There exists beyond our beautiful and well-maintained flats and well-manicured bungalows, a tribe of forgotten people that spends its life in houses made from tin sheets and jute rags. While we, the citizens of an emerging India sit on computers and discuss the latest philosophies of human existence, these tribes live the same with a dry tear in the eye and silence on their lips. While we guzzle mineral water and shout blue on the slightest whiff of load shedding, these children of a lesser god find it tough to imagine life with amenities that we consider necessities.
True, evolutionarily speaking, we both belong to the same genus and species ‘Homo Sapiens’, but this current state of depravation may definitely turn one day these two into separate sub-species. Nothing between us is common; not God, not religion, not social mores, not thinking, not even morality. These tribes who do not exist as far as we are concerned live life in a manner that would surprise the rich and the famous. My review is then today about the Lifestyles of the poor and the unknown.
Chakra dared to speak about the life of the forgotten citizens of India. It was bold enough to enter into the world inhabited by these sons and daughters of a lost India and depict their lives in all its surreal reality. When you watch this movie today, it appears as if you are entering into a world, which is unreal and many will not believe this is possible. Not like the world of Harry Potter where miracles happen but like the world of our modern times where life itself is a miracle. Where prostitution is accepted as a career and where bed hopping is not a crime, where funerals are a time for boozing around and bootlegging is no crime.
Artistically speaking, Chakra (1981) was one of the few films in the 1980’s, the most artistically starved period of Cinema, that deserves a round of applause for it’s content and direction. The film boldly and realistically depicts the life and dreams of Amma, her son Benwa and Looka, Benwa’s friend and Amma’s part-time lover who inhibit the slums of the metropolitan Bombay.
Smita Patil as Amma gives a powerhouse performance. As a woman, who dreams of nothing else, but having a small shack of her own someday, Smita proves herself to be a brilliant performer. Smita has really got into the skin of the character and her performance liberates rather than debilitates the persona. You do not feel sympathy for the character but still come out respecting her for living a life of dignity in an environ where no dignity is possible. Her open dalliance with both Naseer and Kulbhushan speak silently about life in these slums.
Naseeruddin Shah as the gangster Looka is convincing. Although you do expect a much more mature performance from an actor of Naseer calibre, you do not feel cheated at the end. Although initially, the character lacks fire, it does grow on you as the film advances and leaves an impression on you by the end of the movie. Especially, in the scene where he is beseeching the chemist for an injection and then frustrated, slashes him with a knife, Naseer gives his all.
Kulbhushan Kharbanda as Amma’s truck-driving lover plays his role competently. His is a small role that requires silence to be the medium of communication and he does it with conviction. An easy role, Kulbhushan ensures that it adds to the tempo of the movie.
But the film belongs to Ranjit Choudhary who as Benwa is the life of the movie. As a teenager who is growing up in a world, where depravity is all and amenity a luxury, Ranjit is brilliant. He successfully depicts the teen fascination with the knife and also the tendency to grow rich in an easy manner. He is the perfect counterfoil to Naseer street smartness and Kulbhushan cool and detached attitude. The hallmark of his performance is his silent acquiescence to his mother two-timing her lovers and providing his mother signals about arrival of the second while she’s engaged with the first. His double standards can be seen from the way he calls others prostitutes but is ready to kill when it comes to his own mother. Where do these brilliant actors go away after such good performances?
All other character-actors are brilliant. If you look closely, you will find some of these who became competent actors in their own right in the future like Satish Kaushik and Sudhir Pande. Both of them are competent. To the credit of the director, all actors perform their roles with credibility.
Rabindra Dharmaraj proves his credentials as a director with this movie. This is the only movie he ever directed (he died after the shooting was completed) but he proves himself to be a highly competent director with just this one movie in his repertoire. The way he uses silence and sound is the mark of a master. Even the flashback is used in a very effective and different manner.
Music by Hridyanath Mangeshkar is more like a background score. The songs appear good while watching the movie but do not have any recollection value. One expected a lot more from a composer of his stature.
Cinematography in the movie is first-rate. The movie was adapted from a Marathi novel By Jayawant Dalvi and hence the story line is taut and sensible.