Baran: A tale about pure love
Some anonymous person has said, Its love, its love that makes the world go round.
Love may even happen in most strange situations.
Some other person has said, Take love away from life and you take away its pleasure.
It can be said further that love carries the person on the first step of a ladder so that he can start his journey upwards.
First time, some one enters into the territory of love and he comes before a realisation that now not he but some other person has become more important for him. It’s a first real strike on the self ego.
Apne mein ko
Khokar jise paate
Wo saugaat prem ki
Nothing is essential in human life and one can live away from every kind of known emotions and yet he may live for years but
ye jeena bhee koi jeena hai Lallu?
To live without loving is not really to live (Moliére).
Disturbed times provide the background for a great love story to flourish. Love, sprouting in the time when people are facing a tough socio-political disturbance, brings in the great contrast and softness of love provides a perfect antidote to the tension of the era. It’s a nice collaboration.
One should not watch Baran, the film, if he belongs to the group of people who doubt the terms like poetry on celluloid.
In its totallity, Film is a triumph of the director over every other elements of filmmaking. Upon differentiation, few elements can be brought under scanner for the lack of visual logic but like great short stories film’s long lasting impact can not be observed before the poetical climax, which may be interpreted in more than 2 ways.
Film is a nice combination of story telling art and visual way of showing that story.
Grandmother to children, To Bachchon, itnai sab kathinaiyon ke beech, apne ghar ko sambhalne ke liye, unka pet bharne ke liye, us ladki ko purush ka vesh dharan karma pada.
Children go on the journey of imagination based on the individual capacity and nature of each of them. Everybody will imagine different male format of that girl. But this diversity in the imagination does not reduce the impact of the story but provides a pavement on which story can further have a stroll.
* * * * * * * * *
Former USSR has criminally invaded the Afganistan and Afganis are forced to leave their country to go to other countries. Few such Afganis have reached to Iran and there they live like refugees or immigrants and this is not a life which one would desire to have in a life time. They have to fight daily to survive just for another day.
Survival instinct of human being is tremendously strong and human being since his birth on earth has come a long way and though he has suffered a lot by the strongly negative phases of nature but he has managed to survive even against the extremely difficult conditions. Human life has reached to an advanced level if we compare the difficulties faced by the cave man.
Human emotions have been given definitions now but they were always there in the heart of the human beings eve when languages were not invented. Now with the use of languages, various phases can be defined and enjoyed through words. Especially humour has become a close aide of human beings and people may laugh even in battle field surrounded by enemies from all sides.
And life goes ahead differently for different people living in same time. In a single day at a given place, different people will follow different traits, feelings and emotions.
Though all may be facing similar kind of economical limitations and socio-political happenings but few may surpass these personal sufferings and can enjoy the time.
Few may still be open towards new feelings. Few may still be flexible enough to allow new and different things to happen to them.
People living away from family act and react differently than the people living with their families. Both kind of people may be facing similar kind of struggling phases but people living with family can be seen suppressing the personal emotions because most of the time they live with the impression of difficulties existing at home and illness etc of family members. They are an organic part of a family and they can not treat them as an individual. This liberty goes against their morale and they, normally, cant have courage and openness to go for love affair kind of thing as it may deviate their focus.
While people living away from family, keep the impression that back at home their families are suffering but they don’t see it on daily basis and hence somehow they have opportunity to be open towards new happenings and they can allow love kind of affairs coming heir ways.
When its matter of survival then often people belonging to same economic class become competitors and if they are enjoying a certain kind of job in a set up then they hate it when their job is given to somebody else and hey are given different job.
Iranian boy, Lateef, hates it when his tea making job is given to a new worker Rahmat. He thinks Rahmat is responsible behind this decision of supervisor so he remains angry with Rahmat and tries to take revenge whenever he gets opportunity.
He destroys the kitchen where earlier he used to make tea etc and now Rahmat uses the place. Rahmat decorates the place again and a kind of beauty is brought in by Rahmat to this portion of an otherwise dirty construction site. Workers enjoy the good food and arrangement now.
