Arundhati Roy Takes a Hard Look at Democracy

18 NRI PULSE .... Book Review .... ...... Movie Review ...... September 2009 Arundhati Roy Takes A Love Aaj Kal – Romance Hard Look At Democracy Rules Forever, Aaj and Kal BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE day practical minded, career oriented Jai realize Book: “Listening to Grasshoppers: Field Notes on Democracy”; Author: that true love still prevails, maybe hidden in a Imtiaz Ali is clearly the master of making Arundhati Roy; Publisher: Penguin-Books India contemporary way of life, buried under online movies in urban settings. He has a keen eye and chat sessions and status updates? What does it ear for the young, metropolitan lifestyle and lingo BY MADHUSREE CHATTERJEE the “schism between the real and the virtual world take for him to apprehend love, follow the journey, which reverberates all through his movies, be it has turned into a place of endless speculation and it is heartfelt. Man Booker winning author Arundhati Roy ‘Jab We Met’ or ‘Love Aaj Kal’. potential insanity”. The male characters in the movie are well etched, takes a probing look at the underbelly of the Love Aaj Kal literally follows the story of Roy brings POTA and allied terrorism-related however one of the problems with the movie is the world’s oldest democracy in her new anthology of love in times of Aaj and Kal. Jai (Saif Ali Khan) laws under the scanner and poses a disturbing ques- definition female characters. Unlike the Geet of Jab We essays “Listening to Grasshoppers: Field Notes and Meera (Deepika Padukone) are the tion - “Successful fascism takes hard work. And Met, Meera and Harleen do not have enough flesh to on Democracy” published this week. protagonists of today’s romantic track while Veer so does creating a good investment climate. Do the bite into. Meera comes across “By democracy, I don’t mean democracy as two work well together?” as someone more aware of an ideal or an aspiration. I mean the “Azadi”, another essay that herself than Jai, but then she working model: western liberal de- first appeared in The Guardian in marries someone else. Her mocracy, and its variants. Attempts August 2008, rakes up a controversy passion for career or actions of to answer this question often turn - one that leaves most of us squirm- love are not clearly carved and into a comparison of different sys- ing in discomfort. that inhibits the story from tems of governance and end with a Roy pleads for an “azad Kash- reaching the heights that Jab We somewhat prickly, combative de- mir” saying “for all these years, the Met reached. However, Imitiaz fence of democracy. It’s flawed, but Indian state, known among know- Ali deserves complete credit for it’s better than anything else that’s ing as a ‘deep state’, has done ev- his multilayered storyline that on offer,” Roy said. erything it can - subvert, suppress, gels perfectly with changing The anthology is typically represent, misrepresent, discredit, modern times. Arundhati Roy - candid, chatty, lu- intimidate, purchase - and simply Saif Ali Khan emotes cid and probing - more like snap- Arundhati Roy snuff out the voice of the Kashmiri comfortably and Deepika shots from all her earlier works of people”. matches him effortlessly. non-fiction since 1999. India needs ‘azadi’ from Kashmir just as much There is a certain carefree, With intelligent political insight, she shows - if not more - than Kashmir needs azadi from easy camaraderie between how the journey of Hindu nationalism and neo- India, she writes. Which is well, but the essay fails the two actors that makes liberal economic reforms, flagged to address who makes up the this film work. The only off almost around the same time Kashmiri people and the holes scene that has Neetu Singh in the early 1990s, is now mani- Singh (Saif Ali Khan as young Rishi Kapoor) and in history? Can an Azad Kash- and Rishi Kapoor together is endearing. Story fest in dangerous ways. Harleen Kaur(Giselle Monteiro) represent the mir make room for all? goes that the Brazilian model Giselle Monteiro The book begins with an couple of yesteryears. The fresh treatment to the The concluding essay, was initially auditioned for Jai’s modern day essay on the state-backed kill- movie is the fact that the 2 stories develop and “Nine is Not Eleven (And No- girlfriend role but instead landed up as the shy ing of Muslims in Gujarat in vember isn’t September) is per- run parallel to each other and climax together 2002, explaining how “progress haps the most soul-searching of at the end. and genocide” have always be the lot. Jai, the architect dreams of working comrade-in-arms. They either It is a spotlight on th 26/ on the golden gate bridge in San Francisco take place together or follow 11 Mumbai terror attacks - and Meera is into art restoration and wants each other in a strange cycle of published in The Guardian in to work in India. They meet, date and also fate. December 2008. The essay, mutually agree to break up in London when “Fascism’s firm footprints while describing the horrors of work draws Meera to India. They even has appeared in India. Let’s the blasts, as beamed across by throw a break up party and the scene where mark the date: Spring 2002. television channels and the friends discuss whether they should be While we can thank the US post-mortems that followed the happy or sad at the party, wear funeral or president and the coalition live coverage, makes a pertinent celebratory clothes is quite fresh and funny. against terror for creating a con- point. On the day Meera has to leave, restaurateur genial international atmosphere for fascism’s “Dangerous, stupid oversimplification like Veer Singh offers to take Jai to the airport ghastly debut, we cannot credit them for the years the police are good/politicians are bad... Tragically, to see Meera one last time, even though Jai it has been brewing in our public and private lives... this regression into intellectual infancy comes when insists Meera would understand he could it breezed in after the Pokhran nuclear tests of not show up because he had car trouble. people in India were beginning to see that, in the and submissive Harleen and she fits surprisingly 1998,” Roy writes in her essay, “Democracy: Instead Meera tells him she knew he would come business of terrorism, victims and perpetrators well into her character. Who’s She, When She’s At Home”. and Jai is shocked at her joy. So Jai asks Veer often exchange roles,” she writes, citing Kashmir Cinematography by N Natarajan The argument makes sense. as an instance. Singh’s story and we are thrown into his past. Subramaniam, who also worked on Jab We Met In the essay, “How deep shall we dig”, a text The collection is thought-provoking and well- Imitiaz’s genius is in the fact the he develops compliments the stories of today and yesterday. of the lecture that she delivered at the Aligarh researched . both these stories at the same pace, so we go While the story of yesterday has the feel of an Muslim University in 2004, she uses Kashmir to But in retrospect, the thin line between re- back and forth in time. old black and white movie with color added to it, establish the Indian government’s handling of ter- portage, editorial writing, sermonising and the fine Veer Singh is in love with Harleen. However the story of today is nicely contrasted by bright rorism along its margins - Jammu and Kashmir and art of non-fiction essay writing seems to overlap unlike our SMSes and Facebook times, stealthy and flashy color palette. Background music by in the seven sister states of the Northeast where too frequently in the anthology. glances and silent gestures were the only means of Salim-Sulaiman is easy on the ears and blends affectionate expression during those times and Veer well. Pritam’s music offers a laid back, breezy expresses himself in muted language only Harleen music pleasant on the ears. ‘Dooriyan’ and ‘Chor Visit our Portal at NRIPulse.com understands. He even travels hundreds of miles for Bazaari’ are quite catchy. a glimpse of her when her family moves away. All its flaws apart, Romance rules Love Aaj News, Views, Blogs, Free Classifieds, Business Directory, exciting Photo Since they are broken up, Jai and Meera Kal. Heartfelt moments, clean performances, Features, Events listing and more!!! decide to tell each other things they hated about catchy music, watching this movie is like having each other. They even help each other find and a good vacation – warms your heart while feeling Visit us at www.NRIPulse.com decide on their new partners. Will the modern the need for a little bit more..

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