Saturday, October 10, 2015

Aiyyaa—Of Alice In Wonderland

Sachin Kundalkar's Aiyyaa is one of those films that make me happy just by thinking about it. I start laughing when I recollect some of its scenes. The film has been ridiculed, but it is one of my all-time favorite films. It is a highly underrated film. There is a lot to admire in Aiyyaa, and whenever I watch it, I see a new perspective.
Aiyyaa is the story of Meenaxi (Rani Mukherji). She is a Maharashtrian mulgi. She works at a college. Her family wants her to get married as soon as possible. She has a mother, a father, a brother, and a grandmother in her family. She has a heightened sense of smell and is drawn to Surya (Prithviraj), an arts student. She follows him whenever he is around as she cannot take control of her senses in the presence of the hypnotizing smell. 

Rani Mukerji as Meenaxi is terrific. Meenaxi is a woman who wants to work to buy her own small place where she can live by herself. The piles of garbage and its hideous smell are a metaphor for the suffocation she feels in her life. She wants to escape this. She does not want to do an arranged marriage as she thinks love is important before marrying someone. It is a great feeling to see someone so madly in love with someone that she will go into uncharted territories to get her love. Whether it is the men's toilet, the red-light areas, or the dingy alleys of an industrial zone teeming with drunk men, Meenaxi tries to follow her heart. She would even buy drugs in the middle of the night to prove that her lover is not a drug addict. Though sometimes, she does cross the boundaries, like when she secretly goes to his room and steals his shirt and a photograph, which could be interpreted as stalking. Surya's smell relieves her from the garbage smell and helps her understand and explore her deeper desires. Sometimes, one has to fight to get love, and she makes every effort. She learns Tamil to communicate better with him and tells him to keep the first button of his shirt open. She runs away from her engagement because she wants to spend her life with someone else. She wears his shirt just to feel closer to him, which I think is charming. She has an unfettered belief in Surya that he does not take drugs. She says, "Gore nahi, mujhe kaale log pasand hai," which is not to say that she is racist; this was a satirical remark on Indian fascination for white skin. There is a terrific scene in the end when they both talk about how low the percentage they got in Class 10 is. The way she counts in Tamil and mixes Aiyyaa and Aiyyoo, the way she kisses his picture, the way she secretly blushes thinking about him, the way she smells his painting, the way she smells him, Meenaxi is endearing, you feel for her, and you want that she gets everything.
Meenaxi says that her favorite book is Alice In Wonderland and that she has read it at least a hundred times, and sometimes, she feels it is her own story. Aiyyaa is like Alice In Wonderland. Meenaxi is Alice. Meenaxi's wonderland is her dreamland where she keeps on going, where there is a lot of space for herself, where there is no garbage, and everything smells beautiful. Mynah is the White Rabbit, always in a hurry as if on a stimulant. She also dresses as one later in one of the songs, and she keeps drinking alcohol from her bottle, Jumbo. Her father smokes four cigarettes at a time and repairs old telephone, and he is like the Caterpillar. Her grandmother, with golden teeth, who cannot see and yet can see everything is like the always-grinning Cheshire Cat. As the Mad Hatter said to Alice, "We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad," it is true for the film itself, where every character is mad. All characters have their own idiosyncrasies. In fact, the board outside their house has 'Insaanon Se Saavdhaan' written on it. Like the iconic blue dress of Alice, most of the time, Meenaxi is also dressed in blue color. In the end, Meenaxi's father says, "Is it a dream or reality?" which indicates a wonderland. I recently listened to Salman Rushdie, who said Alice In Wonderland is his favorite book. He made an excellent point and noted that the book has many darker themes, more suited for adults. In some ways, Aiyyaa has a much deeper theme than being only a comedy film, as it is touted. It talks about the hidden desires of a woman. Two years ago, Vikas Bahl's Queen (link) also explored the theme of Alice In Wonderland, where Rani wore a sweatshirt with 'Alice In Wonderland meets the White Rabbit' written on it. Queen also explored the hidden desires and dreams of a woman named Rani. It is funny how coincidences work sometimes. Both films have a 'Rani' connection, too. Aiyyaa is an Indianized Alice In Wonderland.
