Rock as fashion, rock as expression
Rock seems to be the flavour of the season. But then calling rock ‘flavour’ and ’seasonal’ is not understanding it at all. Or accepting it. That was my first grouse with Rock On!! That it did not understand the music it claimed to be so passionate about. I liked the film and thought it was pretty decent but could not relate to the fuss that was being made about it. Krysh’s post about Bollywood Nano’s mentioned Paanch and something stirred inside. Although it is decidedly unfair to both films to be compared to each other, it was the memory of Paanch that made me understand what I had missed during Rock On!! It was the experience of true-blue rock and everything that goes behind making it.
And as I opened the shutters of my mind the memories of the experience, almost visceral came flooding in. It was the experience of gut-level primitivism that has reached its zenith in its evolution. A going back to the basics after having seen it all, felt it all. Not everyone has it. The passion of existence and brutal angst of being mis-understood, unfulfilled. The extreme frustration with society, its mediocrity and incompetence. Screaming off the walls – ‘Van Gogh and Kafka were unrecognized geniuses in their lifetimes. So am I. Recognize me.’ When Kay Kay sings ‘Khuda hoon main’ with a ferocity that stuns, it is then you know that it is this experience which is the meaning of rock. And it is the meaning of the lives of the characters of Paanch. Luke, the brat of the bunch, self-assured, impudent and impulsive. Balanced and sensible, Murgi. The cynical Nikhil.The unblinkingly loyal Joy. The diffident and straight-jacketed Pondi. And the brazen Shiuli. These are a part of a struggling rock band and an integral part of each other’s lives. With no money to fulfill their dreams with, they decide on kidnapping for a ransom amount that would solve some of their problems. The kidnapping does go haywire but not in the expected fashion and soon the group finds themselves trapped in a drama of their own making. Neither of the movies are about rock, Paanch more so is not, but why it wins, at least my heart is that it is true to the context it wishes to give its characters. The scruffy, brutal world the characters live in, internal and external is reflected by the music they make and it is this truth of representation that makes the movie an experience for me.
Paanch is a crime thriller, slick and one which creeps onto you unpretentiously, almost quietly. It has some innocuous twists and turns that jump up suddenly onto the canvas taking a life of their own, edging the plot towards its culmination, a little obvious in its epilogue though. But more about its craft later. The art should always take precedence and the creation of Paanch’s world is very original and deeply personal art.
Blinded by the gloss of yrf-dom, Black Friday brought a refreshing sight of real world onscreen to my weary eyes. Not that I hadn’t seen it earlier, I had. Loads of times but never with the objective fervour of Black Friday. There was no romanticising, no agonizing, no apologies, no self-effacement or any statement in the reality of the setting. Realism was taken on face value. Aamir followed it up. And now I realise that Paanch started it all.
The squalor around the characters is a reality but they wear it as a style statement, perfectly exemplified by Luke’s ‘Yeh world ka sabse bada kachrapeti hain’ even as they hunger for a better and brighter life. A chase that defines their existence for them. A chase that binds them in a fatal web of desperation, deception and loyalty. The setting beautifully represents this hunger and madness arisen out of their frustrated dreams.
The film brings a richness to its characters by having a million things speak for them. The setting is the mirror to the characters, not only their world, existence or state of living but a reflection of their inner world. The grafitti that ranges from obscene to existential, the red walls, what a way to express, the tyre swing, the make-shift beds and cupboards, there are a million details involved that speak volumes about the character’s worlds. And it is this humungous amount of detail that encapsulates you even as the film weaves its way awkwardly to its objective and climax.
The film swerves in its plot, but such is the steadiness of built-up that there is never a dull moment. The detailed characterisation gives a coherency to the staggered graph. Having said that the desperation of Luke is phenomenally consistent and it is this spiralling desperation that unifies the film. It is this consistency of emotion steadily increasing in its intensity along with the ecstatic fervour of rock ambience and detailed characterisation filled with moments that make Paanch an experience. That’s a lot to be said for the art and craft of the film.
Such is the film steeped in its own culture of underground rock that unwittingly the exquisite portrait of an anguished culture leaves a larger mark than the suspense-crime plot. To its discredit the twists are not shockingly original, even vaguely reminiscent of movies we have seen but as is the case with any thriller, it is the build-up and unravelling that is more important. Therein lies the craft of the maker who keeps his plot tight and always to the point. Because even though after you watch it, you might say ‘I have seen this before!’ but at no point can one out-guess the director. That’s the craft of the film.
