On Guzarish...

My admiration for Bhansali as a filmmaker started with Khamoshi. It was indeed pathbreaking a film and refreshing to come across a filmmaker who treated his craft with so much passion and sinceretity, when the norm of the day in the nineties was mindless films catering to the baser senses of the masses and the demands of the box office; a Roja or Bombay or Rudaali or an Akele Hum Akele Tum in sporadic bursts notwithstanding. Bhansali’s sensitive handling of the topics dealing with the physically disabled (both Khamoshi and Black ) and his directorial prowess to extract such splendid performances from his cast, have always held me in awe of him. Much like the auteur of the French New Wave during the 1950’s, Bhansali manages to leave his indelible mark on his celluloid dreams.

So with the all the rave reviews that the movie had garnered, it was but inevitable that I went in to see the film with highest expectations. Dealing with an extremely challenging topic like quadraplegia is no mean task for any director and when the star hero is not romancing the heroine or bashing up the villain in a “ mainsteam Hindi film” and stuck to a wheelchair for the larger part of the film, the Director and Producers are sure taking a risk. Sure the times are a changing and the new breed of multiplex movies are managing to pull in the crowds...but albeit a niche audience. Kudos to Bhansali for believing in his dreams.

The signature Bhansali style of filmaking with grand opulent sets and rich visual imagery is obvious in every frame of Guzarish. So whether it is the decaying remnants of a once magnificient Portugese bunglow or the panoramic seascapes of Goa, cinematographer Sudeep K. Bhattacharjee has managed to create some alluring and enthralling visuals. From the almost chiaroscuristic magician’s playground to the lush green countryside, the transition is almost Raphaelesque. The subtle poetic background score of Guzarish is definitely the highpoint of the film and threads the cascading emotions from despair to joy to ecstasy of the two main protagonists Ethan and Sofia.

So is the movie yet another masterpiece by Bhansali? I am afraid not so. I am far from declaring Guzarish as his best work till date. So what is it that fails or doesn’t work for me? For starters the dialogues-Ethan Mascarenhas’ frequent references to sexual gratification- as his last dying wish, as an objectionable pass at his nurse (though we come to know later in the course of the film that Sofia is the “love of his life”) : okay maybe a little bit of harmless flirting in a slightly lighter vein and different level altogether, and almost hidden and suppressed desire of his best friend Devyani to sleep with him.(which again we come to know only towards the end of the film!) The name of his protege is Dick! (I beg your pardon but did you just say your name is DICK!). That the sexual innuendos are completely out of place and distasteful is to say the least. It is almost insensitive and offensive. Impotency along with a host of other medical problems like total loss of motor and sensory control (which even includes control of bladder and bowel movement and is even mentioned in the film) is one of the most obvious symptoms associated with paraplegia/tetraplegia. For a quardiplegic who is crippled and restricted to a wheelchair and who is in such a state of despair that he wants to end his life in dignity, I wonder if his priorities are a little off the track ! Bhansali has sure committed cinematic blasphemy!

A has been written about Hrithik and Aishwarya’s sizzling onscreen chemistry in their earlier pairings in Dhoom 2 and Jodha Akbar. Somehow it just fizzles this time. Understandably the script demands a more subtle and old world romance where its not so much about spoken words or physical expressions of love, but a more restrained and almost unsaid understanding of each other’s emotions. There are moments when the two create magic together like in the backseat of the car, when both of them go out of the house 12 years after Ethan’s accident for the court hearing; but for the larger part, the growth and the changing dynamics of their relationship remained unexplored. The transition from Sofia’s selfish need of clinging on to her love, to her understanding and empathy for Ethan’s pain and finally agreeing to his plea of mercy killing could have been exploited further.
Much of the flaw remains in the script itself. Told through a series of flashbacks, the story often meanders through several sub-plots. There is nothing wrong in this form of storytelling, and is a credible and established editing style in contemporary cinema. The characters of his past life however needed to be fleshed out more as they seem to emerge and disappear out of the plot without any significance. Case in point Estella and Yaseer, who the director would like us to believe were vital to the life of Merlin- Ethan Mascarenhas the greatest magician of the world. I also fail to understand the forceful connection between Yaseer and Dick which could have been easily done away with. That a young aspiring magician also considers his father’s arch rival a better and greater magician is almost forcefully implied and not really been established.

Bhansali’s inexplicable penchant for period costumes is but well known and though Sabyasachi managed to create some beautiful dresses for Aishwarya when viewed in exclusivity, she looks ridiculous in those outfits as a jaded and love forlorn maid/nurse. It is almost like a wax figurine trapped in a time capsule has been juxtapositioned against a Stephen Hawkingish character. Talking about ridiculous, I cannot fathom why Aishwarya tries to air guitar, drum and dance flamenco all at once. This stupid act of hers almost overshadows the one moment of brilliance in the court scene.

The only saving grace in the entire movie was Hrithik himself. (supported by Shernaz Patel) Hrithik has effortlessly managed to shake off his larger than life image and essay the role of a paraplegic with ease. His zest for life and incorrigible humour totally beguiling the despair and anguish that he is suffering from within.


By now almost everybody knows that Guzarish is not the most original screenplay and I am not referring to the novel of Dayanand Rajan. Movies like internationally acclaimed The Sea Inside and Whose Life is it Anyway have similar storylines and have already touched upon the sensitive and controversial subject of Euthanasia. Somehow Guzarish fails to come to grips with the underlying theme of mercy killing. References can also be seen to Christopher Nolan’s Prestige and The Illusionist. (the inspiration behind Merlin or magician) and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. (the stubborn fly scene) So no points to Bhansali for originality.

One expects much more from a filmmaker of Bhansali’s calibre. His devotion and dedication towards his craft is truly inspirational and motivating. The magnificently penned story of an incapacitated and debilitated man who desires to end his life with dignity has so much of promise but the film fails in to pack in the punch mainly because of its predictable dialogue and weak script. Guzarish is definitely one of the better films made in recent times, and is worth a watch, but it is definitely several notches behind The Sea Inside.