Page 37 - Seniors Today - March Issue
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Shah, Paresh Rawal and Deepti Naval have fuelled by angst, frustration and raging
lost none of their power as actors, even hormones expend energy — canteen scuffles,
though time has left its mark on them. ragging weaker boys, destroying college
The film was shot on the FTII campus in property and looking for romance (that
Pune, using long takes with a hand-held might, if they are lucky, lead to something
camera (DOP Jehangir Chaudhary won more than fumbled kissing.) But their
awards for his work), which requires the cast misdirected, uncontrolled actions lead to
(with many new or non-professional actors) violence and tragedy.
to do extensive rehearsals before the actual The college principal (Om Puri) clashes
shoot. Many of the sequences were one-shot with an idealistic professor (Naseeruddin
takes, that are tougher to accomplish than Shah), sympathetic to the students, on
they look on screen, and mostly only film how to deal with the situation and nab the
buffs notice. troublemakers, and obviously force is not
the answer. The students are aware, from
Angst and anger their own experiences, how corrupt and
Based on a play by Mahesh Elkunchwar, the apathetic their system is, in which bribes
film is set over a day in a typically rowdy are uses to gain contracts, bridges are built
college hostel, where students (Madan to collapse and doctors make money by
played by Aamir and Ranjit by Ashutosh conning the sick.
lead the pack) are still hung over after an To add more kindling to the fire, exams
all-night booze binge. In the morning they are further postponed, and the principal
discover that the taps are running dry — rusticates a student when his nephew is
which is normal; worse, they do not have a injured in a fight. The chairman is greeted by
day off on Holi, instead, they are supposed raucous bunch with mockery and eggs. The
to attend classes and then a function to principal wrings the names of the agitators
honour the founder of the college, to listen from a timid boy, whose father he knows,
to a speech by the pompous chairman of the then suspends them all and orders them to
board (Shreeram Lagoo). vacate the hostel rooms. The boys make a
The students, already fed up of the bonfire (symbolic of the Holi fire) of their
uninspiring “slave factory” education classroom furniture and textbooks.
system, indifferent and frequently striking When they find out who the mole was, he is
staff, plan to protest against this arbitrary mercilessly beaten, bullied and humiliated
order and go on a rampage. How do boys — his pants are pulled off, he is draped in
a sari and made to do a grotesque dance.
By the time tempers have cooled, and the
boys are sitting slumped with despair, the
informer is found hanging from the fan in
his room.
A police van takes the stunned boys away,
while around them Holi is celebrated with
customary gusto.
The film starts being funny and exuberant,
Idealistic professor Naseeruddin Shah is on the side of the
students the mood changes to restlessness and
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #21 | MARCH 2021 37
