Meri Pyaari Bindu: A Personal Interpretation
One fine day I watched Akshay Roy's Meri Pyaari Bindu & really liked it, so much so that I declared my wish to do a write-up about it. Time passed by, my dear friend Manish from twitterverse chided me occasionally for not delivering on my promise & I took part in mini twitter debates defending the quality of the film. These debates are a futile endeavor because subjectivity of the viewer is almost always as important as cinema itself. Interestingly, this particular film also plays with the idea of perspective. The "Meri Pyaari" in the title is as significant as "Bindu", if not more so.
Most of the film happens inside the head of the male lead Abhimanyu Bubla Roy. He, as we see in the beginning of the film, is a Hindi pulp fiction writer, specializing in erotic horror genre. He's fairly popular among readers across a wide age group while critics argue that none of his characters have any connection to realism and his works have traces of misogyny. Although, this plays out as a minor comic scene it also serves as a fair warning that things he generally write should not be expected to be literal. We then get to know that Abhi is going through what they call a writer's block and for three years he’s trying to finish a love story instead of a horror. We know immediately that he's telling the story of his life.
Let me go back a little bit and talk about the opening scene. Abhimanyu is writing. The setting is Kolkata on the eve of Durga Puja. Ma Durga has arrived, carried by a helicopter. And in her shadow stands a man on the rooftop in the junction of life & death. We see that it's Abhimanyu himself or his literary version and he makes a decision, the decision to end his life. And just before he falls he thinks to himself: "Pyaar karna toh bahut log sikhate hain. Par iss pyaar ko bhulate kaise hai, yeh saala koi nehi sikhata." This scene reappears a couple more times, once just before the interval and once just before the ending. In its second appearance the scene cuts to black before Abhi lets himself fall and in the third and final one Abhi decides not to freefall & instead goes to Bindu & gets her back because as Abhi says to Bindu: "happy endings bikte zyaada hai".
The truth might not be so simple as that. Abhi is trying to decide not only on the climax of his novel, but also the direction he'll take in his life. Will he let his heartbreak and the negativity take control of his whole being or will he learn to get over it? Abhi writes this novel largely to relieve himself of the negative energy that has kept hold of him over the years. In an attempt to let go & start anew Abhi becomes the author of his life and gives an alternate ending to their love story, a happy ending. After Bindu finishes reading the story Abhi declares that he will not publish the book. This is because he's come full circle. He's finally at found acceptance within himself.
Another aspect of the film I want to talk about can be better said if I start from the climax itself. There have been many a Hindi films that are ruined by its second half or even the final 30 minutes. Meri Pyaari Bindu is something of an exception here because the final scenes which are not only good but define the film.
Bindu has brought her daughter to see for herself the house where she had grown up. Abhi & Bindu finally meet again. And this is the first time we are seeing Bindu from our POV. And she doesn't quite seem like the person Abhi was describing. Sure, she's in a saree now and she is a mother. She must have calmed down now. But does she not also look a bit more human than she did when Abhi was describing her? Does this appearance of her not make the earlier Bindu, the one we had got to know from Abhi, like a figment of imagination? She does to me, at least. And when she finally finishes reading the love story Abhi has penned, she puts it down and says "Yeh teri kahaani hai abhi, meri wali thodi alag hoti." When Abhi asks her what her version would be like, she doesn't say. Instead she says she likes his version better. Maybe because in his story he depicts her lovingly despite the pain she’s caused her? Maybe because Abhi has depicted an idealized version of her without the complexities & pains she must have endured throughout her erratic life: just like in the films where it is usually the male directors who makes goddesses out of their leading ladies.
Truth is that Abhi lost touch with Bindu at a crucial point in her life. When her mother died & she left for Australia. He didn't know the grown up Bindu, her dreams, ambitions or fears. To the very end he holds on to the Bindu he used to know, the one "jo jhatpat aa kar jhatpat mere andhe kue mein deep jala kar karde ujala.” Doesn't it happen with many childhood best friends? Slowly, but surely, you start to grow up to be very different people. We seldom get to know the adult version of our childhood friends even if we do keep in touch. We tend to hold on to the idea of that person we used to know, the one we used to love.
Finally, one cannot talk about this film without talking about music. Classic Hindi songs are presented as intertwined with the milestones of their story together. Bindu finds the joy of performing grooving to Aaiyen Meherbaan while Abhi makes her feel like a star. In another scene Bindu dedicates her mother's favorite song Do Naina Ek Kahaani after her untimely & tragic demise. Chopra's voice has a unique texture that give a modern edge to the songs but does not take away the associated nostalgia, while the lack of finesse supports her role perfectly. A little scene that plays out between Abhi & the local record shop owner where they discuss legendary combinations in Hindi film music is one of my personal favorites. The original songs composed by Sachin-Jigar are also good. Haareya which plays in the background where Abhi meets Bindu again after 4 years tugs at your heartstrings. Khol Do Baahein is presented as an original track from Bindu's album. While the song plays out Bindu witnesses, first hand, the failure of her album. The best, of course is saved for the last. Mana Ki Hum Yaar Nahi remains one of my favorite songs this year. Beautifully written & sung, the song expresses what remains unspoken between Abhi & Bindu as they part their ways and brings the film to its bittersweet ending.
