Movie anatomization : Waiting
It is quite rare that I would see a Hindi movie more than twice - of course not unless I have really loved the movie and it has touched me in some way.
MOVIE : WAITING
DURATION : 1H 38M
DIRECTOR : ANU MENON
GENRE : DRAMA
RELEASE DATE: 27 MAY 2016
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Waiting - the movie was an eye-opener about life, family, friends, the ability to cope with grief - a tale of dealing with love, the closest idea of losing your loved ones and being realistic in life.
The movie highlights about the two individuals who understand each other, fight with each other even enjoy their tough times together - in the most unlikely of the places having the most unlikely of personality traits.
The cast Kalki Koechlin, Naseeruddin Shah, Rajat Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, Suhasini Mani Ratnam have done an outstanding job. I was in total awe with the movie.
The director Anu Menon, has done a flawless direction in this non-commercial film - subtly bringing out the plethora of emotions in a given situation.
The movie starts with the clock ticking at 5:59:51 in Kochi - birds chirping, sun up and right from the time the clock strikes 6:00:00 WAITING starts for Naseeruddin Shah who is fondly known as Shiv. He is shown lying on his bed, waiting calmly for the clock to strike 6 to begin his chores.
While the concept did not go very well with her friends, they joke about it and are pulling her leg - when amongst all this chaos, there is a ring at the door - which distorts everything and it marks the beginning of the drama.
The terrible news hits her, the recently married Tara Kapoor- Deshpande hears the news of her husband Rajat Deshpande caught in a terrible near fatal accident in Kochi and is left in a coma.
Next she is seen hurrying up to Kochi from Mumbai - once in the hospital where her husband is admitted, she is all confused with no friends and family around her. Tara is in a fix, unaware about how to cope with the news. And to top it, there is a blank expression on her face and a sense of helplessness oozing from within.
With all the initial turmoil in the hospital, while waiting - she approaches Shiv who happens to be in the cafeteria at that hour also waiting. Shiv's wife Pankaja is also battling a coma from the past 8 months.
The story revolves around Tara and Shiv finding themselves in similar situations and bond over the emotions of grief, fear, inhibitions and their inabilities to do something in the given situation. It is a friendship at a different level altogether.
1. The first stage is DENIAL : how can this happen to me? These things can happen only to others.
3. Starts the next which is the stage of BARGAINING: if you are a believer you start pouring God with all that you can, and for the non- believer spirituality strikes in. The pragmatism dissolves completely.
4.The most difficult phase among all is that of DEPRESSION and is the most dangerous one too.
5. And if you are able to pull yourself of the above, finally comes the stage of ACCEPTANCE where you learn to cope with the situation. You either persuade yourself that everything is going to be fine or you give up hope like a coward - the choice is totally yours.
The coping mechanism holds quite some meaning in the movie 😊
With the passing of 8 months and still counting, Shiv has successfully climbed up to the stage of acceptance. Hence the story deals with the impatient and hurt Tara coping with her entry into the various stages and Shiv lending his hand to help her out, in absence of her friends and family.
The movie beautifully brings out how Tara has evolved and is handling questions with her doctor with a practical and an apt approach - "Rajat won't become a vegetable right? He would be able to do things on his own right - since he does not like being dependent on anyone for that matter?" Such has what the situation has build her to.
The transition of Shiv trying to learn the new age vocabulary, slangs is kind of sweet - he is shown to be adapting.
The role play of the doctor Neerupam Malhotra by Rajat Kapoor brings a realistic insight into the world of doctors - as to how tough they become over the course of time.
The one instance where he is training his junior doctor to hone the art of giving some tough news to the patient's loved ones and with a slight hint of smile on his face just says "Why so apologetic, doctor?" It brings out the harshness, emotionless-ness the doctors get used to, over a period of time.
At another instance, again while training his junior doctors, he states "You are not here to participate in your patients sorrow, you are here to put an end to pain and misery, one way or the other - to give life yes but also to know,when to let it go..."
"God is what our patients need quite often, but the truth is God does not come in the 9 am ward rounds, you and I are the closest the patients are going to get..."