Rani's other suitor is Madhav (Subodh Bhave). He is a beautiful, wonderful person and certainly one of the best characters in the film. He is thoughtful, and as Meenaxi says, he is the first person who ever asked her opinion on how she feels about things. He loves movies by Farooq Sheikh and Deepti Naval, in which people communicate through eyes rather than words. He has a poster of Chashme Buddoor in his room and sings Tumko Dekha Toh Yeh Khayal Aaya. He maintains a garden of roses on the roof of his house. When he finds out that Meenaxi is in love with Surya, he takes her to her room, says nothing at all through his mouth but says everything with his eyes and hugs her. One can't help but feel absolutely sorry for him. But the wonderful thing is when Meenaxi patronizingly says that they will always be friends, he tells her he does not want to hear these Rose Day-type dialogues and wishes her the best in life. I am sure he will get over her soon and find someone he truly deserves. He is a gem of a person. The film could have chosen the easier path, where Madhav could be one of those silly boys who came to see her, but he is genuinely nice and husband material. For instance, in Dil Chahta Hai, Shalini was engaged to Rohit, a possessive and jealous boyfriend, but she loved Akash. The choice was clear from the beginning, and the film chose the easier way, given the unlikeability of Rohit's character. Madhav, though, will have to deal with heartbreak not because he is silly; it is just the way life works. The smell of his garden of roses is insufficient to attract him to Meenaxi.
Baradwaj Rangan writes, "Is the film's terrain not so much fantastic as Freudian, with id and ego represented by Suriya and Madhav, respectively, the unconscious dark (and dark-complexioned) desire and the pull of practicality?" It is a fantastic point, but I tend to see Surya and Madhav as a statement on the two types of cinema—mainstream and art house. Surya is like those Tamil commercial movies, with larger-than-life props and men with perfect bodies. The song Dreamum Wakeupum is a reference to that kind of film. At one point, Meenaxi says Surya is like Guru Dutt, but once he leaves college, he will become Aamir Khan. In contrast, Madhav is like the art house parallel films of Farooq Sheikh, where everything is communicated through eyes, there are no designer clothes, and what matters are feelings, like in his favorite film Chashme Baddoor. Men do not have perfect bodies. In fact, we see Madhav's body when he changes his clothes, which is nothing like Surya's brawn perfection. At one point, both Surya and Madhav are coming toward Meenaxi. They both carry a bag in different styles, and both wear clothes that reflect their personality. It is this dilemma that Meenaxi has to resolve, just like in reality, where most commercial films win the box office and popularity; here, too, Surya wins, and Madhav is left to find someone else who wants him.
At one point in the film, Meenaxi sees Surya perched on a wooden pillar. He sits quietly and is half-naked, wearing a pair of black shorts and a black vest. It is as if he is a statute. I was always confused by the meaning of the scene. The writers of Aiyyaa have said the film focuses on the female gaze. A female gaze is a cinematic trope where work is presented from a female perspective or reflects female attitudes. For instance, the song Dard-E-Disco in Om Shanti Om shows the chiseled body of Shahrukh Khan. In Aiyyaa, Surya is represented using a female gaze. He is objectified in the film's songs. Meenaxi imagines making love for his perfect body. We see the story from her viewpoint. This statue scene makes sense. We see Surya reading books by Michelangelo and Raphael. Michelangelo's David is considered the epitome of the perfect male human body. Surya sitting half-naked was perhaps a metaphor for Michelangelo's naked David, with Meenaxi able to see him as the object of her 'female gaze' here and at many other places in the film. The concept of the female gaze is also there in Mynah, also called Gaga Bai, who is obsessed with John Abraham and is not shy to talk about his body. It is entirely befitting that the film's major star is one of the top actresses, and the film's title credits open with her name.
With music by Amit Trivedi and lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya, the songs are as crazy as the film itself. Each song has a certain sense of lunacy and naughtiness. Most of the songs pay tribute to varied pop cultures. Ijjat Papad sung by Sneha' O Womaniya' Khanwalkar, is fascinatingly weird. The song comes when Nana visits Mynah's house to look for Meenaxi. Mynah, dressed in a bunny rabbit, opens the door and thinks that Nana is her lover; she jumps onto him, and they start cavorting. If we hear and look closely, the song is a parody of the Lijjat Papad commercial that used to come in the early nineties. The commercial ended with a voice by a bunch of bunnies, and the same tune is used in this song. In the commercial, too, there are bunnies, and Lijjat Papad's logo is a pink bunny. Mynah is dressed in a pink bunny costume. Lijjat Papad and Ijjat Papad sound the same. Every time I hear it, I am reminded of that commercial. The song also confirms that Mynah is the White Rabbit from Alice In Wonderland. The dance moves are a bit raunchy, but the song's premise is wonderfully crazy. Who could have thought about this?
Mynah in Pink Bunny Costume
Lijjat Papad and Pink Bunny 
Lijjat Papad Commercial
Aga Bai has shades of Kama Sutra. It has excellent choreography. However, some scenes in it are almost soft porn. There is a sequence where the Surya puts petrol in Meenaxi's bike, and it is so raunchy that I start laughing. One has to see that sequence, but in all honesty, I did not mind it all. It is great fun, and I immensely enjoyed this song with double meanings when we are subjected to the most hideous skin shows. But again, there is nothing wrong with a woman wanting her secret fantasies. 

