Raazi - Behind Enemy Lines !

#Raazi : Sehmat Khan (not real name ) , whose character Alia Bhat is portraying in Raazi died last month. The lady whose intelligence input helped Indian Navy save INS Vikrant  in 1971 wanted to be buried in peace and unknown to the world.  That’s the destiny of a spy. They are torn between multiple identities, live a faceless life and embrace an unsung Hero’s death. They sacrifice their own lives for the nation, without expecting anything in return. May be their tribe has found the “purpose” that so many of us are struggling to find.   When the author of the book “Calling Sehmat” on which Raazi is based ,met her at  MalerKotla ( Punjab) he asked her why she is staying there . She replied “because Abdul (the servant at her in laws place in Pakistan) was originally from that place.” When asked how Abdul died she replied she crushed him under the truck. A sensitive Kashmiri Muslim (apologies for bringing the identity into this , but this is important considering the times we live in) crushed her favourite servant under a truck because she loved her county , India , more .   A spy’s life – where you even do things, that tears you apart, to safeguard your country, every single  time. 

Meghna Gulzar , who showed lots of promise with her first film “Filhal” and did a fabulous job with her last “ Talvar” this time around decides to direct a real life espionage drama that has a human touch to it . The film goes beyond the normal cat and mouse chase to explore the emotional struggle that Shemat undergoes, the choices she makes at moments of conflict. It is a film that promotes patriotism and yet stays far away from any kind of jingoism.  It is a film that allows nationals of two countries to be patriotic towards their respective country without being venomous towards each other.

In spite of being too convenient at places the screen play is taut and manages to keep audience on the edge. Most of the characters are etched out beautifully. Alia gets to play a complex character of a semi trained spy who is also a vulnerable wife and dutiful daughter in law. A character who gets nauseatic at the sight of blood, is scared of injection needle and yet crushes a man twice when situation demands. Torn between her duty towards her country and duty towards her family Sehmat’s character needed restrained yet nuanced performance. And Alia does a sincere job, well almost. At times she becomes over dramatic and that’s a dampener. While she has put up an honest effort, Alia has reached a stage where she will be measured against the gold standards of performance , her own Veera Tripathy in highway or Pinky in Udta Punjab .The film also boasts of an ensemble cast of Rajit Kapur , Vicky Kausal and Jaideep Ahlawat among others. Kaushal, a terrific actor gets to play the role of an upright man and officer who loses out to his wife’s first love, her country. And he can’t do much about it, as even for him the first love is, his country.

Shankar – Eshaan – Loy’s music complements in building the tension and spreading a sense of patriotism. The lyrics are powerful. In fact “ Ae Watan” could be one of the best patriotic songs composed in recent times . In spite of a disappointing climax, Raazi is a well made film that will keep you invested for most part of the 140 minutes. It will also compel you to delve deep into the psyche of a SPY who sacrificed everything in the line of her duty and yet wanted to give up everything before she becomes cold, bereft of emotion like many others from her tribe. May be her soul wanted to fly free, unknow, unsung, away from the whims and fancies of others.

Go watch an ordinary life, turn extra ordinary! The nation comes first, always and every time. “ Aae watan watan mere awad rahe tu , main jahan rahun , jahaan main yaad rahe tu” !

Another Summer : To all those who are battling it out !

Roughly a year back I received a call from one of my juniors who was studying at one of the recently established IIMs. When I had first met him around six years back, he was one of the smartest engineers in the organization bubbling with energy and displaying entrepreneurial skills.  After spending around four years in corporate working with few top organizations he decided to pursue his MBA.  And here he was devastated, full of self doubt. All this, because he couldn’t convert his summer internship into a Pre Placement offer.  Bit taken aback at his reaction, I consoled him, telling him it doesn’t matter as long as he has got some additional learning and has put in enough effort. Besides, summer internship acts as a platform that prepares one for the real battleground. But my friend was inconsolable. He was worried that he won’t be able to crack the final placement with an organization which will pay him his expected remuneration. As someone who knew his abilities, i was always confident his capabilities. But here he was, a young twenty something lad , with a solid educational background and proven track record , worried that he won’t be able to earn as much money with his first campus offer  as some of his batch mates may end up earning .

