Khoya Khoya Chand review: Bhansalification of Sudhir Mishra
This post is sponsored byLife seems to have come a full-circle for Sudhir Mishra’s protagonists Zafar & Nikhat, for Sudhir Mishra’s producer Prakash Jha, & for Sudhir Mishra himself.
I’ll start with the producer. Prakash Jha in January 2005, very rightly & vocally, expressed his disappointment with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Black’ employing Rani’s Mukherji’s Voice-Over (VO) narrating the film (Rani was playing the character of a girl who happens to be blind & mute). Prakash Jha’s second film in the sole role of a producer, Sudhir Mishra’s ‘Khoya Khoya Chand’ all of a sudden breaks into a false-noted sutradhar hung-over VO of an unlikely narrator. The owner of the voice, Vinay Pathak, plays an assistant director turned producer in the film. The problem is not at all in the character being less significant but in the VO’s amnesiac disappearances & convenient re-appearances. A voice that doesn’t even bother returning as an epilogue, but only as part of the chorus crooning delightfully-happily along with Sonu Nigam.
In one of a few poignant scenes populating the film Sudhir Mishra’s protagonists Zafar (Shiny Ahuja) & Nikhat (Soha Ali Khan) are discussing Zafar’s story that’s being adapted into a film that would feature the star-actress that Nikhat is. Nikhat sure-handedly suggests that the story’s female protagonist Gayatri rings as though Zafar knew Gayatri. Up until this point in the film the duo have partaken only in Nikhat’s story that has meant being thrust into beds of men since the age of 14. Zafar agrees to what we have earlier been told (with accompanying merely-illustrated picturisation of the same) by the VO about Zafar’s father’s 4th wife’s pining attention for him, & hope for herself. Love for a wife of a father he refuses to forgive even on father’s death-bed. Nikhat now gives life to Zafar’s Gayatri, albeit through a screen portrayal. From this moment quickly onwards we’re inhabiting Zafar’s film that was presented in the guise of Nikhat’s from its beginning.
A troubled young writer from U.P who’s arrived a migrant to 1960s Bombay filmworld is increasingly drawn closer to this star-actress who rose to her present status with an unfortunate forgettable past. This closeness is co-existed with the star-actress’s playing a subservienced mistress to a bigger male-star. The humiliatingly hurtful co-existence is asserted into a briefly happy exclusive relationship before she gets moved onto a man who happened to be the writer’s sole witness to his painful amoural sufferings. There are, in main, 3 people each in the duo’s love lives. One can only imagine the possible permutations & the ensuing heart-breaks (& heart-holes). What i find hard to readily accept is the possibility of Zafar directing his opus titled ‘Khoya Khoya Chand’ that would feature all the permutatory characters in addition to Nikhat & the bigger male-star playing themselves in the film-in-the-film. Either the sleazy star would have reservations playing himself as the villain of the piece or Zafar would have objections casting, in a lot of ways, his tormentor. But they do end up having buried their differences, & in essence displaying their capability for forgiveness that they denied others in their respective lives.
There’s so much of film-in-the-film we’re made to witness that it becomes tiring & wish it had more of Sudhir Mishra’s film than his alter-ego Zafar’s. Tiring also because we are not made to care-enough for the film/s being made inside of the film. Amongst many more, in my counting, there are 3 films that Zafar (2 for Nikhat) is part of which are directly drawn from his life. It did make me wonder if Zafar was drawn to ‘it’s complicated‘ kind of relationships & interactions in life so that he would turn them into his ouevre. As much as the film’s opening clues us into what the title is all about, it is disappointing when the title finally turns out to be this dream project of a film (in a recent example of a very ‘Om Shanti Om’ manner) for the characters who have been affected through the course of, & inside of Sudhir Mishra’s film.
The film’s unique complications definitely displays a filmmaker who feels immensely close to the characters he’s created but a consciously-attempted distancing to make it play less autobiographical, in my view, confuses matters for the greater good of the film. Film Critics & Commentators, on numerous instances, have been accused of psycho-analysing the filmmaker. But in ‘Khoya Khoya Chand’ Sudhir Mishra seems to be keeping all the psycho-analysing to himself, because at times he’s generous with what he makes his self-consciously-etched characters tell about himself. While the film would fondly remind one of Bergman’s heartfelt ‘Scenes from a Marriage’, ‘Khoya Khoya Chand’ becomes Sudhir Mishra’s own ‘Scenes from a Marriage’.
‘Khoya Khoya Chand’ seesaws between careful detailing (period & otherwise) and careless left-to-assume & imagine-oneself detailing (again, period & otherwise). In the evocative imagination of the times there are occasions when one wonders if Sudhir Mishra actually made films in the era of the 60s that he’s talking about. Nikhat conspiratorially buying alcohol from a beggar on the street is an obvious remembering of Prohibition-era Bombay of the period. So is the Filmfare Awards Ceremony shown being held at the art deco Regal Cinema in Colaba.
But Sudhir Mishra continues to show Tram Service in Bombay which were pulled-off the streets with the last Tram making its appearance on the 31st of March 1964. Second half’s resolve had to be consistently aided by musical accompaniment telling us what to feel, à la Bhansali. Withholding further nit-picking any more than i shall, i definitely would pick-at Soha Ali Khan’s bra. When her Sari & Blouse is made to belong to the era, the makers of the film could doubtless have employed better judgment in picking the right kind of this particular piece of undergarment that they seem to be flaunting very generously. Ditto with Shiny Ahuja’s underwear. And his hair-do. And his shirts that are so very 2007. A few vintage automobiles don’t maketh a Period film (in this case, a film set in 60s Bombay Filmdom). The film’s plot obsesses itself so much around the idea of casting-couch that i wondered what the makers would have done if there were to be no couch, of the casting sort. All 3 relationships that Soha Ali Khan’s Nikhat is in are casting-couchish. Or put differently, mutually beneficial.
