From carnal pleasures to sublime devotion, love manifests in multifaceted splendour. From the physical to the metaphysical, the journey is from the course to the subtle.
"Jab tak bika na tha toh koi poochhta na tha, tuney mujhe kharid ke anmol kar diya" summarizes an enraptured condition wherein the ’I’ is lost in timelessness and all bodily entrapments are discarded for that eternal fruition.
It is easy to speak of these ’beyond-natural’ experiences theoretically. The curious minds have guzzled sufficient documented encounters-extraordinare with the Ultimate Truth. However, at times, knowledge narrows down our perspective by drawing definitive boundaries.
Vedanta’s profound revelations are based on negation. "Na iti - Neti" which in simple Hindi stands translated as "Yeh bhi nahin". As human quest surges forward from one stratum to the higher, the cumbersome layers of myths, moh, maya, shred off like peels of an onion. And at every step, the agog mind asks, "Is this the Truth?" "No, not yet, " comes the reply, "We are yet to arrive at the same."
Amir Khan’s Talaash is not a philosophical debate. It is very, very earthy dealing in the primordial instincts of man - survival, lust, greed, treachery, mercenary gains. But life, it is said, is stranger than fiction. And it is in this chase between the good and the evil, that the physical seamlessly blends with the metaphysical metamorphosing in a delusory quest keyed on poetic justice. But does Poetic Justice happen? Doubts proliferate. Indecision, stamped universally as a weakness, is a great motivator. It leads on. But to where? The Infinitely Unknown is, at times so becoming, that its best to leave certain quests inconclusive. Fearful that an assertive confirmation may be the downfall of human civilization, man, from time immemorial, has been engaged in wading through the dark mists of make-belief...
There have been many spoilers on Talaash on-line (FB statements, Tweets, Blogs, Reviews) which desist me from dwelling on the plot. However, I’m afraid the film is in no way an original story line (Sorry Zoya, Reema!) or uniquely unpredictable. Those who have a regular feed of the suspense thrillers, murder mystery and the super natural will vouchsafe this. However, the execution, I may add, is brilliant, yet a constant reminder of various other Masterpieces made on the multiplicity of themes intertwined in the narrative. To name a few, Saaransh, Madhumati, I Know what You Did Last Summer, Shaque, Live Wire (certain portions), Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam, and Basic Instincts II ( a few scenes are lifted therefrom). Yet again the amalgam is cleverly punched in a way that no particular fragrance dominates the inhalation. While surely not an edge-of-the-seat experience, the dramatization does keep one rivetted to the screen. Certain build-ups are aboslutely electrifying especially when the truth is revealed quite unexpectedly to Inspector Shekhawat (in the jeep). The howling of the stray mongrel preceding the catastrophe reminds of a Perry Mason read long ago. The vociferous assertion of the mongrel-lover that the beast indicated the forthcoming is simply adorable.
The cathartic moment where Rosie and Shekhawat’s hands gradually slip off after lingering momentarily in a good-bye touch is beautifully symobolic and reminds one of Ray’s Charulata (last scene - though the parallel drawn is unpardonbale and contextually debatable). Having said that, I may as well confess that, I do not really know whether it will be too naive to give the credit of the cinematic nuance to Reema Kagti’s directorial acumen.
Cinematography, the highlight of the movie, is awe-inspiring, especially, the first scene of the accident, the under water sequences, the tail lights of a drowning vehicle mirrored on the sea surface and the aforementioned horrifying truth revelation point are some of the frames which shall remain embedded in memory for long.
The simplistic dialogues by Farhan Akhtar bely depth and punch..."Jo hai hi nahin, woh ghayab kaise ho sakta hai sahab?" is a burning statement on societal apathy agonizing the marginalized. Here, I am emboldened to state that Talaash breaks through the unspelt social embargo showcasing a co-mingling, albeit platonic, of the elite and the subaltern. A highly placed cop having a sleazy sex worker as an emotional confidante of sorts is hitherto unseen and unheard of in Hindi Cinema. Those readers who are reminded of Amar Prem, at this mention, may allow me to counter that Talaash quite easily disembodies itself from the genre of lachrymal romances and venerates an incredulous entente between the law enforcer - the watchdog of the society and the lawbreaker - the anti-social insinuating a menage-a-trois sans the corporeal undercurrent.
Amir Khan (Surjan Singh Shekhawat) has always been an indisputable show stealer (his confrontation with Rani outside Phreni Mistry’s flat and the scene thereafter with Kareena). Rani (Roshni) and Kareena (Rosie) undoubtedly match up to him in this fare. However, it is the lesser known and acclaimed, that my pen chooses to honour. Nawazuddin Siddiqui (Taimur , the petty criminal with a defective leg - a cliched pun, interesting though!) struggled for years before landing with the role of the ruthless CBI cop in Kahaani. He has not looked back again, thereafter, . With his every performance he has proved the opinion makers of the Film Industry wrong who had once rejected him as a puny-bodied, ordinary-faced, lanky lad lacking on-screen presence. Shernaz Patel as the eccentric, psychic medium, Phreni Mistry, is the on-screen personification of all such ditsy characters that we have read about.
Before breaking my pen on a full-stop, I may at the cost of plagiarising the notorious ad-line, say that like all other Amir Khan Production, its (Talaash) different!!!
For all those sceptics and staunch non-believers, Swami Abhedananda’s ’Life Byeond Death’ is a suggested reading.
Adieu