On the flip-side, this fact, brings into the light the characteristic style of the maker to weave in a number of influences and cross-references in a given film. This, to me, and in my opinion makes the tapestry of the film richer and juicier to explore. And from Scorsese to Wong Kar Wai to (going by the breadth of his cinematic knowledge) I am sure many more film-makers I have not seen or heard of, find a tribute in this fantastic debut with a very rich and personal voice.
The other day, someone mentioned (and it is the most popular grouse in general as well) that the maker’s films are indulgent and to that extent personal. But to me that is the best reason to watch them because how often does one find voices as strong, as original and as rich as these? And most often it is personal voices that have a lot more to say than impersonal ones. It is the passion and intensity behind the voice that makes me value Paanch. The censors I hear, have woken up from their slumber and cleared the film. Will the makers wake up too?
Because it is a film that I think is timeless. It might be urban and niche, the emotions and the portrayals are distinctly so. But I think it deserves a wider audience and more attention just because the voice is impassioned and absolutely believes in its craft. Rarely do we get to see such a film of acultured beings so well-steeped in its own culture of angst. Originality and belief such as this does merit a much much wider and legitimate audience.
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
Wow… I wish Paanch released. BTW when and where did you get to see Paanch?
exactly, if anyone is reading this RELEASE PAANCH….there are hundreds of people who desperately wants to see it….
Rusted rick, i fully agree.Plz plz release Paanch.I cant wait to watch just just like thousands of others..
The way you’ve written makes me want to go and watch the film right now. If the write-up can affect me so, the movie, well..wow…
But Fatema, in my understanding one cannot compare Rock On and Paanch as they are from completely different schools of film-making.
Anurag Kashyap and Farhan Akthar live in 2 different worlds.
FA and gang make films for pure entertainment. Hence the approach is a frothy take on this theme with positive finales always.
AK is diametrically opposite. Grounded, real, hard-hitting.
Both have their own unique understanding of the world and the way they portray it is reflected in their films.
I don’t think there is anything wrong in that. RO will not be a classic in the true sense and all know that. That wasn’t the purpose at all. The audience was entertained after watching it, for the makers this matters.
While there are others for whom Paach kind of films make more meaning which is completely ok.
As you rightly mention, RO is definitely not about rock music or band but it was cut to suit FA’s style.
Same with AK, he used the theme to his understanding.
You write P in favour of RO because of your approach to watching and understanding films. There will be another who’d favour the latter. And none is wrong.
2 films for different sets of audiences altogether. Yes, there can be an overlap in liking but I dont think there can be any in comparison.
I don’t understand why people repeatedly refer Rock On! as a Farhan Akhtar movie. Isn’t Abhishek Kapoor the name you are looking for Arthi?
Also bring on Paanch, please. Watching it is in my “Things to before I die, unless run over by a truck carrying dried fish” list.
@ Gopi – I am aware that Abhishek Kapoor had directed the film. I said FA and gang because AK in my opinion sails in the same boat. So for comparison sake I didn’t. But yes, I should have mentioned it…Will keep this in mind hence…
fatema..
i was engrossed into ur article but i stopped midway after i realized that u may written something about the storyline….
i dont want to know the storyline..i just want to see it on screen…
and i have want to see it from the time i didnt even know abt anurag…
if the censors have cleared it y the fuck cant the makers release it.
Khullam khulla pyaar kare release ho sakti hai toh Paanch kyun nahi….
kuch nahi toh paid preview toh organize karo……
i think we should send letters and flowers to tutu sharma…
wat say ? will this gandhigiri work? or is it so that releasing paanch is not in his hands as well….
Leaving apart any other aspect, if we apply a common sense only what benefits a producer or whoever holds the rights on the film, may get by not releasing a film which may bring back some part (or may be full) of his investment done on the film?
To release it atleast on DVD will surely bring some money to producer.
Director, actors and filmmaking team may not get that kind of advantage now which they could have got if it was released when it was made but why producer is sitting on a film which is passed by censor board long ago.