Soha Ali Khan feels like she belongs to the era, largely aided by the old-world charm she exudes. And boasts of her personal best performance. Shiny Ahuja is brilliantly directed at places & awkward at others. Vinay Pathak sparkles, occasionally. Sonya Jehan is a genuine discovery, almost wanting you to root for her relationship with Zafar. Rajat Kapoor plays a believable sleazo.
The team of Shantanu Moitra & Swanand Kirkire weaves a magical spell through their music & lyrics. DOP Sachin Krishn truly dazzles.
‘Khoya Khoya Chand’ could very well be the bonafide gender-reversed grievancing work of the proud likes of a Zelda Fitzgerald, a Sylvia Plath or even Anais Nin recounting their shared-status of the object of their love. This is Sudhir Mishra’s ‘8½’. ‘Khoya Khoya Chand’ is most certainly an important film, which eschews its potential for becoming SEMiNAL.
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17 Responses to “Khoya Khoya Chand review: Bhansalification of Sudhir Mishra”
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// This is Sudhir Mishra
oz on December 5th, 2007 9:46 pm edit
O Boy! A review like only Thani can!
kcp on December 5th, 2007 10:17 pm edit
I dont know why but for me, somehow the lyrics seemed to be forced/unnatural – like the
All thru the making of 81/2 Fellini kept a note hanging by his camera saying,”Remember, this is a comedy”….
81/2 is just that. Even while it adresses serious convoluted issues it doesnt take itself too seriously.
Are you telling me Khoya Khoya Chand is all that non-chalant about its existence??
Its too funny to compare every film, made on films with 81/2. That simile in many ways belittles what 81/2 stands for and went onto achieve..
@Sreehari
pls do watch ‘Khoya Khoya Chand’ before giving-vent to assumptions on the film based on how i’ve chosen to view the film.
i’ve been careful-enough to call ‘Khoya Khoya Chand’ Sudhir Mishra
=))
LOL at comment no 2…considering everytime someone points a finger by generalising about PFC, the standard arguement coming up is PFC is NOT a single entity etc…
See, now we have a single ‘PFC’ commenting…
Yeah yeah i know the reason (re-posting the lost comments) and also know that it(my comment) is so NOT related to discussion going on and all… but just couldn’t resist commenting on this one.
//i
@Sreehari
agree with most of what you point out. but i would like to continue retaining the freedom to compare films, even if only based on my remembering of them than on the accepted canon.
i mean ‘8
Thani ji,
Michell McNally in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film “Black” is not mute, she is Deaf. She is not born deaf that its necessary for her to suffer from muteness also. She becomes deaf by accident and hence her speaking ability is intact.
At some occasions audience can listen her voice and at one occasion she is shown to say “I fail” on phone.
Director may have prerogative to use VO of a person’s inner voice also. In several films VO of the character not present at the place of happenings.
Never could understand whats the problem with Prakash Jha, Aamir Khan and many others objecting this voice over. Either they did not see film attentively or producing extreme ill argument to justify their disagreement with Black. There can be other valid arguments to reject effect of Black on audience.
Sorry this is not post on Black but as you have started article with this example, so was in a condition ” Raha bhi na jaye saha bhi na jaye ” so opted first one and expressed. Hope you dont mind it and discussion on KKC may be continued.
Maybe I shouldn’t have read Sudhir Mishra’s and Anurag Kashyap’s posts on KKC, so forgive me that I have. While I appreciate your POV, I think you’ve over-analyzed the movie. I watched it last night and loved it, although, being a big Sudhir Mishra fan, perhaps I’m being biased.
this movie sucks
soha and vinay pathak acted well .. sonia jehan seems to be good discovery though she has a small role .. shiney is his usual ‘glare and stay mum’ mostly .. should have acted with more grace, shud have had a pencil moustache, 60’s hairstyle, shud have worn kurtas/sherwanis (instead of fitting shirts and trousers) to look like an actual lucknawi muslim boy frm the late 50’s
overall i couldnt relate with the emotional upheavels of the characters which the film tried to show .. big deal is made out of the casting couch .. pace o the film is tedious
What a stupid movie. I still don’t what they were trying to say.
Only Soha’s acting was good.
Watched it finally, very disappointing!
There is only one word that describes the movie and that word is “Waahiyat”. Do not watch this movie, A VERY BIG BORE.
Well its not a bore…. the first half was ravishing… the second half was complete opposite…it was stretched a lot. At some point it had the aimlessness of what Ridley Scott did with Alexander. I was confused with what the end might be and where the audience was directed to. But the nop notch acting by Shiny Ahuja, Soha Ali Khan, Vinay Pathak and Rajat Kapoor kind of overshadows the pace and the lacklustreness of the second half. Even the music, setting and the cinematography were of the highest quality.
Digging deep into the movie, I guess the movie was confusing as it tried to do two things at one time… firstly show the lifestyle and the movie industry during the 60’s and secondly, the personal lives of the protagonists. Now, when you do that you have to be very careful as what the theme is or what the focus of the movie… one can be a backdrop to the other or vice versa.. but both these issues cannot be given similar importance. I think Sudhir Mishra did a masterpiece in Hazaron Khwahishein Aisi by carefully handling the backdrop. But he kind of loosened his grip by paying extra care to both the protagonists and the backdrop. I guess thats where the movie falls out. Any comments?
an unforgettable film, a fitting review.
I like Mishraji’s films for what happens after the film is over. I recall what Subrat said, its hard to followup a great film. HKA in this case. but me, I don’t mind 10 more of such follow-ups. the rest you have brilliantly captured already.
sorry, catching up on old posts after long.
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