Rajat Kapoor has justified the role of the doctor - practical and ruthless man, but I did not thoroughly get his political statements that his role portrayal required, maybe I misjudged.
The movie deals with the heart wrenching tough decisions one has to take during these times and the leap of faith to put forward.
In this context the sequence which was very significant was where the night before Tara prepares herself for Rajat's operation to remove a lump in his brain and Shiv prepares for his wife to be taken off the ventilator(doctor's don't find any hope in keeping her on the ventilator) - they drink through the night and enjoy themselves.
After a while when Tara slips off to sleep - she dreams that she has passed out and she is being rushed to the hospital in a jiffy. There by her side is Rajat - promising to take care of her and Pankaja just lying on the bed next to her and glancing - my interpretation was that it was a subtle indication that Tara had prepared herself mentally to stand by her husband no matter what happens after the operation.
It is the journey of Shiv's marriage of forty years and Tara's of about six weeks, the contrasting numbers of years in relationship yet the same voyage in a language of two different generations.
It is the portrayal of how one becomes so mechanical in doing the same things each and every day in that one and only hope - one day their loved ones would start living on their own.
To conclude it is - Two people, just WAITING!!
The music of the movie is soul touching and meaningful. I specially love the song "Hai Zara zara, hai zara - ab hua asar zara zara, jyada nahin, bas thoda sa, hua asar naya zara..."
I would love to see Bollywood coming up with more of such movies having life touching and philosophical concepts.
For me the movie, the story, the cast, the direction and the performances were stellar!!
MOVIE : WAITING
DURATION : 1H 38M
DIRECTOR : ANU MENON
GENRE : DRAMA
RELEASE DATE: 27 MAY 2016
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Waiting - the movie was an eye-opener about life, family, friends, the ability to cope with grief - a tale of dealing with love, the closest idea of losing your loved ones and being realistic in life.
The movie highlights about the two individuals who understand each other, fight with each other even enjoy their tough times together - in the most unlikely of the places having the most unlikely of personality traits.
The cast Kalki Koechlin, Naseeruddin Shah, Rajat Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, Suhasini Mani Ratnam have done an outstanding job. I was in total awe with the movie.
The director Anu Menon, has done a flawless direction in this non-commercial film - subtly bringing out the plethora of emotions in a given situation.
The movie starts with the clock ticking at 5:59:51 in Kochi - birds chirping, sun up and right from the time the clock strikes 6:00:00 WAITING starts for Naseeruddin Shah who is fondly known as Shiv. He is shown lying on his bed, waiting calmly for the clock to strike 6 to begin his chores.
On the other hand, Kalki Koechlin a.k.a Tara is seen, showing a self made advertisement to her friends in which she features - about a brand of sanitary napkins. She is eagerly awaiting for their comments.
Those 5 minutes with her friends portray Tara as this modern, attractive, energetic woman who believes in voicing out her opinion - who does not shy away from bad mouthing, hurling abuses, an individual who is highly impatient and is using the power of social media to create a stir among the masses about a brand she believes in.
While the concept did not go very well with her friends, they joke about it and are pulling her leg - when amongst all this chaos, there is a ring at the door - which distorts everything and it marks the beginning of the drama.
The terrible news hits her, the recently married Tara Kapoor- Deshpande hears the news of her husband Rajat Deshpande caught in a terrible near fatal accident in Kochi and is left in a coma.
Next she is seen hurrying up to Kochi from Mumbai - once in the hospital where her husband is admitted, she is all confused with no friends and family around her. Tara is in a fix, unaware about how to cope with the news. And to top it, there is a blank expression on her face and a sense of helplessness oozing from within.
With all the initial turmoil in the hospital, while waiting - she approaches Shiv who happens to be in the cafeteria at that hour also waiting. Shiv's wife Pankaja is also battling a coma from the past 8 months.
The story revolves around Tara and Shiv finding themselves in similar situations and bond over the emotions of grief, fear, inhibitions and their inabilities to do something in the given situation. It is a friendship at a different level altogether.