Please release ‘PAANCH’…this is the best time producers…why dont u understand….JAAGO
here’s my theory..
maybe tutu sharma has full faith in anurag’s talent and he thinks that sooner or later he will develop a cult fan following big enough to make his movie a hit whenever it releases.
i genuinely wish that this happens soon…..
i agree with RK….what are the producers going to loose if they release it …i dont get it …can someone explain me the dynamics behind this …..according to me its pretty simple …you have invested in the film ..the film is ready since ages and WHY CANT YOU RELEASE IT ….
fatema , awesome review …it feels like to go and shoot the producers ..:)
Great review Fatema. It seems you’ve written it at leisure, for once free from the pressure of a submission deadline.
I hope we all get to see for all the very compelling reasons you’ve mentioned. You’ve also mentioned this is a timeless film, we’ll wait for it’s time to come.
AK..i wanna see paanch badly..tell the guys who are releasing gulal to help you release paanch!:)
Please release paanch . In the worst case release it over the internet where one can pay using paypal or somthing to watch the movie.
Great review, Fatema. Makes me want to see it even more!
Fatema,
I also saw Paanch at one of those underground screenings some years back (I think on 05/05/05 :-) and though I agree with u on most of the iconography parts and the makings of a rock-mentality, the last portion of the film (post the twist) killed it for me. The seemingly giant leap from a ‘fact-based’ study of a demented mind to a ‘twist in the tale’ gotcha feeling didn’t go down well. I mean, i cud smell late-90’s written all over those last few minutes, while the rest seemed so timeless. (Will write a detailed review else will be lynched here for being so vague.)
Before that, till the time it was a character study of Luke and his fellows, it worked as well as a Coen Brothers thriller…dark, witty, insightful and always hinting at a lurking madness. The biggest loss (due to Paanch not releasing) would have been kay Kay’s (and ours, who like him) ‘cos this is a performance which needs an almost magical mix of writing, improvisation, hunger, talent, and rawness…and alas, most of that would be lost for Kay Kay with time.
I understand that this is kind of a review of Paanch. But I don’t know where the comparison with Rock On!! comes in!! And those who keep claiming their high knowledge of rock genre and try to bring the music of Rock On!! down with every chance they get, I have got some names – Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, U2, Aerosmith, Def Leppard. These bands had often used love as a theme of their songs, as opposed to the hard-hitting drugs, devil, angst ridden songs of earlier bands. Why, on the earth, you would say that Rock On!!’s music was not rock music – is beyond my understanding.
I second Tejas there. Rock as a genre is not so much about the lyrics as it is about the instruments (bass, guitar & percussion) and their layering. The origin of rock can be traced to blues which was predominantly a form of music patronised by black slaves in the erstwhile confederate states in the US. And lyrics of rock music have undergone a vast evolution. Starting from the folksy rock-n-roll of the beatles to the angst ridden grunge and from gospel to antichrist.
Even closer home, we’ve had classic rock artistes and bands centering on various themes like Gary Lawyer’s rock based on romantic overtones; Parikrama etc. following the classic rock themes and fusion acts like those of Indian Ocean and Junoon.
If we look at some indian underground rock music coming out of b-schhols, engineering colleges and liberal corporate houses, we’ll notice the same juvenile tinge that we saw in the lyrics of Rock On. Sutta na mila anyone?
Arrei Sahiii Fatema Jee….mast review…RELEASE PAANCH!!!
Thanks to PFC I have been drunk on the OST of Paanch for the last two weeks. Abbas Tyrewala has nailed it with his lyrics. He has beautifully portrayed the imperfection of this so called perfect world in Khuda Hoon Main, a slap to anyone who even tries to dictate you..
Yes sahi hai, yeh galat, Meri maan socho mat, yeh na bolo, wo na bolo,ho sake to mooh na kholo mat, yeh padho mat, wo suno mat, main Chubunga tum chuno mat, kat–te jao,dab-te jao jao,dabna seekho dabte jao,BAS! Ab aur nai.
And never has depression been celebrated as in the song Yeh Kaisa hai Sheher. I had first read the lyrics of this song and then heard it. I was sure this song would have the same angst that the song Khuda Hun Main had, specially the lines…
Kaise sahein telephone ki khamoshi
Neeche Sadkein Kehti hain aa kood ja
But, when I heard the song, I was shocked. The way Dominique joyfully croons Neeche Sadkein Kehti hain…, her emotions reaching(the joy) the pinnacle with AA Kood Ja. I was numbed.