Knowledge comes in a flash and love also happens in a fraction of second. One may take time to understand and accept this event but real event happens in a swift manner.
Lateef, finds out that Rahmat is not a boy, but a girl.
Now he can not keep complaints inside against the girl because now he understands why she could not do heavy works.
It is a love between male and female. It has to happen against al the odds.
Rahmat is Afgani and authorities don’t allow Afgan workers to work at that site and they see Rahmat and an officer asks his subordinates to catch Rahmat.
Rahmat runs away.
One wants to enjoy a chase scene?
Watch it to enjoy its dramatic concoction. It brings feelings of adventure, curiosity, anxiety and hope and perhaps a pray aso that she should not be caught.
Rahmat has to disappear from the construction site now and along with her all the Afgani workers are also gone.
Lateef is in love with Rahmat. He has to see her, he has to help her.
Everything is fair in love and war and he says lies to the supervisor and takes leaves and goes in search of Rahmat.
People really live on the edge and women work by standing in the river in the winters. They wash clothes in cold water in extremely cold weather. Poverty forces people to do odd jobs. They have no other option. They have to work to live.
Lateef is sad on watching Rahmat passing through a very tough phase in the life. He collects all his earning and gives it to a friend of the father of Rahmat, under the hope that her family will get some help from this money.
But to his astonishment, this plan of his is not succeeded.
He does not lose the heart and does an act, what only a hard core lover can do.
Meri himmatein abhi jhuki nahin
Mere shauk ab bhee buland rahe
Mujhe haar jeet se kya garaz
Meri jung thee mein ladaa kiya
He helps the Rahmat’s father but does not wish to disclose that he himself is helping the family. He wants to keep him away from taking any credit.
If I love you, what business is that of yours (Wilhelm M).
He did not know before that result of this monetary help w’d be the separation between him and Rahmat.
He is devastated. He has not even admitted his love towards her before her and she is going away from him, back to her country.
He is there to help the family in loading the things to the truck.
Rahmat, leaves her house in the end, carrying a basket containing things like vegetables etc. She walks ahead with desultory feet and basket is dropped from her hand and things are scattered on the ground.
Lateef comes to help her and both start picking up the vegetables and other things.
What a film can do visually, can be known by becoming a witness to this scene. It brings high degree of curiosity. Many may feel that breathing process has been stopped for a while.
Their hands are picking up the things and audience comes under the impression, based on the previous experiences of watching hundreds and thousands other films that their hands will touch each other or atleast their fingers will be touched.
Sensuality can be this much innocent also, is proved by this powerful scene.
Rahmat looks at Lateef who is busy in collecting the things from the ground and she smiles. This is her first smile. This is her first personal and individual moment. This is her indication that she knows that Lateef is the person behind the helps give to her father and her family. This is her indication that she knows very well that Lateef loves her.
Two pairs of eyes are lost in each other for few seconds and she raises her hand and pulls down the veil from her head to cover her face.
She has seen her lover completely in those small moments and his image and his love has been captured by her and cherished inside her existence. She has covered that feeling and acceptance.
She is going back to the place controlled by extremist Talibans, where women have to live behind the veils.
She walks ahead, but her shoe is stuck in the mud and Lateef, goes ahead, picks up her shoe and cleans it with his hands and keeps under her foot. She slips her foot inside the shoe only when he has removed his hand from there.
She walks ahead and truck takes her away.
Lover Lateef is sad, extremely sad. These are the brutal moments of separation which he is forced to bear.
Samudri chidiya aur lehron ke Milan ki
Bhanti hum mile
Aur paas aye
Chidiya urh gayee,
Leharein umadtee gayeen
Aur hum alag ho gaye ( Tagore)
He looks down and finds the impression of shoe of Rahmat. Her shoe has made a mould in the wet soil.
Suddenly it starts raining and water fills the cavity made by the shoe of Rahmat.
