From Agra to Andalasia to New York - Let us all live happily ever after!

Well, watched Jodha Akbar - and not in the least motivated to write or even comment on it! Forget about the expectations from Gowariker, it lacked life and punch. The quarrels with history, regardless of what they are, were not put forth effectively either. I would have loved to see a strong parallel history emerging through a movie! And, I wish the projection of secularism and heterodoxy were powerful enough to initiate dialogues with contemporary India rather than remaining as vestiges of a glorious distant past. At least half as powerful as Chak De which drew a fleeting glance on Indian hockey or as Swades which stirred some momentary discomfort, to say the least. Jodha was nearly invisible - as Rai had almost completely overshadowed her!! Hritik Roshan has delivered his best as always, not to mention his well-toned body that most of us had never associated with Akbar!

Been staying away from Enchanted as I thought a Hollywood mushy stuff can wait. I found it interesting - seemed as if the Hollywood is going Bollywood in certain ways! The song and dance on the street was pretty much Bollywoodian and the grand finale at the ball room is a sure bet! The first half gave the illusion that it was all about subverting - seriously subverting - the fairy tale stereotypes, which Hollywood has been nurturing for so long. But it was not; and I should be blamed for rushing into conclusions. The stepmother continues to be wicked and conniving, the princess continues to be naive, loving and innocent, the prince is charming and romantic as always.
For those who haven't watched Enchanted yet: It opens in Andalasia a fairy-tale land with all the typical characters - a wicked Queen Narissa who wants her stepson to remain single so that she can retain her throne, the charming (but a little dim-witted?) prince Edward who falls in love (yes, at first sight) with Giselle who believes in true love's first kiss. The picture is complete with an array of birds, animals and insects that talk, sing and dance indiscriminately! And then behold, Giselle is cursed away to 'a place where there is NO happily ever after' and that happens to be New York city. The princess who pops up through a manhole is lost, robbed and ridiculed till the handsome Robert, a divorce-lawyer (who is divorced too) living with his six-year old daughter Morgan, accidentally rescues her and takes her home. Robert's girlfriend Nancy is annoyed when she sees a towel clad Giselle on top of Robert; but Giselle somehow helps clear the confusion later by giving romantic lessons to Robert! If only a heart shaped bouquet and a couple of doves were enough to forget presence of a towel-clad woman in fiance's apartment... (That humour, if you got it, was not in great taste!) Edward also shows up soon and Queen Narissa is still after Giselle's life - literally. After a series of amusing incidents in NY city Edward finds Giselle in Robert's apartment and breaks into a romantic song but is puzzled when Giselle does not sing along as always. Giselle, who has obviously taken a liking for Robert and NY city wants to go on a date, an idea which is alien to Edward. To cut a long story short, at the Queen's ball (that everyone in the movie attend) Queen Narissa tries to take Giselle's life, Robert is declared Giselle's true love as Edward's first kiss fails to wake up the unconcsious Giselle, Nancy falls for the romantic and straightforward Edward who takes her to Andalasia. It was nice to see Nancy sweeping Edward off his feet after the fairy-tale wedding in Andalasia! Robert, Giselle and Morgan live happily ever after in New York city!

At the risk of sounding cynical and stupidly unromantic, let me confess, I'd rather go for a not-so-happily-ever-after ending. In fact, for me, the catch line which glued me to the movie was 'a place where there are no happily ever afters'! So much for Enchanted, which had offered all the possibilities to subvert a genre as well as blend one genre with other. While the latter showed some signs of relief the former was totally washed out. At least it partially hinted that 'don't bet on the Prince' always, for everything! (courtesy Jack Zipes). Nevertheless, Enchanted is an entertainer through and through and the mere screen presence of two stunningly handsome men, a lovely lady and the cute-smart kid is quite a treat!

Wait a minute, whether it is history or fairy tale, one just can't escape the stereotypes of romance?! [Romance, as in heart shaped 'I-love-you-you-love-me-let-us-live-happily-ever-afters'.] Well, I suppose so - unless one chooses to deal with it, say, for instance, the Chak De way or the Being Cyrus way or even the Dor way. And yes, how do I not mention my all time favourites Thoovanathumbikal and Before Sunrise which are romantic but refuse to conform.






Virtually Yours