The Irrational Pursuit: A Narrative on Indian Culture
As we discussed in class today, Amar goes to great lengths in his pursuit for the closed-off Meghna. We saw the scene in which she even tells him that she does not like him and that he should end his chase, only causing him to want her more, going as far as to run after her bus. This idea of a pursuit is paradigmatic of love stories, however her consistent disinterest in Amar would dissuade most people from venturing further and he even appears a little creepy in his attempts to win her love. His actions can barely be considered “normal” and would certainly be farfetched if not for the fact that they take place in a movie.
However, accepting Dil Se as a metaphor for the contemporary political atmosphere of India at the time of the release of the movie, Amar’s actions are perceivable differently. Amar, the All-Indian man who considers himself a “public servant”, is representative of Nationalistic India in every facet. Conversely, Meghna represents the other, unrepresented, oppressed side of India. Amar’s pursuit of Meghna represents nationalist India’s pursuit of their other half. Dil Se is portraying the disconnect between nationalistic India and their brothers to the North. This striving to create a connection is baseless, just like Amar’s pursuit of Meghna. Meghna has been through too much to go back on her “terrorist” plans and besides for a few instances where she opens up about her past, is impenetrable. The film is a critique of nationalistic India’s inability to connect with the other side and their irrational pursuit to do so. It is not saying that striving to do so is bad. On the contrary, that is what our protagonist attempts to do. The film is simply representing the situation on the canvas of a love story.
– Joe Robinow
Filed by joerobin at February 28th, 2013 under Uncategorized