Zakhm

A 1998 film by Mahesh Bhatt.His films have an overture of being authentic & autobiographical.His ability to capture emotions is phenomenal.Produced by Mukesh Bhatt & Pooja Bhatt, it is a good film.There was another film in 1989 with the same name staring Chunky Pandey & Neelam,yes the same in ‘The Neelam show’ in “Kuch kuch hota hai”.

Zakhm means wound.A wound that the son bears till the mother dies.In the lead are Ajay Devgan & Sonali Bendre.Pooja Bhatt is the mother, who carries off the role with panache.With none other than Nagarjun in the special role it is a treat.Kunal khemu as a child artist excels.The film won Nargis Dutt award for best film for National integration.It was a commercial success & critically acclaimed.( A very rare feat!)

Music director Ajay argues with his wife,Sonia over whether to give birth to their child in a foreign country or in India ( because of insecurity caused by the Mumbai riots). Soon Ajay learns of his mother been burnt by a group of Muslim rioters outside a church & is in a critical condition.In flashback ,the struggles which his mother had to undergo to raise her children are shown.She is in love with a Hindu film producer Raman Desai (Nagarjun),who has married her in a temple,but his mother refuses to acknowledge it.So he gives her a house & visits his family occasionally.Their wait is beautifully seen in ‘Gali mein aaj chand nikla’…Pooja & Nagarjuna have few scenes but they mean everything.”Ma ne kaha…” & ‘Hum yahan ,yum yahan’ are repeated in the background but who is interested,things are happening at a pace where we are totally in it.

“Raat sari bekarari mein…” none of the songs remain with you except for “Gali mein aaj chand nikla….Alka Yagnik has sung it so softly.It is rare to see Pooja in such a role.Her husky voice is normally used in films like “Dil hai ke manta nahin” or “Daddy”.This film required her to emote with her eyes similar to “Border”.

Ajay calls up his dad to give him the news about his tiny brother. His dad meets with an accident on his way & the family loses a member forever.That day Ajay realises his mother is a muslim,she makes him promise that he will never tell it to anyone, but to bury her when she dies. Ajay’s mother succumbs to the burns.Now he reveals his mother’s past to Sonia,who decides to never leave him alone.Ajay’s decision is impede by Subodh Bhai (Ashutosh Rana),who wants a political issue to provoke the Hindu youths to kill Muslims.Anand( Akshay Anand) is a Youth leader & Ajay’s younger brother.He realises Subodh Bhai’s intentions & decides to support his brother.

The body is buried as mother’s wish & she reunites with her husband in the clouds.( After such an emphatic message,editing would help to make it tidier. The editing in “Article 15” is so neat that I wished they would linger a little,for us to catch the meaning.) The ‘zakhm’ that he carried with him, was healed finally.Or was it? There was a story by Vasudha Patil in our Marathi book where a Hindu soldier gets involved with a woman.She is eight months pregnant when he discovers that she is a Muslim & he shoots her.Now, how can a death be justified? What was the fault of the unborn child? It has always been with me,I cannot find a suitable answer.

A Marathi film,”Shejari ” had two families…one Hindu & the other Muslim ….living together,celebrating the same festivals…suddenly become enemies due to riots.This backdrop of riots is seen in “Bombay” by Mani Ratnam….Arvind Swami & Manisha Koirala at their best.Arvind is Hindu & Manisha is Muslim,they have twins…Lav & Kush who are lost in the riots.It had a scene where Arvind is trying to make her father under stand that she is the one for him.He cuts their arms & mixes the blood. “Is there any difference? Is the color different? Aren’t we humans ,so what is the problem?” Your heart goes out to him.Feel like shaking up & asking to wake up. After the opening…Kehna hai kya….comes the restraint…. & lovable number,Tere bina main kaise jiyu…chand re chand re…simple poetry.

Mulk or such films also tried to delve into the issue. Aren’t the pairs like Saif Ali & Kareena Kapur, Shahrukh Khan & Gauri ,Aamir & Kiran Rao…high profile personalities leading by example ? Another film which won a Nargis Dutt award was a film where Amol Palekar helps a lady to climb a hill.They are waiting for a bus that doesn’t arrive,so they take a short cut.I remember the heroine as Mahuva.Amol Palekar is shown to be a goon,with a scarf around his neck & leers & all.

As they descend,she complains of pain in her stomach.he takes her to a hospital where she delivers.The entire film is shot without showing her bulging stomach. She names the baby “Raja”..that’s his name. Here he finds out that she is Muslim. It comes a shock to the audience as well. Very well made movie.

In Konkana Sen Sharma’s movie,Rahul Bose is Raja & a Muslim. She saves him in “Mr & Mrs AIyaar”. Again the Hindu woman & Muslim man at the center was the main theme.It was critically acclaimed & brought a fan following for Konkana!

In “Achanak”, a movie that made a star out of Vinod Khanna, he is a soldier & goes home suddenly,hence achanak… & finds his wife in the arms of his friend on his boat.He shoots both.” As a soldier I must have killed so many but for two people I have been sentenced to death.”….these words make you think of the system,society in which we live & our morals…all.This story also has some similarity with “Rustom”. We depict what we think but not always true, innermost thoughts may never find way. As many suspects ,so many possibilities, the writer chooses finally what will be the end & who will be the culprit.But we have already decided which way it will go & hence we like it or not because our script is already done.

The person who is the closest is always on the radar, it’s the theme for many movies. Talvar’..yet leaves many questions unanswered! More such thoughts later,till then happy viewing….!