The intriguing part of the movie is that, it leaves a lot of questions for the viewer to ponder -
- The true value of friendship is revealed not in the sunny times but during the difficult times. Can they make time for you to stand up with you during such times?
- Is it your selfishness or your love or the fear of being alone that is stopping you from not allowing your loved ones to live the quality of life or death they deserve and punish them with continuing to live on machines?
- All this social media buzz, the friends in Facebook, the followers in twitter - what is the point of all these?
- Does praying to God help your loved ones recover soon or does it bring peace in your head that this is the least you could do in this situation?
- Would either Tara or Shiv continue being at each other's side - if either of their respective would get better and eventually move out of the hospital. For me the question was more for Tara?
1. The first stage is DENIAL : how can this happen to me? These things can happen only to others.
2. The second stage is ANGER : where hundred questions break upon you, why me? Why did this to happen to me?
3. Starts the next which is the stage of BARGAINING: if you are a believer you start pouring God with all that you can, and for the non- believer spirituality strikes in. The pragmatism dissolves completely.
4.The most difficult phase among all is that of DEPRESSION and is the most dangerous one too.
5. And if you are able to pull yourself of the above, finally comes the stage of ACCEPTANCE where you learn to cope with the situation. You either persuade yourself that everything is going to be fine or you give up hope like a coward - the choice is totally yours.
The coping mechanism holds quite some meaning in the movie 😊
With the passing of 8 months and still counting, Shiv has successfully climbed up to the stage of acceptance. Hence the story deals with the impatient and hurt Tara coping with her entry into the various stages and Shiv lending his hand to help her out, in absence of her friends and family.
The movie beautifully brings out how Tara has evolved and is handling questions with her doctor with a practical and an apt approach - "Rajat won't become a vegetable right? He would be able to do things on his own right - since he does not like being dependent on anyone for that matter?" Such has what the situation has build her to.
The transition of Shiv trying to learn the new age vocabulary, slangs is kind of sweet - he is shown to be adapting.
The role play of the doctor Neerupam Malhotra by Rajat Kapoor brings a realistic insight into the world of doctors - as to how tough they become over the course of time.
The one instance where he is training his junior doctor to hone the art of giving some tough news to the patient's loved ones and with a slight hint of smile on his face just says "Why so apologetic, doctor?" It brings out the harshness, emotionless-ness the doctors get used to, over a period of time.
At another instance, again while training his junior doctors, he states "You are not here to participate in your patients sorrow, you are here to put an end to pain and misery, one way or the other - to give life yes but also to know,when to let it go..."
"God is what our patients need quite often, but the truth is God does not come in the 9 am ward rounds, you and I are the closest the patients are going to get..."
Rajat Kapoor has justified the role of the doctor - practical and ruthless man, but I did not thoroughly get his political statements that his role portrayal required, maybe I misjudged.
The movie deals with the heart wrenching tough decisions one has to take during these times and the leap of faith to put forward.
In this context the sequence which was very significant was where the night before Tara prepares herself for Rajat's operation to remove a lump in his brain and Shiv prepares for his wife to be taken off the ventilator(doctor's don't find any hope in keeping her on the ventilator) - they drink through the night and enjoy themselves.
After a while when Tara slips off to sleep - she dreams that she has passed out and she is being rushed to the hospital in a jiffy. There by her side is Rajat - promising to take care of her and Pankaja just lying on the bed next to her and glancing - my interpretation was that it was a subtle indication that Tara had prepared herself mentally to stand by her husband no matter what happens after the operation.
It is the journey of Shiv's marriage of forty years and Tara's of about six weeks, the contrasting numbers of years in relationship yet the same voyage in a language of two different generations.
It is the portrayal of how one becomes so mechanical in doing the same things each and every day in that one and only hope - one day their loved ones would start living on their own.
To conclude it is - Two people, just WAITING!!
The music of the movie is soul touching and meaningful. I specially love the song "Hai Zara zara, hai zara - ab hua asar zara zara, jyada nahin, bas thoda sa, hua asar naya zara..."
I would love to see Bollywood coming up with more of such movies having life touching and philosophical concepts.
For me the movie, the story, the cast, the direction and the performances were stellar!!
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