Yesterday I spoke to someone studying in one of the so called, glossed over top MBA colleges for HR in the country (Our obsession with ranking for finishing schools is a debate for another day). Before her MBA she had completed her engineering and worked for a year with a multinational giant. She had reached out to me to discuss her internship project and sounded a bit worried. On prodding, she disclosed that her midterm assignment review has been good and chances of her getting a Pre placement offer is high. However the dilemma was  she thought the culture of the organization and the value system didn’t match with hers.  When she asked me about my opinion, i had a simple, straightforward answer. I said, be smart , ensure they don’t give you  a PPO ! She sounded worried, almost broke down. Taken aback, i asked her what happened. She said she was worried about how she will be treated once she is back in campus; she was worried how she will get a job. I asked what the batch size is and how many companies visit her campus for final placements. Her answer was roughly 65 companies visit for the placement of a batch of 120. I was aghast at the lack of confidence from someone with solid educational background, with a B school brand to back up with, with the competition ration of 1:2. She was appalled, that with a fifteen odd lakh of educational loan how she will manage if she doesn’t get a CTC much higher than that.

Couple of weeks back i was meeting few interns from some really good B- schools who just had their midyear reviews. One of them was the campus topper. And he was worried, his campus wants him to come back with a PPO , else the organization may not visit them next year.

And in all these conversations, so much was at stake except probably the learning and the education. I have always believed education helps in skill and outlook enhancement, provides knowledge and builds character and these in turn helps in improving a person’s confidence. And here I was meeting youngsters, full of self doubt, because of education. Youngsters from branded B schools, worried about placements and compensations. Youngsters on the verge of breaking down under the weight of unrealistic aspiration.  Youngsters who have never probably failed in life and hence panicking even at the thought of a minor hiccup. And eventually these are the people who will  be expected to lead organizations , who will be expected to drive value . Sometimes in weaker moments , I wonder have we gone terribly wrong in the way our education system works . Have we stopped building character at campuses? In our own selfish pursuit of growth and cartelization do we give too much importance to finishing schools vis-a-vis holistic development? Are we getting obsessed with success, forgetting the importance and certainty of failure in life? Are we they reason of some of the campus suicides?

And to those hundreds of students, placement is just an outcome, enjoy the process. Compete with your own self and not with the world. Strive for a purpose. Money is extremely important but unfortunately that chase for money will never cease and a beautiful life may end up getting buried under the unrealistic materialistic expectation!  Live the moment & have Fun !

Omerta : Selective Silence

#Omerta : Since childhood till 2014 I have always wondered how educated , well to do  normal beings  get so easily brain washed and turn radical. I have always wanted get to the crux and explore the psyche of those who become fundamentalist and turn into beasts just for a misplaced or misunderstood belief. And then 2014 happened . I got a firsthand experience of so many near and dear ones, both educated and semi educated, bright and dim-witted, rich and poor suddenly turning radical ( at least on social media)  for a misplaced idea fuelled by an ambitious  marketing maverick in the guise of a Political messiah . Suddenly the cool looking , cigarette smoking  friend with a goatee  was arguing about  “my and their” country , the shy and intelligent girl , a dear friend of mine , trying to figure out religion in rape . And somewhere deep within I was discovering a new scary side of so many whom I thought are liberal , progressive and secular ( in post 2014 parlance libtard and sickular !) And hence the anticipation was high for Hansal Mehta’ s “ Omerta” where he depicts the life of dreaded terrorist  Omar Sheikh ,a  London School of Economics drop out who abducted foreign nationals ,  beheaded Daniel Pearl , the man whom India govt  had  to release to secure  the release of hijacked IC 814 passengers .

Mehta uses docu-drama format to tell the story of Omar Sheikh. The narrative is non linear and jump cut technique has been used multiple times to keep the audience interested.  The film is taut and at 93 minutes it moves at an exhilarating pace . Rajkumar Rao sinks his teeth into the character. The ease with he has played characters of different shades in last eighteen months films like Barailly Ki Barfi , Trapped , Newton and now Omerta  tells volumes about the man’s range and capability as an actor . And this portrayal must have been an emotionally drenching one.

However Mehta, who had beautifully explored the inner world of Prof Siras in “Aligarh”   lets go of an exciting opportunity of delving deep into the psyche of one of the most dreaded terrorists of our times.  He follows the character from a distance and never allowing himself to go close to explore further. There was not even a single attempt to understand Omar’s ideology or his intention. And that’s where the film loses steam.

Omerta could have been a brave attempt from a director who is known to take up unconventional subjects. But it ends up being a film that barely scratches beneath the surface. I will go out with 3 out of 5 for “Omerta” and its selective silence! Watch it for that man – Raj Kumar Rao !