Most of the film happens inside the head of the male lead Abhimanyu Bubla Roy. He, as we see in the beginning of the film, is a Hindi pulp fiction writer, specializing in erotic horror genre. He's fairly popular among readers across a wide age group while critics argue that none of his characters have any connection to realism and his works have traces of misogyny. Although, this plays out as a minor comic scene it also serves as a fair warning that things he generally write should not be expected to be literal. We then get to know that Abhi is going through what they call a writer's block and for three years he’s trying to finish a love story instead of a horror. We know immediately that he's telling the story of his life.
Let me go back a little bit and talk about the opening scene. Abhimanyu is writing. The setting is Kolkata on the eve of Durga Puja. Ma Durga has arrived, carried by a helicopter. And in her shadow stands a man on the rooftop in the junction of life & death. We see that it's Abhimanyu himself or his literary version and he makes a decision, the decision to end his life. And just before he falls he thinks to himself: "Pyaar karna toh bahut log sikhate hain. Par iss pyaar ko bhulate kaise hai, yeh saala koi nehi sikhata." This scene reappears a couple more times, once just before the interval and once just before the ending. In its second appearance the scene cuts to black before Abhi lets himself fall and in the third and final one Abhi decides not to freefall & instead goes to Bindu & gets her back because as Abhi says to Bindu: "happy endings bikte zyaada hai".
Another aspect of the film I want to talk about can be better said if I start from the climax itself. There have been many a Hindi films that are ruined by its second half or even the final 30 minutes. Meri Pyaari Bindu is something of an exception here because the final scenes which are not only good but define the film.
Bindu has brought her daughter to see for herself the house where she had grown up. Abhi & Bindu finally meet again. And this is the first time we are seeing Bindu from our POV. And she doesn't quite seem like the person Abhi was describing. Sure, she's in a saree now and she is a mother. She must have calmed down now. But does she not also look a bit more human than she did when Abhi was describing her? Does this appearance of her not make the earlier Bindu, the one we had got to know from Abhi, like a figment of imagination? She does to me, at least. And when she finally finishes reading the love story Abhi has penned, she puts it down and says "Yeh teri kahaani hai abhi, meri wali thodi alag hoti." When Abhi asks her what her version would be like, she doesn't say. Instead she says she likes his version better. Maybe because in his story he depicts her lovingly despite the pain she’s caused her? Maybe because Abhi has depicted an idealized version of her without the complexities & pains she must have endured throughout her erratic life: just like in the films where it is usually the male directors who makes goddesses out of their leading ladies.
Truth is that Abhi lost touch with Bindu at a crucial point in her life. When her mother died & she left for Australia. He didn't know the grown up Bindu, her dreams, ambitions or fears. To the very end he holds on to the Bindu he used to know, the one "jo jhatpat aa kar jhatpat mere andhe kue mein deep jala kar karde ujala.” Doesn't it happen with many childhood best friends? Slowly, but surely, you start to grow up to be very different people. We seldom get to know the adult version of our childhood friends even if we do keep in touch. We tend to hold on to the idea of that person we used to know, the one we used to love.
Finally, one cannot talk about this film without talking about music. Classic Hindi songs are presented as intertwined with the milestones of their story together. Bindu finds the joy of performing grooving to Aaiyen Meherbaan while Abhi makes her feel like a star. In another scene Bindu dedicates her mother's favorite song Do Naina Ek Kahaani after her untimely & tragic demise. Chopra's voice has a unique texture that give a modern edge to the songs but does not take away the associated nostalgia, while the lack of finesse supports her role perfectly. A little scene that plays out between Abhi & the local record shop owner where they discuss legendary combinations in Hindi film music is one of my personal favorites. The original songs composed by Sachin-Jigar are also good. Haareya which plays in the background where Abhi meets Bindu again after 4 years tugs at your heartstrings. Khol Do Baahein is presented as an original track from Bindu's album. While the song plays out Bindu witnesses, first hand, the failure of her album. The best, of course is saved for the last. Mana Ki Hum Yaar Nahi remains one of my favorite songs this year. Beautifully written & sung, the song expresses what remains unspoken between Abhi & Bindu as they part their ways and brings the film to its bittersweet ending.
Comments
Post a Comment