Karim chacha is one of the bit players who just went away into the text sea. But we know that Karim was a young man when he started off as a coolie and also that things have not changed since then. that he was lifting heavy weights then and still is now.
He also believes in the wisdom of walking away so that you could live to see another day. Something that vijay is not willing to do.
The movie is spare and economical. There is no character or incident that is superfluous. Including the boring Ravi bits. Okay the songs are a bit of a drag on the pace, but that is alright because it is scored by none other pancham. It is wicked that R. D. Burman who scored for some of Amitabh Bachchan's biggest hits was kept out of team Big B. Bad karma only that is.
So yeah when you have a movie this economical with a kind of reflexive symbolism-- the two brothers go different ways from the temple, even the priest who tells the mother not force Vijay to come to the temple later on tells ma that vijay had come to the temple to ask for his mother's life.
there is samant and jai chand who stop at the boot polish boy (vijay) while discussing the day's horses and that scene is recalled when the grown vijay tells samant that he still does not pick up money that is thrown at him. Also those many years ago samant identifies vijay as the dark horse who would leave everyone behind, which is what happens.
and then there is the building which ma slaves on carrying bricks with the wicked evil lala taunting her and the grown vijay buys it as a gift for his mum. even the confrontations have an excellent rhythm with each dialogue finding a counter and an echo. When Vijay tells Ravi that he will only sign after Ravi gets the signature of everyone that has insulted him, his mum counters each of those accusations with a counter question to which Vijay has no answer. And think of the recall, even the young Vijay wears his shirt knotted at the waist!
Then there is the billa or the badge which Karim chacha says is auspicious for the number 786 translates to bismillah and which is what saves Vijay from the first attempt on his life. In the climax, vijay loses the badge and so his fate is effectively sealed. The climax is also in the temple--where vijay first rejects god, then cuts a deal and finally finds his peace.
There are so many of recurring themes. Think of the tattoo--when Vijay comes to light his father's funeral pyre, a tear drop falls on his arm on the tattoo.
The point is when all these events and characters combine and recur to form this beautifully constructed movie, isnt it strange that karim chacha never figures in the later stages of Vijay's meteoric rise to the top of the criminal world?
Would Vijay have tried to give money to Karim chacha?
maybe he would not accepted it
rather he definitely would not have accepted but at least we would have known that.
now he is like rosencrantz and gilderstern
would he have continued as a coolie? till he died under the weights?
would he have come for vijay's funeral?
maybe what the filmmakers could have done is have him at the award ceremony when ravi is going to collect his bravery award then that would have been a nice sense of closure
He also believes in the wisdom of walking away so that you could live to see another day. Something that vijay is not willing to do.
The movie is spare and economical. There is no character or incident that is superfluous. Including the boring Ravi bits. Okay the songs are a bit of a drag on the pace, but that is alright because it is scored by none other pancham. It is wicked that R. D. Burman who scored for some of Amitabh Bachchan's biggest hits was kept out of team Big B. Bad karma only that is.
So yeah when you have a movie this economical with a kind of reflexive symbolism-- the two brothers go different ways from the temple, even the priest who tells the mother not force Vijay to come to the temple later on tells ma that vijay had come to the temple to ask for his mother's life.
there is samant and jai chand who stop at the boot polish boy (vijay) while discussing the day's horses and that scene is recalled when the grown vijay tells samant that he still does not pick up money that is thrown at him. Also those many years ago samant identifies vijay as the dark horse who would leave everyone behind, which is what happens.
and then there is the building which ma slaves on carrying bricks with the wicked evil lala taunting her and the grown vijay buys it as a gift for his mum. even the confrontations have an excellent rhythm with each dialogue finding a counter and an echo. When Vijay tells Ravi that he will only sign after Ravi gets the signature of everyone that has insulted him, his mum counters each of those accusations with a counter question to which Vijay has no answer. And think of the recall, even the young Vijay wears his shirt knotted at the waist!
Then there is the billa or the badge which Karim chacha says is auspicious for the number 786 translates to bismillah and which is what saves Vijay from the first attempt on his life. In the climax, vijay loses the badge and so his fate is effectively sealed. The climax is also in the temple--where vijay first rejects god, then cuts a deal and finally finds his peace.
There are so many of recurring themes. Think of the tattoo--when Vijay comes to light his father's funeral pyre, a tear drop falls on his arm on the tattoo.
The point is when all these events and characters combine and recur to form this beautifully constructed movie, isnt it strange that karim chacha never figures in the later stages of Vijay's meteoric rise to the top of the criminal world?
Would Vijay have tried to give money to Karim chacha?
maybe he would not accepted it
rather he definitely would not have accepted but at least we would have known that.
now he is like rosencrantz and gilderstern
would he have continued as a coolie? till he died under the weights?
would he have come for vijay's funeral?
maybe what the filmmakers could have done is have him at the award ceremony when ravi is going to collect his bravery award then that would have been a nice sense of closure
posted by caffeinekick at 10:05 PM
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