Yeah, that’s right. It tires you out. And that too mainly using tyres to achieve this aim! Mr. and Mrs. Iyer, Aparna Sen’s latest magnum opus, (recently broadcast on Star Movies) begins with the promise of something fresh and close to one’s heart, but just like the journey of the protagonists, drags on a tad bit too much.
Yes, I have to admit, just like Meenakshi and Raja, a Tamil Hindu and Muslim Bengali respectively, even I got taken for a ride, on the bus of course. The already- married and mother Meenakshi, (Konkona Sen) with her bawling infant ’Santanam’ makes the old Muslim couple next to them, realise they weren’t deaf after all. Photographer Jahangir Raja Choudhary (Rahul Bose) is calm and composed, despite the hyperactive youngsters, weird Jew and boozing buddies at the back of the bus. The introductions of the varied and diverse communities and characters packed into the Darjeeling- Kolkatta bus stretch too long, and one keeps wondering- ’’It’s already been half an hour! When will the action start?’’
All said and done, one third of the movie wrapped up in simply bringing to light various characters, the restless and slightly irritated viewer gets rewarded finally. There’s tension in the air, and the atmosphere is electric.A Hindu’s been murdered by a Muslim, and vengeance-seeking Hindus are out to smash any Muslim’s head . Curfew imposed, the bus is stopped and torch bearing bloodthirsty rascals are sifting through the bus for Muslims. Be warned the scare can be so dramatic, you might want to wear an underwear that’s least precious to you.
To save the helpful Jahangir, Meenakshi dubs them ’ Mr. and Mrs. Iyer’. That’s when the fun starts.
Now on the run from rioters, the two are on their own in a run down cottage. Now grouped together as a couple they have to stay under one roof, but soon their relationship blossoms into something more than just a formality.
The rest, is for you to see...
That’s practically the whole beauty of the film. Watching the two strangers under the assault of situations, slowly and steadily begin to slide each other’s fingers into the others’ hands, is magic. Konkona Sen speaks in a diehard Tamil accent despite being Bengali in real life, while Rahul Bose flows English fluently off his tongue. Both accents can make you burst out laughing, and they’re definitely something to watch out for.
The bus-riot scene is superbly intense and you begin to doubt the integrity of our secularity. Despite a depiction of a whole array of characters from different backgrounds, Aparna Sen isn’t a bit biased. The bus journey is so lifelike, it’ll remind you of your ride back to your village, but it’s just as boring as that ride too. Sen only fails in an overstretched introduction that shoos away any enthusiasts who would have enjoyed the film further into the movie. Also, the climax was more of a Thank-God-it’s-over sudden end, and it even leaves you a bit dismayed.
In short, if you want to enjoy the film, simply jump the first half-hour, and the last fifteen minutes.
On the whole, Mr. and Mrs. Iyer is a zara hatke, original and interesting, not to mention beautiful and simultaneously daunting film. Go watch it with a date o spouse you’ve just had a fight with. Watch opposites like Meenakshi and Jehangir somehow getting it together as if they were made for each other, and you’ll realise Mr. and Mrs. Iyer is an inspiration in every way.
By the way, if you go to the cinema by bus, be careful this time!