I love many of Aamir Khan's films but I had already watched his last film, Taare Zamin Par when I started to write this blog and he did nothing sensational (that I heard of) during the past 3 months to convince me to mention him.
Then day before yesterday I watched U, Me Aur Hum. Another film which has nothing to do with Aamir Khan, except for a situational link: actors turned producers turned directors direct first film about psychologically difficult to deal with illnesses.
So what am I talking about? Taare Zamin Par (TZP) is a film about a little boy suffering from dyslexia. Until more than half way through the film no one, not even the audience, realizes this problem. The boy is sent away from home to boarding school by his over achiever, pushy 'my sons will be Engineers' father and the boy loses his last link to a very sensitive and nuanced child life: his desire to draw and express himself through art. Post-intermission: enter Aamir Khan as an alternative and caring art teacher who after examining the boy's school work and notebooks comes to recognize and inform everyone what the problem is. The second half of the film is about learning to cope and accept this illness which cannot be cured and regaining the little boy's sense of self and desire for life once more.
U, Me Aur Hum is the story of a psychiatrist who goes on a cruise holiday with friends. On cruise he experiences love at first sight. The cruise waitress he falls in love with, falls for him likewise and they start to live happily ever after until one day when psychiatrist is driving home in the rain and runs into his very disorientated wife on the road. She states she could not remember his name, nor the address to their house. Post-intermission: we discover that the woman is suffering from Alzheimer's and is little by little bound to forget eveything. The second half of the film is about learning to cope and accept this disease which cannot be cured. It includes an interesting study of the idea of institutionalizing the loved one and attempts made to explain to one's self that this is for the best and figuring out the power love can have when it is channeled to conquer pain.
TZP's extremely sensitive and loving portrayal of the little boy's private life and imagination during the first half is very touching. And the portrayals of routinized Middle Class family life and aspirations are harsh and apt. The fact that most of this is done through music, offering the audience either hazed and hallucinatory gilmpses of a mind or a rushed tizzy of Middle class life just improved the whole experience for me. TZP was one of the films where every song just 'lop diye yerinde dusuyor' (just falls into place)! Image and lyrics and melody blending into a harmonious (curious, dreamy, angry, frenzied, choppy.. whatever the desire to express is) whole experience.
It is the first half which wins all the brownie points TZP deserves. I have not seen another film about a child dealt in this way in a Hindi film before. Though to be fair, I haven't watched many Hindi films about children full stop. I think like most reviews I have read of TZP, I too have to admit that it is brave of Aamir Khan to take the back seat and give all the emotional energy to the little boy but they manage (beautifully)!
TZP's strength: the first half, is U, Me Aur Hum's weakness for me. Maybe weakness is not the write word. The first half just is. It is fancy and bright, with a very pretty Salsa dance sequence. The first half seems to rely too much on Kajol's bright smile and gorgeous eyes and it feels shallow in comparison to the very intense and painful last 45 minutes of the film. But maybe that is the point: that if we knew, we wouldn't take the bright moments for granted. We would treat the happy moments with greater intensity, deeper meaning and care because you don't really know when they are going to disappear.
The film wove its magic for me personally in the last 40 minutes. And when I say personally, I mean personally. I am still very touchy when it comes to caring portrayals of hospital and clinic scenes, particularly involving young women. Such scenes carry kilometres of meaning beyond the film for me and if the film can depict it all poignantly, then I grant the film well deserved tears and grateful thanks. This film never gives in to cheap miracle cures or miracle recognition: Kajol never recognizes her husband at just that right moment to help sustain his faith, strength, love, hope. But he doesn't lose his love, nor the need for her love and that's what makes this whole experience a very emotional and touching Hindi film experience.
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