Readers Write In #685: Aadujeevitham

By Aadesh Ramaswamy

Aadujeevitham is tough to criticize cos the traditional viewers, who’re arguably moved by it, will shut u down with the easy indisputable fact that it acquired into manufacturing 16 years in the past. It occurs when the viewers could be very hooked up to a movie, which is ofc the benefit of social media.

However the factor is that, in the end, Aadujeevitham is a movie, which reasonably than standing as a doc that depicts the trials and tribulations of Najeeb, stands as a doc of the stark distinction between, literature and cinema.

The distinction between the picture and the phrase, is the truth that, despite the fact that the photographic picture can simply present you data at a easy look, phrases with its misleading nature, simply convey to you, each the exterior toughness and inner turmoil of man. Right here is the foremost downside of Aadujeevitham.

There may be quite a lot of give attention to Najeeb’s exterior ache, the bodily deformation that he undergoes, visibly and even in un-seeable locations, however nowhere will we get the inner ache of how he feels and what he feels. Once we see that he’s about to flee the hellish desert, we see him say goodbye to the goats and camels. However the second is the primary time that we even see him bond with them. Chronologically, and tragically (for us), it’s the final time he’s going to be with them. Thus, we solely see, however not really feel, what he’s present process.

I haven’t learn the guide, however have heard about the way it captured Najeeb’s inner feelings. For instance, we get a second within the first half the place, Najeeb expresses his anger at God, saying he can’t exist, for the actual God wouldn’t have pushed into this distress. This might have been an attention-grabbing tangent, solely to be left aside and deserted, after we see him performing Namaaz, another time within the movie whereas escaping. We by no means see, how this ordeal affected Najeeb internally. All we see are exterior blisters.

To start with sections, there’s far an excessive amount of chopping to the flashback and Najeeb being unhappy, that it appears fairly rePetitive. Sure, it may very properly be stated that, the rePetitiveness might be current to make us really feel that we’re in Najeeb’s footwear. Nonetheless, right here it doesn’t contain us additional within the story, reasonably solely makes us really feel withdrawn from it. There may be additionally a little bit of a time bounce, as we see him develop into a really bearded and lengthy haired Najeeb. This determination to me was stunning as we’ve got now successfully damaged the only necessary factor, that would have personally invested us in Najeeb’s story. We may have seen, how he started to heat as much as the goats, camels, the desert, sand, wind and so on, however we see/really feel none of that.

Prithiviraj’s efficiency is certainly one of many issues that retains us invested within the movie, holding it remarkably properly. The actors taking part in, Hakim and Qadri, are additionally fairly good. The cinematography is sweet. We get some actually stunning extensive pictures, showcasing the gorgeous sunsets and nights. The random cuts to the flashbacks, add the sense of distinction visually, in by way of how cool it’s, and likewise by showcasing Najeeb being concerned in water associated conditions. The primary exhibits him going underwater. The second flash exhibits him in rain. The third is once more being underwater together with his spouse. The fourth is when he’s leaving city, once more when it’s raining.

However the issue is that none of this really, emotionally impacts you. It wasn’t stunning to me that, some folks had been even laughing throughout some sequences of emotion.

And that brings me to the query that basically is query at cinema itself and the way it’s getting used: the thought of representing movies made on a previous that’s no longer in clear reminiscence.

A dialogue arose between my dad and me, after we had been randomly watching MS Dhoni The Untold Story. He commented about the way it was an even bigger success than Sachin: A Billion Desires. Having just lately learn an article about why Godard slandered Spielberg a lot for making Schindler’s Checklist, I commented a bit off that on this dialog however in the end ended it by saying it doesn’t matter within the story of MS Dhoni just because, it isn’t an necessary topic as such.

(What JLG stated was that, by recreating the focus camps and making a “direct” and “typical” biopic of Oskar Schindler, Spielberg insults the actual emotional and psychological turmoil, that the Jews underwent and therefore commercialises the emotional ache of the actual Jews by intercutting these photos with those of Oskar, being in mattress with a girl (A single instance, to showcase how Oskar was earlier than). It doesn’t depict the actual horrors that the Jews confronted and solely insulted them)

However now, having watched Aadujeevitham, the query as soon as once more arises: How do you signify a real-life incident/persona with out having to resort to a fictionalisation of the particular person?

Roger Ebert as soon as stated that Movies are the medium for feelings and never data. Whereas I perceive the place he comes from, I wouldn’t deny that no matter lies we are saying by way of the picture, in the end, after we all watch a movie, there’s a perception that what’s proven, is in the end true. I’ve heard of so many administrators telling us to not blindly consider and that makes us appear as if we’re little youngsters, nevertheless it wouldn’t be flawed to counsel that, identical to the present-day Social Media, Cinema too is that one particular person, who by no means lies. However not like Social Media, we haven’t discovered to query Cinema.

The issue is thatSocial Media doesn’t give a shit about an individual’s emotional or psychological frame of mind, and reduces every part right down to a single piece of data. It’s then not a stunning indisputable fact that, Cinema is now comPeting with Social Media for consideration, each actually and figuratively.

By making movies which falsely current a fictional model of actuality of a real-life story, the difficulties portrayed on display screen, grow to be a option to counsel that the particular person may have skilled a selected factor i.e. data reasonably than making us really feel what he felt. We expect SSR (MS Dhoni) met Disha Patani (Priyanka Jha) solely on the Aircraft. We expect Najeeb walked within the deserts barefoot for thus a few years. The emergence of the time period “torture porn” is fascinating, particularly after the latest Caste waves of caste movie, displaying the atrocities dedicated on the decrease caste folks. The primary time that such a picture was proven, may very properly have been the final time that such a picture might be proven for that Technology (for each Technology has its Attakathi) for each picture after that will endure from the burden of being extra “impactful”, “partaking” to the viewers.

However after we see Sachin, the inventory footage used and the thought of recollection, conveys a sure diploma of fact by the truth that, we don’t see fictionalised pictures. We see his remembrance coupled with evidential footage, as a technique of affirmation of the reality. (Right here once more, the picture getting used as a propagator of fact).

Simply checked that Sachin: A Billion Desires is a documentary; it is sensible that the movie didn’t do in addition to MS Dhoni. Its simpler to view fictionalised incidents resembling the reality reasonably than approaching the reality itself.

And equally, despite the fact that the occasions of Aadujeevitham, the movie, could also be faux, the pictures are a easy and everlasting affirmation of the truth that: It’s a movie which simply wasn’t achieved properly.