With Matru ki Bijlee ka Mandola, Vishal Bharadwaj has done the impossible. He has successfully managed to replicate the real India of today, in all its complexities, within a commercial framework that includes all things Bollywood. Without resorting to silly stereotypes.
In Bharadwaj's satire, which is set somewhere in the Hindi heartland of Haryana, the people are at the mercy of its rich resident with a drinking problem. Rustic as this character is, he speaks perfect English when he wants to, though he prefers to converse in his mother tongue. His daughter is Oxford-educated and his right-hand man went to JNU.
Yet, when they party at home and really want to have fun, their karaokes are in Hindi. Bharadwaj's revolutionaries do not hide in jungles, his revolutionary is well-spoken, can hold his own among political bigwigs and can pronounce "bourgeois" right while sharing a beedi with his high-society friend and her husband. Bharadwaj also shows the ugly rich India, through the brat that has grown up with "no sense of decency." And yet, because anyone with money can now access technology, this otherwise moronic character can score over his smarter politician friends by discovering pesticides that can kill crops when used wrongly. Lesson here: do not turn up your noses at people that talk with heavy indigenous accents. They might just be smarter than your city rat self, and brought up better than you.
Mandola (Pankaj Kapur) is a megalomaniac who does what village lords have been doing for generations. He does not mind hurting his people for money, is hand in glove in his exploits with the Chief Minister (Shabana Azmi) , is filthy rich and an alcoholic. And because he is very Indian at heart, his hallucinations do not make him see pink elephants. He sees pink buffaloes. (Go Bharadwaj!)
He also instigates a rebellion against himself and stands for the constant capitalist versus socialist fight most modern Indians go through each day of their lives. We love our malls and Cokes, but we cannot completely stamp out the Gandhi in us. And in here, Bharadwaj taps the true potential of theatre and shows why and how that form of acting easily always trump its silverscreen rivals if and when given the chance. I think this also somewhat justifies why serious theatre actors have scoffed at film acting for generations, but let's not get into that debate. To say Kapur is brilliant in his role as the schizophrenic Mandola is an understatement, and I do not know how else to describe what he did in this movie, with able support from his other theatre trained colleague, Shabana Azmi.
Anushka Sharma is her usual peppy self and does nothing she has not done before, but because this is not her movie, it does not matter. She does her job well enough though, that of bringing glamour and entertainment. Imran Khan breaks new ground, and his sense of comic timing helps him hold his own against the highly seasoned Kapur, though his Haryanvi accent is suspect.
The movie belongs to Kapur, and he reigns supreme, not once allowing the viewer's attention to wander.
Bharadwaj loves Shakespeare and uses the Bard magnificently, just as he did in his earlier ventures.
He uses Gulzar's (thank god the man is back, what with his last venture in Jab Tak Hain Jaan...) strong words to weave in songs that take the story forward and make you tap your feet along. He brings in a hot herione in skimpy clothes to entertain those who need it, but makes sure she can ride a bicycle on dusty roads and jump into dirty ponds despite being "phoreign" educated. There are also shades of Ray's "Hirok Rajar Deshey" in it, though I won't be able to say if it is just a case of great minds thinking alike.
And while juggling all of this, Bharadwaj manages to not lose sight of his main storyline: that of the Indian farmer, his constant struggle with local strongmen, politicians and even nature. The story of how this breeds what we call "anti social" elements. In all its wit and glory, it manages to make fun of corrupt politicians, sympathizes with those who need it, shows us again how riches and power do not make a man and also stands for love and honour.
Matru Ki Bijli ka Mandola a rare example of a movie that balances its pathos, absurdities, wit and makes you laugh without having to resort to crudity.
There's just this one small concern. Bharadwaj should have timed this right. By the time they are looking for nominations for Filmfare 2013, MBM will be old and they'll have forgotten Kapur for the Khans. Or other Kapoors. Unless, he has better things lined up, of course.