Baran (Rain) has filled the cavity present inside Lateef’s heart. His existence has been drenched in the love of Baran.
This love story also presents a phase of love.
If great writers of great short stories might have made some films then their films could have left similar kind of impacts as Majid Majidi’s this film leaves.
Cinematography is very good. Many images will be etched in the mind. Many frames support the theory that paintings have deeper meanings and one needs the eyes and understanding to get those meanings.
Prepared sound in the background is present in very few scenes.
Baran is not a mute character but she does not speak even a single word in the entire film.
Characters bring authentic touch to the whole atmosphere.
Baran is a very interesting film and its story leaves a great scope for imagination also. This story can be taken further ahead.
Tags: Afganistan, Baran, Iran, Majid Majidi, Tagore, USSR, World Cinema
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
another Majid Majidi’s movie…..wrenches ur heart…going to watch his film ‘Pedar’ today…
@Narendra Bendi,
Iran and Iraq, both have been burning since 1979 and its a pleasant feeling that a filmmaker is making positive, constructive and highly humane films and is working like a artist having constructive sensibilities. He is not simply playing a reporter kind of person. He is creating. He is not crying all the time complaining about what is bad around him and how world is cruel, he is keeping hopes alive by giving proper importance to good and constructive amidst destructive surroundings.
This is important and praise worthy.
Gosh…Its such a simple film yet is so wonderfully told. For me Baran is a tale of sacrifice. Sheer sacrifice. Lateef gives all for her family. Everything he has. Only to find her moving away forever. It was wrenching yet the manner it was shown made it more precious for both of them and the viewer…
I just felt that the rain in the end slowly erased her shoeprint..She would never be his…
And Rehmat doesnt speak a word in the film……
Damn….they do make such films…
@Arthi V,
Sacrifice can exist only on the basis of Love. If There is no love ( or faith if love goes higher and deeper), there will be no desire to sacrifice.
Sacrifice is like temperature seen by thermometer outside but this fever is due to some happenings inside the body and that happening is love in meta physical terms.
When love is not there, Lateef is ready to harm same Rahmat, when love is there he is ready to do anything for her. Love transforms him from a self centred person to a generous person, though towards Rahmat and her family only but it ( this love) can purify him further.
Perhaps Physically she can not be his, atleast at present but on philosophical level she hs accepted and showed her love also.
Gulzar Saab’s hamne dekhi hain ——
pyar ko pyar he rehne do rishton ka naam na do——-
befits beautifully in such circumstances.
I loved this film. Initially I was missing the typical Majidi elements and then on i was hooked and how. One of the best love stories I have ever seen. BTW I read somewhere UTV Spotboy was in talks with Majidi, dont know what happened after that. The idea of such a collaboration itself is a winner already.
@Neeraj Ghaywan,
I have no idea but if its true then this will be UTV’s gain if MM makes a film for its banner, But this is strange that UTV Spot Boy is producing the film, why not UTV motion pictures? MM has much taller stature. Even it does not suit the economic vision of any visionary entertainment co.
well written article, one of the best romantic moivies .I nfact it just makes you feel that you fall in love.I was so impressed by this movie, compared to vulgarity which we churn out in name of bollywood cinema to world with every other film claiming to be a love story.
Th climax scene where she brings purdah over her face which for first time brings a realistion that she is a girl and social restrictions that will come in between of two lovers.
Once again a great post , great cinema .
Thanks.
@cinemausher,
perhaps Baran was not even nominated in Academy Awards, in foreign language category. and much weaker and incoherent film is getting many Academy awards after 7 years.
shadow of 9/11? or change in the time, market policies.
Raam ji ki maaya
kahin dhoop kahin chhaya.
Thanks for the comment.
@RK,
I remember i had watched this movie at metro adlabs during asian fest i had just given exam and gone to see this movie.I remember the hall was jampacked, there was not aplace to stand.But i do not know any single people walked out of screening ,all them stood there and watched the movie.