Dreamum Wakeupum is inspired by Silk Smitha and Tamil Midnight Masala. It reminds me a lot of The Dirty Picture, but this song is a lot of fun.
Sava Dollar is a lavni dance, and Rani is again superb in it. The song is a great parody of Bollywood. At one point, she is seen endorsing a range of products, from toothpaste to cement. And the latest confirmation of one's status symbol in Bollywood is getting an invite to Koffee With Karan, which the song also shows. But my favorite song in the film is the delightful Mahek Bhi. Sung by Shreya Ghoshal, the song appears whenever Meenaxi thinks about Surya. I like the lyrics when it says, "Mahek bhi kahani sunati hai, sunlo agar. Hawaaon ke zariye batati hai, samjho agar." Even the fragrance tells a story of its own, and it tells it through the winds if you try to understand. It is so true that there is a story in every smell.
I laughed at Mynah's antics. She takes inspiration from Lady Gaga; whether it is her necklace of pen drives, Armani and Gucci bags in Hindi, or her set of unreleased films, Anita Date is superb as Mynah. 
There is a particular focus on the use of colors in the film, predominantly yellow and blue. There are books by Michelangelo, Raphael, Atul Dodiya, and Sachin Khandekar, and a portrait of Dali. What is interesting is that Surya's specialization is 'Faces.' My favorite scene is when he admires her face from the back of a one-sided mirror. There is also a Raja Ravi Verma reference where Meenaxi's mom is standing in the same pose as Verma's painting next to her.
I was particularly intrigued by two things. In the dream sequences from Tezaab, Chaalbaaz, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, or later from Dil, Meenaxi always wears oversized sunglasses in them. Was that a way to help distinguish the dream from reality, where we cannot see her eyes? This is interesting to note because her grandmother is always in sunglasses, and as her father says, she cannot see anything, yet she can see everything. Was wearing sunglasses an indication? I am not sure. I also liked the use of blue colors in Surya's paintings. Still, as this explains, "Surya's canvases are always daubed with blue, almost as if to underline his hectic, angst-ridden worldstudent in the morning, struggling artist by day, and supervisor of his late father's business at night."
Not only Alice In Wonderland but film also shows Meenaxi reading famous Marathi author Prakash Narayan Sant's Zumbar. From whatever little Hindi text is available, the book is about a kid named Lampan and his feelings and thoughts along the lines of R.K. Narayan's Malgudi Days. If only I knew Marathi, I could understand better about it (link).
Trivia:-
Isn't that Guneet Monga?
It is a remake of Sachin Khundalkar's national award-winning Marathi film Gandha, a collection of three short stories connected by a sense of smell. The first story Lagnaachya Vayachi Mulgi and Aiyyaa is a remake of that part. While the original film was praised, this film has been unfairly panned. It has a lot to think about and a lot to enjoy. 

