Film Review (Indie): Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (2003)

"A Thousand Such Dreams" is what the title of this multi-award winning film literally translates to. In a fine example of what's to come from the stable of Indies, from India (though this was backed by PNC, Pritish Nandy's venture), the title is self-fulfilling. Using film as a medium to portray a moving story of 3 protagonists, their complex relationships and their dreams in a turbulent period in post-independence India, we partake in the fulfillment of the director's dream. [I've only seen one other Sudhir Mishra film - 'Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin' (1997) - a gripping story that runs from dusk to the next dawn, and brought 3 other interesting actors of that generation to the fore. Those 3 actors disappeared over time, but I sure hope these 3 stick around for a while. I had not kept track since but it seems that I'll have to dig up his other films now - Chameli, Calcutta Mail etc.]

A story set in pre-emergency India and using the backdrop of the socialist movement along with the evolution of multi-party politics and culminating with the emergency, it follows three college friends through about a decade of their lives.

Siddharth (Kaykay Menon) and Geeta (Chitrangada Singh) love each other immensely but Geeta always seems to come a distant second to Siddharth's 'socialist India' dream. Siddharth fits the stereotype of the disillusioned kid amongst the English educated elite - a legacy of the British Raj. He finds his purpose in rebelling against the zamindari system and finding justice for poor farmers, and joins the naxal movement. Geeta discovers that running away from Siddharth and his ideals is no cure for her shattered dreams of living her life with him. She struggles with her choices initially but comes to believe that love is the only absolute. The wild card is Vikram (Shiny Ahuja) - born to a Gandhian father, he is frustrated with the lack of progress in the political thinking of the time and quickly grasps the nuances of making the system work for his dreams of riches. He always loved Geeta but his dreams were not good enough for her. Their paths cross often and reality constantly seeks to dampen their dreams but not their spirits. The director uses the passage of time to play with the viewers' relationship with each of these dreamers. Each character evokes a multitude of feelings as the story reaches its culmination. A macabre turn of events creates an unforgettable climactic setting where once and for all, your feelings to each protagonist are finally resolved. This emotional roller coaster ride is what makes it a great film. The excesses in the film are necessary at times and are used in the right places - the lack of make-up and props leave you with raw surroundings, earthy colors and beautiful actors (for example, Ms.Singh is far more beautiful as Geeta than she is at the film's premiere)... and the regret of missing it on big screen.

The music is a must-own, reflecting genres of classical strains that are distinctly 'Hindustani', a tradition that is centuries old and has been distilled through many eras of Indian history. Shubha Mudgal and Swanand Kirkire lend their inimitable voices to Ghalib's poetry. Adopting the more non-intrusive style of background tracks, the music and the lyrics are both used deftly to tie into the narrative of the story and the character transformations in the film. There is a line from Ghalib, which is Urdu poetry, and which I shall humbly try to translate into the language of the masses -
"Such are these Thousand Dreams, (that)
Gladly would I give my last breath to fulfill each"

It's once again a reflection of the distribution bias towards Bollywood that this film was barely released anywhere in North America. It was a 2003 release that we are discussing in 2005. If you haven't seen it, its worth the effort in getting to a copy (no - Netflix doesn't carry it, as yet). In a story that is about love, politics, ideals, and friendship, there is something for every idealist and every story-lover in this film. As the titles roll by, I ask myself of, not a thousand but, one such dream. Our grandparents had independence and our parents' misguided youth is well represented by this film (at least the ones who didn't emigrate). Is our generation simply cursed - not to be entitled to such dreams? Or do we hide under the cloak of 'reality' and not dare to dream?