Hazaron Khwahishen Aisi...

“At the dawn of history, India started on her unending quest, and trackless centuries are filled with her striving and the grandeur of her successes and her failures. Through good and ill fortune alike she has never lost sight of that quest or forgotten the ideals, which gave her strength. We end today a period of ill fortune and India discovers herself again...

"At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes which comes rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends and the soul of a nation, long suppressed finds utterance."It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity.”




India circa 1969.

Almost twenty years after promises and assurances made of humanity and progressive governance. A nation is caught between the socio-political ethos of the yesteryears and the self-seeking, power hungry governance of its times. A generation that grows without idols. A generation that is disillusioned.

Hazaron speaks about those times. Rarely do we see a filmmaker taking a strong stand and mincing no words in exposing the people responsible for creating an upheaval and making the lives of millions a saga of unending misery.

This film speaks about our parent’s generation. (ie if you are of my age)A generation that was not instrumental in getting India freedom nor was it there to witness it. A generation that fed on the illusion enthusiastically perpetrated by their fathers that the glory days would be back again. The anthem in the air was, "Dukh bhare din bitey re bhaiyya,Ab such aayao re..” A generation that didn’t have heroes like Gandhi and Tilak to look up to. They had the Beetles. A generation when it grew up saw that things were worsening around them instead of getting any better. A nation lead by a woman from the Nehru dynasty was fast turning into the empire of a strong willed and stuck-up dictator.

Could revolution be brought again? Some of these disillusioned youth, without a purpose but with a cause, without a plan but with passion decided to plunge in to get revolution. The end was not as surprising as it was moving.

The movie has had a deep impact on me. I am not going to write anything about the plot, the taking, the dialogues and other such mundane and horribly superficial issues.Although I want to speak about the screenplay,the acting,the direction.Chitrangandha,Shiney and Kaykay...I shall speak about them but probably in some other blog dedicated to it.

Hazaron has made me think. It has made me question the things around me. But it has also helped me understand the sorry state of affairs that plague my nation. That reminds me of an incident related to this issue the other day. One of my groupies wanted to see Kaal. I said why Kaal? Why not Hazaron Khwahishein? He said that he has enough of issues in life to deal with. He doesn’t like to see films that make him think. Infact he stays away from anything that would make him think. I smiled. That here am I belonging to a generation that thrives on make believe adventures and candyfloss romances. But shuns from seeing the actual reality.Why?Because it makes them think.And they are in no mood to do that.Probably they think that it doesn't even concern them.

But then I thought what do I do after watching these so called movies with a message? Pontificate? Mull for sometime then forget it in the rigmarole of life? Sit in a bar and have a heated discussion on this over a drink? Yeah, all of the above. But most of all it has helped me develop the sensibilities towards some key issues around us. It has helped form an opinion on things that matter. It has helped me to take a stand.

Its foolish to think that after watching a movie on the oppression in Bihar all of us should pack our bags and go to Bihar the next day to bring a revolution. No. Even if we are sensitive towards the issues and in the long run contribute in some way or the other in making some kind of a difference in somebody’s life after reading/watching/listening to such kind of creation the purpose is solved.

After I watched it one of the many things that came to my mind was - ‘wish I had made this movie.’
After reading this you must be thinking what point is he trying to make?Is it about the movie?The times?The director?What???If this writing seems incoherent then believe me that's how its meant to be.As Siddharth (KayKay) puts it in one of the scences, "I have definitely learnt something from it.But I am yet to decipher what."

Take a bow Mr. Sudhir Mishra. You have made me think.

"Muhobbat mein fark nahi hai jeene marne ka...
Ussi ko dekhkar jeete hai jiss kafir pe dam nikale...
Bahot nikale mere armaan lekin
Phir bhi kam nikale"