Other recommended reading:
1. Link—A great article on the palette of colors in Aiyyaa.
2. Link—An excellent article on the feminist themes in Aiyyaa.

Dialogue of the Day:
"Kaisi zaalim duniya hai, naa reality me jeene dete hai, na sapne me jaane dete hai."
 —Meenaxi, Aiyyaa

18 comments:

  1. Oh I agree with your friend M. People who have their names starting from this alphabet are great ;)
    Watched Aga baai after so long..it's still on repeat. How gorgeous is Rani in that song! Uff, girl crush ho gaya on your #QueenRani

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  2. Agree completely. Aiyya is a vastly underrated film but will be remembered as a classic in times to come-flawed nevertheless a gem of a movie with wonderful wonderful presence (not merely acting) by Rani Mukerji. The scene just before the start of Aiyya song-self flagellation by devotees in a procession, the pressing crowd, overwhelming fear, insane claustrophobia, a whiff of that fragrance and a face looking upwards smeared with flying turmeric color suddenly at ease...an oasis of calmness, anand in the midst of all the hullabaloo....oh! What a wondrous evocation by Rani!!

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  3. This was a great post! I love this movie and think it's really underrated. You point out some excellent hidden information I otherwise missed. I never really notices all the references to Alice in Wonderland before. It's too bad the film didn't do so well because we might have had a chance to see more Bollywood movies like this from the female's perspective...

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  4. i watched this muvi during my exams n i enjoyed it so much... i really thought at that time that it ws coz of the exam pressure n i just got this delightful flick that helped me to escape out of that pressure... Bt while reading this post that u have written so nicely (mind it), i felt yeah actually this one has that alice in wonderland context... that i wud have liked and enjoyed...
    well, this is my first comment on any of ur blogs... bt u know i hve always preferred books full of pictures rather reading things much (reading, i hv recently introduced in my habits :P)...n this pattern of ur blogs where u capture so many b'ful scenes from the movies r commendable...
    Many a times i just come to ur page n look for pictures... n lemme tell u i often save those over which i cudn't help myself bt save...
    From this post, i hv saved the one that captures Rani's footstep... put it on my desktop wallpaper... aaaah my god, the pic is soooooo b'ful... thanks alot for giving me this one :) i hope u won't mind... :-|

    During the release of album "mehak bhi" ws also one of my fav songs from this album apart from aga bai n dreamum wakeupum...
    bt mehak bhi still gets into my playlists.... dil-khush song h ekdum :)


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  5. @Manvi Rani Mukerji Forever :)
    @Ashish Wonder, wonderful comment. I love the way you describe the scene so beautifully. I wish I could write like that. "anand in the midst of all the hullabaloo" is my new favorite phrase :)
    @Anna Yes, Aiyya is so so wonderful, I know it is a pity it did not do that well :(
    @Pratima Yes, I always noticed you liked pictures on Facebook page, never commented, so glad you commented for the first time. Thank you for reading and coming back to the blog. You are free to take as many pictures, why would I mind? These are films for all of us, unless the director minds :) Yes, Mahek Bhi is wonderful. Keep reading and commenting :)

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  6. It's been a treat to read this piece on Aiyyaa. I would admit that the first time I watched it, I was disappointed. It has to do with my love for Rani Mukerji. When I watched the promo, I thought that it's a complete commercial potboiler. I was excited. I saw it as an opportunity for Rani to make a grand return. Even though I had watched the Marathi short film earlier, I thought maybe somehow they have managed to make the film commercially viable. But that certainly wasn't the case and I was let down. Heartbroken almost.

    But as I am a fan, I have the tendency to revisit parts of her films sometimes, if not the whole film. So, one day, after I was relieved by the fact that she had managed to wiggle out of the tight spot with the combination of Talaash, Bombay Talkies and Mardaani I decided to revisit Aiyyaa. And to my surprise I quite liked it that time.

    I have never read Alice in Wonderland. SO I have no idea of the parallels between these two pieces of fictions. But after reading your post I want to read Alice in Wonderland and watch Aiyaa AGAIN just to see what you mean.

