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Aligarh (2015)
Breaking Stereotypes and Conventions
In a nutshell, Aligarh is not the India Hollywood wants to see (subtext: the IndiaHollywood gets off in looking at from its padded pedestal of grease)—of crippling poverty, or ignorance, or uneducated backwardness they can 'pity'—but it's not the India India wants to see either—the India of metropolitans and malls and shirtless action heroes all the girl want and all the boys want to be. It is instead a good, hard look at India: its reality, and life as it is lived, and human nature- the good elements with the bad, stirred in counter-clockwise for 7 minutes to create the perfect—accurate—mix. The movie is so important in that it represents the fight for and against homosexuals and homosexuality by heterosexuals, seen from a heteronormative perspective. Straight people fight for gay people; straight people fight against gay people; but neither straight peoples really know what the gay people want. And professor Siras (played brilliantly by Manoj Bajpayee) has no interest in the proceedings of the court case; all he is aware of is the rejection he faces in society. He doesn't have a fixed identity, because he doesn't identify as gay or straight. He hasn't needed to put in thought and doesn't desire to. It is a fight over the gay man, not for him or by him. In the midst of this fight, could not care less- he hardly even identifies as a gay man. So this isn't a gay rights movie- it's an identity movie, it's a label movie, it's an Indian legal system movie, it's a journalism movie- it's anything but a gay rights movie. The central issue in the legal sphere of the film isn't even (or shouldn't even be, as the film points out) the homosexual question- it's a question of privacy. And in the way everyone seems caught up with the sexual and romantic aspects—how, with whom (which of course includes the questions of class and age), and most importantly, who is the man (really? It's twice as many men, for crying out loud!)—we see matters of greater importance get sidelined, and Siras's plight becomes everyone's, gay or straight. The plight of living inside labels, inside carefully constructed boxes that categorise everyone as this or that. He, as neither/nor in a world of this or that feels constantly like a misfit, and not because of his orientation as everyone seems eager to guess. As he points out, it is as a Marathi professor in an Urdu-speaking city, as an unmarried man amongst families, as a Brahmin in a Muslim city; the homosexual issue becomes just one of many, and one he hardly seems to care about. He has no interest in the proceedings of the court case, all he is aware of is the rejection he faces in society. He doesn't have a fixed identity, because he doesn't identify as gay or straight. He hasn't needed to put in thought and doesn't desire to. It is a fight over the gay man, not for him or by him. The title, too, fits aptly- the heavily-loaded word Aligarh representing the small city and everything that comes with it: its mentality, its sheltered people, its conservative Muslim culture, its Urdu-speaking population, its heteronormative family life. One can see in the film the careful thought of the director, Hansal Mehta, in even small matters that are hardly of consequence (such as the behaviour of a professor that Rajkummar Rao's character tries to question, who sticks out his tongue in shocks and raises his hand in dismissal as he leaves, as well as Rao's journalist's casual conversation about weather as he chats over a fire at the roadside). The images in the film, too, have been carefully thought out: protesters beating an effigy of professor Siras and young boys in a dangerous neighbourhood of the city beating Deepu Sebastian (Rao's character); Siras listening to Lata Mangeshkar and Sebastian to more contemporary music, both in the refuge of their rooms, which do not stay their refuge for long, with Siras being filmed by strangers and the owner of Sebastian's paying guest accommodation holding tuition classes in his room. The cleverly-crafted film is bracketed between the brackets of the decriminalisation of homosexual acts (Delhi High Court, 2009) and their subsequent re-criminalisation (Supreme Court of India, 2013), cocooned, if you will, taking its audience through it from hope to despair like India has likely never been taken before. Human behaviour, nature and instinct has been captured as an and in its essence in this film that's thoughtful, thought-provoking, and carefully- deliberated.
Bangistan (2015)
Satire on religion and terrorism. Two men (a Hindu and a Muslim) separately plot to bomb a peace conference.
At this point in the Hindi film industry, when it has become so easy to follow a convention and earn a few million, it's refreshingly stimulating to watch a movie that is not only formula-free and original but also is brilliantly made. Its clever cinematography, witty, dry humour (every scene packed with it) and inspiration-driven plot (just shy of being preachy or cloying) make the film a much-needed breath of fresh air. And every breath is, of course, laced with laughter thanks to the satirical approach to serious topics, with a sharp lack of insensitivity. Heavy irony, cheeky puns, and visual humour are only a few of the myriad devices employed with such skill that the only real let-down of the movie becomes its cringe-worthily, predictable end (that I shall very carefully not reveal)- which is the reason I scored this work of near-genius an 8 instead of a greater rank.
The Babadook (2014)
Great and Entirely Atypical but the Ending Ruined It.
The Babadook was entertaining, engaging and one of the better horror films I've seen since it was so far away from the norm and was actually scary (unlike the hordes of Paranormal Activity sequels and similar films/shows being churned out). I was at the edge of my seat, throughout. This definitely would've been an 8 for me had it not been for the ending.
~Spoiler Below~
(Spoiler alert; they all but made the monster their pet- keeping it in their attic and feeding it on a seemingly regular basis.)
~End of Spoiler~
The end was sudden, irrational and altogether unsatisfying. This one factor managed to bring down the otherwise fantastic movie as I was left with only the ridiculous abruptness. I went from anxious to simply confused, and was definitely expecting something more creative or interesting. I'd even settle for a cliché if it meant avoiding the hasty resolution that seemed like it was written by a child running out of time in an examination hall.
I give it a six and a half, because the bulk of the film was so brilliant. But the ending is really expected to clinch it, and this one failed to.