Out, damned spot! Andrew Payne
I was discouraged but unsurprised to hear about the popular reception to “Silsila.” While watching the film I was wondering how the distinctly anti-Bollywood morality would shake out. I think this movie lacked the predictability of the previous films, but lacks a satisfactory ending due to the effort to remove the immorality of the main character. Tying up the story in this way wasn’t appealing because I don’t think Amit deserved a happy Bollywood ending, nor do I think he deserved Shobha. However, as we know in real life, he ended up with Jaya in the end, so following the parallel stories makes every other ending impossible.
My favorite scene in the film was the Holi dance and song sequence. While I enjoyed the visuals immensely, I was also happy that it played a role within the film’s diagesis. This sequence begins to unravel Amit and Chandni’s love affair together. I had my face up to my hands during the entire sequence, though. Their demonstration of their love was so obvious and blatant that not allowing it to influence the plot would have stretched believability.
I was struck by the scene after the song and dance sequence. Chandni washes her hands of the paint, her guilt at such a display of affection with a married man. I immediately thought of Lady Macbeth trying to wash the blood off of her hands. Despite her character’s sexual transgression, she is still sympathetic due to the innocent beginning of her relationship with Amit. Although they didn’t begin as an affair, I’m sure even Chandni would be surprised how much blood she got on her hands throughout this film. Like Lady Macbeth, Chandni is unable to rid herself from this incriminating song and dance that eventually leads to Shobha and Amit’s ultimate union.
“Out, damn’d spot! out, I say!—One; two: why, then ’tis time to do’t.—Hell is murky.—Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier, and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our pow’r to accompt?—Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?”
Filed by apayne10 at February 25th, 2013 under Uncategorized