By Murtaza Ali Khan
Featured in IMDb Critic Reviews
Anaarkali of Aarah is the story
of a female singer notorious for singing double meaning, erotic songs. The role,
essayed by Swara Bhaskar, has a strong feministic appeal. Written and directed
by journalist turned filmmaker Avinash Das, Anaarkali of Aarah endeavors to
highlight the hypocrisies and double standards prevalent in our society. Anaarkali
of Aarah co-stars Pankaj Tripathi and Sanjay Mishra. In this article, we will
look at various aspects of Anaarkali of Aarah that make is a unique watch.
Swara plays a challenging
character in the movie. Her triumph at accurately bringing out the character’s complexities
is what adds considerable credibility to the character. Vintage Swara Bhaskar,
the character of Anaarkali doesn’t merely look a figment of imagination but a
real person in fresh and blood. A lesser actress could have made the character
of Anaarkali look vulgar but Swara essays her part with grace and elegance. She
is exceptionally good in the melodramatic song and dance sequences.
It is said that once a journalist
always a journalist. Avinash Das has proven the proverb right. While watching
Anaarkali of Aarah one can easily figure out the kind of research that must
have gone into it. Credit goes to Das for making an entertaining film out of a
real life story. Whether it is a filmmaker or a journalist it is the ability to
tell a story in the manner that it reaches far and wide is what makes the
difference. Kudos to Das and team for
getting it right on both the creative and technical fronts!
For a hero or a heroine to look
good the villain has to be a real baddie. Sanjay Mishra here obliges with a
menacing performance that provides the character of Anaarkali with the perfect
foil. One expects nothing but the best from a thespian of Mishra’s stature but
delivering every time around is not a cinch. In Anaarkali of Aarah, Mishra not
only succeeds in doing justice to the character penned down by the director but
he also manages to leave a few of his characteristic impressions that his fans
wouldn’t find it difficult to spot. At the same time if we look at his career his
performance in Anaarkali of Aarah would come across as a quite unique.
There is no denying that Pankaj
Tripathi is one of the finest character actors of our generation. He is one of
those rare actors who are capable of leaving a lasting impression even while
making cameo appearances. Perhaps, Masaan
is a great example of what Tripathi is capable of doing in front of the motion
picture camera in a matter in a matter of few minutes. In Anaarkali of Aarah,
he plays a very complex character. His caricature may look simple to some at
first sight but a closer observation reveals various complexities associated with
the character as well as the manner in which Tripathi essays it. Needless to
say, his chemistry with Swara Bhaskar is a treat to watch.
Anaarkali of Aarah can be
described as a story of a female artist who takes the fight to a male dominated
society which objectifies women. The movie’s protagonist, Anaarkali, is a singular
female character in Hindi cinema that despite her overt sexuality has no space
for apology. In the words of Swara Bhaskar herself: “That's precisely where
Anaarkali is unique. She has no qualms about what she does. It is from here the
conversations starts.” Anaarkali of Aarah is the first film since Basu
Bhattacharaya’s Teesri Kasam (1966), starring Raj Kapoor and Waheeda Rehman, to
focus on the world of orchestra party.
One of the USPs of Anaarkali of
Aarah is its strong feministic stand. It is a rarity these days for mainstream
Bollywood films to focus on important issues like women empowerment and gender
equality. It is really heartening to see Anaarkali of Aarah stand tall in its
commitment towards spreading awareness about these critical issues.
Rating: 8/10
A version of this review was first published in Wittyfeed.
Readers, please feel free to share your opinion by leaving your comments. As always your valuable thoughts are highly appreciated!
People who liked this also liked...
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for sharing for valuable opinion. We would be delighted to have you back.