I am not a film critic and neither this write up is an aspirational narrative to become one. A film called "Haider" supposedly to mimic the magic of Shakespear's play Hamlet does manage to live up to the expectations of the so called intelligent viewers and if I am not wrong the movie is gaining momentum in winning "all sorts" of critical acclaims: reason being the disguised convenience that it takes in the form of an antithetical stance from the mainstream and populist belief about J&K militants. It allegedly engages one to attempt to unhinge one's illusionary ideas about terrorists and their agenda, but in fact as I see it is the rhetoric of the starcast of the likes of Tabbu, K.K. Menon, and of course Shahid Kapoor that superficially aides one in suggesting "it ought to be good ". or may be even "it ought to be true."The movie is doing good in the market , no doubt about it. But is it worth ? Is business the yard stick of artistic value ? Or can one safely assume that in the age of IT revolution mass and class happen to be the same ? I was really not surprised to hear a large section of the audience clap after the show at the Phoenix Mall, Chennai. The premises on which any kind of inference could be drawn are definitely many and hence renders the debate open ended.
There is no doubt that the movie irrespective of flotsam and jetsam of delving into the rights or wrongs about either of the perspectives, is loosely connected and nowhere close to a captivating theatrical extravaganza on the lines of the HAMLET. While I was coming out of the theater only one thought came to my mind "kisi ne cake ke naam par halua khila diya " aor maze ki baat thi ki khaane ke baad bhi logon ne kaha "cake bahot badhiya tha" Is the discerning palate itself flawed ? Or an investment in the form of a movie ticket nullifies any deliberate attempt to command re-posturing of the opinion even if one has an urge to do so ? In either of the cases no wonder that the "payers" would indiscreetly and unseemingly continue to benefit the rising interests based on consumerism in the much changing economy and that's not refutable if we see how the market forces have surreptitiously taken over as agents of "Crony Capitalism" since the much celebrated post 1991 era. Can anyone imagine what kind of HEAVEN India is, especially considering the kind of market size (consumers) it has? On top of that lulling effect of movies like Haider serves as an icing on the cake in habituating the consumers to conveniently turn their heads off and to preferably develop an akin to not to have a mind of their own. The consumers at large of which an important section is a movie goer are thus deliberated to be intellectually poisoned and rendered gullible, and hence virtually enslaved to suit a capitalist's exploitative regime.
Shouldn't we accept this dichotomy ? Shouldn't we muster enough of wisdom ( a fight within ) and courage (a fight outside) to "call spade a spade", specially when it comes to make a distinction between HALUA AND CAKE, or even the capacity to to give preference to SHUDH hulua (NFDC league ) over MISHRIT cake ( desi version of supposedly tainted and imported themes like in this case HAMLET ) when it requires to practice the nationalistic economics ?
