Part
2
Continued
from Part 1
However subtle or minor it might be, there still is a difference
between being realistic and being cynical. Based on the same
premise that life is fraught with problems, a realist tries
to identify the issue and be practical about the solution, while
a cynic identifies the same issue but gets unduly worried about
it, regardless of whether he comes up with the solution or not.
Realism accepts the eventuality of the situation, while cynicism
suspects both the motive and the result of the same from the
start. Though Balachander's works seem to be mired in cynicism
on the surface, a deeper inspection of the end results for most
of the situations reveals the realistic tone that he bases the
solutions on, no matter how bitter, tragic and unacceptable
they are. "antulaeni kadha" deals with a typical lower
middleclass family, ekeing out a living on the tender shoulders
of a lone working female member of the group. The character
of Jayaprada is beautifully etched out as an out and out realist.
Inspite of the "sinimaa kashTaalu" that have her in
their grip firmly, she puts up a brave front to the never-ending
stream of every day problems, by being a cold-hearted realist.
She does not weep at the slightest hint of yet another trouble
that comes her way. Sympathy, self-pity and consolation do not
find a place When fate lands the final punch, crushing out the
plans she made for her future and the better prospects she envisioned
for her family, she dons the role of the ice-maiden once again,
touching her facing up with the make-up to hide the streaks
of her tears and a smile to mask her real persona. Even in the
face of bitter defeats and spiraling turn of events that are
beyond the realm of control, Balachander's "antulaeni kadha"
makes a case for the undying spirit of the never-say-die attitude.
His brilliance is amply evident in the final scene of the movie,
when, with all the problems that comes back to her unchanged,
she returns to her life unfazed.
Realistic
solutions are seldom glamorous and are rarely popular. Unemployment
is a troubling issue. Prolonged periods of unemployment with
no end in sight, is an even depressing picture. In such situations,
the glamorous solution calls for the hero of the movie siding
with the unruly elements of the society to rise along the ladder
of the illegal power structure, blaming it all on the very society
that could not provide him the wherewithal for his survival.
Simplistic, glamorous and commercial. Popular solution calls
for the hero of the movie to start pulling a rickshaw on the
first day, gradually rising to the level of driving a taxi,
with the image of the pages of the calendar flipping away superimposed
on his daily struggles, to finally cut to a palatial house,
with the hero descending the steps of the stairs, having eventually
made it to the higher strata of the society - all with the span
of a few months. Fantastic, falsified and far removed from the
truth. Hero is a gold medalist from a reputed university. He
could not trade his values for opportunities, ending up on the
streets of the nation's capital, filed away as yet another unemployed
youth, frustrated more at his situation than at the society.
"aakali raajyam" looks the same problem of unemployment
in a realistic way. The growing numbers of graduates post-graduates
and doctorates, pouring out of the educational institution mushrooming
at every corner of the street all over the country, can only
compound the issue more. In such situations, wisdom lies in
taking what is available than waiting for that one golden chance
- "manaku nacchae pani doraka nappuDu, vacchina panae nacchindanukOvaDamlO
tappu laedu". When the hero of the movie finally turns
towards hair styling - barber trade, to be more precise - the
thinking part of the brain certainly applauds his decision for
being realistic about the situation and acting accordingly.
Doing
so might not satisfy the audience's senses seeking some sort
of instant gratification. The hero could not roam around in
imported cars, cavorting with the heroine in foreign locales.
Escapism is a luxury that such a character cannot afford. By
plucking a character right out of every day life, Balachander
imparts his hero the same traits as one would find in an every
day man. Even when he almost loses the heroine for a rich guy,
he could not anything about it, and the palpable frustration
arising from such a desperate situation seems even more genuine,
when his helplessness mocks at the plight of his present and
bleakness of his future. It is indeed a tough act to depict
desperate times on the screen, and even more difficult to have
the audience sympathize with that. When Kamal and his friends
enact a fake lunch scene, clanking the empty utensils and creating
noise with the emptiness in their lives, to protect their dignity
in front of a girl, Balachander pays homage to the tragic-comic
actor Charles Chaplin who once said "those who do not know
how to cry, can never learn how to laugh". Sadness and
realism are often intertwined in Balachander's themes. It is
only natural that since realistic solutions are not often palatable/agreeable
or popular, that which appear as tragic endings are in fact
the only obvious realistic solutions to such situations. Here
is a heroine who is duped by her husband who bears her a child,
trying to piece her life back together with the help of a good
Samaritan living next door. The mutual admiration slowly turns
towards affection, and before it is professed, the evil husband
resurfaces in her life, bringing back painful memories. That
she gets rid of her husband, picks her shattered pieces once
again, and moves along, leaving behind her feelings and the
person she loved the most, is not just a tragic ending.
"idi
kadha kaadu", as the title indicates, is just that. It
is not a fantasy story where good endings are a given and everything
works out well in the end. Like the vicissitudes and the vagaries
of the life, the story of the heroine twists and turns in every
possible manner, some twists dreadful and some turns endearing.
Why, inspite finding the love of her life, does the heroine
leave him in the end, opting for a future that is unknown than
siding with one that is secure, is a question at the center
of Balachander's philosophy. Why does he opt for sad and tragic
endings putting his characters through the rigorous tests and
yet chooses a future that is uncertain and hopeless? There are
two ways of understanding human spirit. One, through all the
bright ways, where optimism never dies and the will keeps the
clock ticking until the end point is reached. These lessons
instill a sense of achievement by dint of hard work and perseverance.
The other way is the road less traveled. Hereunder, good does
not always win in the end. The tests for testing the mettle
of the spirit go on till eternity with no end in sight. Lessons
here are not direct and are not always positive. But these are
lessons nonetheless. If observing the bright side of life teaches
the tales of achievement, looking at the dark side of it teaches
the ground rules of reality, while life alternates between these
two sides incessantly. Accepting the hard truths of reality
without being excessively critical about oneself or being overtly
sentimental about the whole situation, requires a through understanding
about this dark side of life. When Saritha jumps down from the
building, after handing over the fruit of sin to Sujata, in
"guppeDu manasu", while the perpetrator Sarath Babu
and the other victim Narayana Rao watch in horror, it is the
bitter nature of the reality that is hard to digest and accept,
than her decision to jump down. Suicide is when there is no
solution, but would it still be called suicide, if she IS the
question...?
(Cont'd
in part 3)
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Srinivas Kanchibhotla how you liked the article.
