Through The Looking Glass

Name: Through The Looking Glass
Uploaded: 2023-12-17T03:58:14+00:00
Duration: 3 min 30 s
Channel: OutlookIndia

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#OutlookMagazine | Nearly 40 years on, Govind Nihalani’s memorable social and political satire Party unravels the hypocrisy of India’s urban elite and raises vital questions about art., writes Pranavi Sharma.

Listen to the audio excerpts from the latest issue of Outlook - Populism or Welfarism - only by Pragya Vats.

#Elite #UrbanSociety #Existentialism #Artistry #MoralDecay #Cinematic #SocialCritique #PartyFilm #Literary #GovindNihalani #Political #Film #Classic

Read More: https://www.outlookindia.com/culture-society/through-the-looking-glass-weekender_story-335553

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00:00 I am Pragya and I bring to you excerpts from the current issue of Outlook.

00:04 The issue looks at two cover stories, one in which Outlook continues to cover Gaza

00:09 and reaffirms its commitment to bearing witness.

00:12 In this issue, there's a double cover with a dedication to poet and academic

00:17 Rafat Al-Arir, also called the voice of Gaza, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike.

00:23 The cover is an image composed of many images of ruins and remnants in Gaza,

00:28 arranged as a mountain to show the scale of loss.

00:32 Through the Looking Glass by Pranavi Sharma, a reviewer and culture writer based in Delhi.

00:39 Nearly 40 years on, Govind Nihalani's memorable social and political satire,

00:44 Paati, unravels the hypocrisy of India's urban elite and raises vital questions about art.

00:52 In a pivotal scene in Govind Nihalani's film Paati from 1984, the air crackers with

00:58 anticipation as Divakar Barve, played by Manohar Singh, the enigmatic poet stands

01:04 before Damayanti, played by Vijaya Mehta, a prominent art patron in Bombay.

01:09 Flickering candlelight casts shadows on his face,

01:12 accentuating the lines etched by years of contemplation.

01:16 Barve is about to unravel the very essence of his craft, challenging not only his own

01:22 creations but the fundamental nature of artistic representation itself.

01:28 Barve declares that his poetry is a mere cast-off of words, shabd ki kenchul.

01:34 The statement, pregnant with meaning,

01:37 leaves the audience suspended between confusion and revelation.

01:41 He has disavowed the notion that his verses are windows into his soul

01:46 or society's collective consciousness.

01:48 The very foundation of representation is shaken as he unravels the tightly woven threads

01:55 connecting words to the tangible world.

01:58 The paralyzing bubble of individual experiences is punctured.

02:03 Paati, based on a play by Marathi writer Mahesh L. Kunjwar, was Nihalani's third film

02:09 after Akrosh in 1980 and Ardha Satya in 1983.

02:15 His films, starkly contrasting with formula-based mainstream counterparts,

02:19 delve into the raw core of human angst.

02:23 In a poignant projection of star-centric, song-and-dance Bollywood,

02:28 Nihalani's works became a powerful voice for viewers seeking substance over spectacle.

02:34 His deep love for literature has helped him marry the two forms by employing adaptive methods,

02:41 as also seen in Tamas in 1988 and Hazar Chaura Se Ki Ma in 1998.

02:47 Nihalani's penkin for exploring the works of Western playwrights like Ibsen and Strinsberg

02:54 is reflected in his work for television,

02:56 particularly the films that he adapted to suit an Indian context.

03:01 As a gifted cinematographer, he was also instrumental in shaping

03:06 the cinematography of Richard Attenborough's Oscar-winning Gandhi.

03:10 Nihalani has made an unforgettable contribution to socially relevant cinema,

03:16 unfortunately, despite the awards and critical acclaim his films received,

03:21 his cinematic legacy has faded in today's landscape.

03:25 For this and more, read the current issue of Outlook.

Through The Looking Glass

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