When I first saw the trailer of “Guzaarish”, I made up my mind not to watch the movie. The colours used in the movie were putting me off, for they spread a sense of unnecessary gloom. I remarked to the sibling that Sanjay Leela Bhansali must start making use of lighter shades in his movies – “Black”, “Saawariya” and “Guzaarish” are all dripping in black, dark blue, grey and to some extent in maroon and red.
The sibling arrived in Delhi in the middle of the month, and insisted that we watch the movie. Given the way things were, we had one weekend with us when movie-watching looked a possibility.
I was in no mood to shed tears on my birthday, and with the sole exception of “Saawariya”, I have shed copious tears while watching all of Bhansali’s films. The sibling’s insistence made me watch this movie on my birthday in the theatre. Did I cry? Of course I did. I also experienced a sense of lightness I haven’t felt in a long, long time.
The movie is reportedly based on The Sea Inside starring Javier Bardem, the lead actor of Vicky Cristina Barcelona. I am curious to watch this movie now – the lead character in this movie battled his condition for 28 years, and Bardem is shown to age significantly.
Clearly, making the expressive and handsome Hrithik age so significantly would not have worked, so his character fights his battle for 14 years instead of 28. Hrithik plays Ethan Mascarenhas, a magician based in Goa who becomes a quadriplegic after an accident during his magic show. After undergoing multiple surgeries and battling his largely immobile body for 14 years, he decides that he has had enough and wants to be granted euthanasia. Euthanasia becomes “Ethanasia” – his own battle to die with dignity.
Aishwarya plays Sofia D’Souza, his nurse of 12 years. She is married to an abusive man, and receives her divorce towards the end of the movie. She loves Ethan silently.
Aditya Roy Kapur (brother of Siddharth Roy Kapur, UTV) plays Omar Siddiqui, a young magician who comes to Ethan to learn the tricks of the trade. He introduces a light-heartedness that Ethan’s home has forgotten.
There are flaws in the story-telling. Ash Chandler didn’t fit the character he played – he didn’t look the part of the father of a grown-up son. Bhansali also introduces an unreal world – women in Goa who dress as though they belong to Spain (or a place I don’t quite know), courtroom scenes where lawyers make utterly unconvincing and extremely emotional arguments, and a radio programme that first acts as a lifeline to others and is then used to campaign for “Ethanasia”.
Why am I still writing about this movie then?
My legs can move and I can run if I want to. I can move away from dripping rain water. I can turn the pages of a book while reading. I can give a warm hug to people. Gifts that I have taken for granted, repeatedly.
I liked the interpretation of love in this movie. There is sensitivity and maturity. Sofia’s silent love is selfish to the extent that she wants Ethan to live – when he wishes to end his suffering and die. She forgets what it is like to have a life without taking care of Ethan (a gem of a scene is when she finds herself thinking over Omar’s suggestion of taking half-a-day off – he tells her to spend time with her family, go to a play etc). She enjoys breaking into an unexpected dance (Ethan and Omar are left in raptures after seeing her move oh so gracefully), she tries hard to smoke to give him company and ends up coughing, she plays along and makes sexual sounds when he suggests that he is aroused by her rubbing of his (immobile, sensation-less) legs.
The dance is etched in my mind too.
Her silent love is selfless because she is able to put Ethan before herself, take care of him for 12 years without expecting anything in return. It is also selfless because she is able to take the extreme step of putting an end to his suffering herself – she is a trained nurse.
Spoiler alert: a moment of magic is when Ethan proposes marriage to her. Sofia didn’t expect it. Neither did I.
English was liberally used in this movie, and a wry sense of humour is evident.
Omar: “Can I give you a hug?”
Ethan: “I already have enough attachments.” He is surrounded by machines that take care of his bodily functions.
There is magic if you keep your eyes open.
For a tongue-in-cheek review, visit this link. For a well-written review, visit this link. For more photographs, go here.
The sibling arrived in Delhi in the middle of the month, and insisted that we watch the movie. Given the way things were, we had one weekend with us when movie-watching looked a possibility.
I was in no mood to shed tears on my birthday, and with the sole exception of “Saawariya”, I have shed copious tears while watching all of Bhansali’s films. The sibling’s insistence made me watch this movie on my birthday in the theatre. Did I cry? Of course I did. I also experienced a sense of lightness I haven’t felt in a long, long time.
The movie is reportedly based on The Sea Inside starring Javier Bardem, the lead actor of Vicky Cristina Barcelona. I am curious to watch this movie now – the lead character in this movie battled his condition for 28 years, and Bardem is shown to age significantly.
Clearly, making the expressive and handsome Hrithik age so significantly would not have worked, so his character fights his battle for 14 years instead of 28. Hrithik plays Ethan Mascarenhas, a magician based in Goa who becomes a quadriplegic after an accident during his magic show. After undergoing multiple surgeries and battling his largely immobile body for 14 years, he decides that he has had enough and wants to be granted euthanasia. Euthanasia becomes “Ethanasia” – his own battle to die with dignity.
Aishwarya plays Sofia D’Souza, his nurse of 12 years. She is married to an abusive man, and receives her divorce towards the end of the movie. She loves Ethan silently.
Aditya Roy Kapur (brother of Siddharth Roy Kapur, UTV) plays Omar Siddiqui, a young magician who comes to Ethan to learn the tricks of the trade. He introduces a light-heartedness that Ethan’s home has forgotten.
There are flaws in the story-telling. Ash Chandler didn’t fit the character he played – he didn’t look the part of the father of a grown-up son. Bhansali also introduces an unreal world – women in Goa who dress as though they belong to Spain (or a place I don’t quite know), courtroom scenes where lawyers make utterly unconvincing and extremely emotional arguments, and a radio programme that first acts as a lifeline to others and is then used to campaign for “Ethanasia”.
Why am I still writing about this movie then?
My legs can move and I can run if I want to. I can move away from dripping rain water. I can turn the pages of a book while reading. I can give a warm hug to people. Gifts that I have taken for granted, repeatedly.
I liked the interpretation of love in this movie. There is sensitivity and maturity. Sofia’s silent love is selfish to the extent that she wants Ethan to live – when he wishes to end his suffering and die. She forgets what it is like to have a life without taking care of Ethan (a gem of a scene is when she finds herself thinking over Omar’s suggestion of taking half-a-day off – he tells her to spend time with her family, go to a play etc). She enjoys breaking into an unexpected dance (Ethan and Omar are left in raptures after seeing her move oh so gracefully), she tries hard to smoke to give him company and ends up coughing, she plays along and makes sexual sounds when he suggests that he is aroused by her rubbing of his (immobile, sensation-less) legs.
The dance is etched in my mind too.
Her silent love is selfless because she is able to put Ethan before herself, take care of him for 12 years without expecting anything in return. It is also selfless because she is able to take the extreme step of putting an end to his suffering herself – she is a trained nurse.
Spoiler alert: a moment of magic is when Ethan proposes marriage to her. Sofia didn’t expect it. Neither did I.
English was liberally used in this movie, and a wry sense of humour is evident.
Omar: “Can I give you a hug?”
Ethan: “I already have enough attachments.” He is surrounded by machines that take care of his bodily functions.
There is magic if you keep your eyes open.For a tongue-in-cheek review, visit this link. For a well-written review, visit this link. For more photographs, go here.