And then the typically bakc**d song ‘Paka Mat’. You can very well imagine the band members are vella and you can sense their humdrumness in lines such as -’Ae Pondi sutta de na sutta’…and ‘Ghin aati hai Paka mat, Ae besure tu gaa mat”. Hariharan and K.K. deliver it beautifully.
But, you have to hand it to Abbas Tyrewala for some really awesome lyrics. Its no doubt even he was frustrated when the movie was stalled(His blogpost, Surely you are joking Mr. Kashyap), take a bow Abbas Tyrewala and Vishal Bhardwaj!!
I’m not being able to publish comment..!!
Duplicate comment detected; it looks as though you’ve already said that.
It displays the above message. It was a very longish kind of a comment. I tried submitting it four times, but it did not. Moderators please note. And my comment is lost.! Damn!
Fatema..us who saw it at Osian’s 2003 still rave, reminisce and ruminate. This film needs all the support that it can get with all our collective voices..
and Yes, a right time to release it too!
Is there any place where I can get or download Paanch’a music??
@Thanul Thakur…Your comment was stuck in the spam filter…released it now..sorry for the delay :-)
Not fair at all..Some people get to see it in underground screenings, some people get to see it due to connections, and on top of it, write posts about the film which so many people are dying to watch. Fatema, just think about it, if one of the ADs in the DevD or Sorry Bhai or Ravan units, writes a detailed review of the film, will you not die of jealousy?
Have skipped reading your post, but have made a bookmark, so that I can come back and read after watching the film. BTW, when and where is the next underground screening guys??
Ah fantastic write up..just yesterday I was thinking about Paanch and mentioned it to a friend..
Hope it is able to see the light of the day!
Very nice write up…I was fortunate enough to catch Paanch at Osian’s 2003>you have done complete justice to the movie..hope this movie gets released…one things for sure..it will still stand true even after 100 years.Hope to see it in some theater.
maybe the producers need to be told…..or who ever is sitting on the film that there is an audience and that it is not just restricted to PFC and AK followers. A film 8 years in the storage has a strong viewership base and reviews and hearsay built up over 8 years.
Donno much about business and stuff…..but there is nothing more agonizing than denying a filmmaker an audience for his first film.
great writeup fathema…..
@ OM: Where is my comment? I can’t see it.. :(
@Thanul..check comment#21, isnt that yours, which got stuck?
@Anand, i dont think there is any undergorund screening…Fatema had seen it in 03 at Osian’s i guess and i also do remember that it was screened in 200506 in LA at the IFFLA
Yea, got it, thankx..!!
Oz, Anand – OM’s right, saw it way back at Osian’s. But it feels great to know I could’ve great contacts!!! ;-))
Everyone else who did not get the Rock On!! comparison – Yes, I completely agree both are different genres, have different ethos, different world’s and world-views. And that is not my problem. My problem, as is usually the same with all films is the promise you make to the audience. Rock On!! can’t say it is about rock music and serve me pop boy band music with similar ambience. I would’ve been FAR more happier if they’d said it was a pop band. I would’ve loved the movie more I think.
And that’s where the comparison ends. The truth of the film and the context within which it is placed.
And it is more than about the value of the film, the talent of the maker or his emotions behind it. It is about the blatant hegemony of producers who act arbitrarily and get away with it because they are not answerable. That, more than dvd-ripping, lack of talent and general disorganized nature is the bane of the industry.
It is for that reason some noise needs to be made about Paanch.
Fatema
I find it really interesting when people say Paanch is a much better film than ROCK ON.
It seems like by thinking that they feel good about themselves. That they are intelligent enough to appreciate an unrealeased underground film that everyone loves to talk about. Its become a ego trip for people to like PAANCH. Unless you saw it in 1999 as a 19 year old kid.
The music of PAANCH is probably in the top 3 of last 15 years no doubt. Its a masterpiece soundtrack. Vishal Bhardwaj’s best work till date.
Mainak,
You’ve got it wrong like the rest of them. I do not think Paanch is a better movie than Rock On. I say that it has treated rock and its world with a truth that Rock On does not treat it with it. In that sense it is a truer and more sincere a film than Rock On.
I liked the film, amateur and all. Indulgent, immature or not, it remains a very decent debut film for me.