    The sunglass thing also intrigued me. Please let us know if you have found out what it means :P

    And please keep writing. It's true that I came to know of your reading solely on the basis of my love for Rani, but I would love to read of your thoughts on other films as well. You have the amazing power of observation. You notice things that most of us miss, details which the directors so lovingly put there which deserves to be noticed.

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  7. @Hitesh - Thanks, my friend. Aaj tum kahan se aa gaye yahan?

    @Kowshik - Thank you for reading and your delightful comment. Yes, Aiyyaa is far too brilliant for people. I like to find details. Yes. Do read other posts on my blog. I have written on many films :)

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  8. Do watch " Gandha The smell" the Marathi film on which Aiyaa is based....

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  9. I watched d movie for 'Surya' ( Prithvi) but ended as loving Rani's character. It is d movie till date that I cd to relate to. I too used to live in my fantasy believing that someday it wil get true. The craze for mysterious man n d idea of stalking him intrigued me a lot.the m
    Plot was unpredictable till end that kept me bound to d movie.It ws one one of my favourites, d best erotica. Thnx for reminding me of d movie wil watch it again.

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  10. If you watch the movie closely and carefully you will see how subtly and beautifully the director and Prithviraj,of course, have portrayed Surya's little hints of emotions and moods throughout the movie. For eg in the first scene where he's introduced,the immensely talented Prithviraj with his extremely emotive eyes show us that he's amused by Minakshi.His body language and his tone is very relaxed.
    The next time when he comes to issue some books he looks at Minakshi googling him with a bright white smile.He looks uncomfortable(read shy) and averts his gaze,before blurting out a quick thanks.
    In another scene,after the part where Minakshi is learning Tamil from the young canteen boy, Surya sneakily gives a quick glance towards our heroine suggesting to the audience that he was listening to her the whole time. (*sigh* I personally love that scene) It's so so subtly done and so easy to miss on your first wwatch.
    Again in the scene where Madhav and Surya walk together towards Minakshi,you can see the change in Surya's demeanour. He appears more scruffier,his eyes redder,his behaviour very curt.I interpreted this as agitation from Surya's part by seeing Madhav,the other guy who's come to meet Minakshi.He's visibly upset,doesn't thank her and rushes away turning a deaf ear to her pleas in Tamil to talk to her.
    In the scene where Minakshi is loathing and crying about her impending engagement to a man she doesn't love to Mainah and Surya enters with a s usual stack of books(Which I think is just his excuse to be around Minakshi in that little way and to steal some precious little moments with her) and Minakshi doesn't welcome him with her usual 100watts smile rather a frown, you see his face change emotions and go from relaxed to angry within seconds and he leaves faster than usain bolt without even signing the register.
    The handkerchief he drops later was,I believe, deliberately done because he knew she would follow him.

    I'm no movie critic so excuse me if I mde any misjudgements but I just love this movie so much and it's so very dear to me that I have watched it multiple times and these were the things which I noticed about an otherwise stone faced Surya so perfectly played by Prithviraj.

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    1. Hi Lady Hound,
      Thanks for you lovely comment. I love this film, too :)

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    2. Loved your comment Lady Hound. I love this movie to bits, and I have watched it way too many times, yet discover something new every time I do. Prithviraj is love <3

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  11. Loved this article. Very well-written and loved your explanations.

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  12. Just watched and this reminds me of American Beauty.. must say an extremely potent movie... no wonder the masses won`t get it. A master piece. Rani was beyond description....

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  13. Could someone translate the last scene Prithviraj dialogues ..in English.. the factory,bike ride, near Rani house.. dialogues..

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  14. Hi Pankaj! Firstly I want to say that reading your post about this movie was like reading my own thoughts. I have watched this film several time and I notice something new each time. I love how there are the small and simple nuances scattered through the film....the contacts of Surya's fragrance with the garbage that always suffocates Meenakshi and pulls her back to reality.
    One of the things that I specifically noted was the blue and yellow theme throughout the movie. It's literally there In all relevant scenes.
    The scene where she follows him into a lane and is halted by a procession is something I'm still thinking about. The splash of yellow colour on a blue sari clad Meenakshi is intriguing.
    I happened to stumble upon your post today while I was trying to find if there were any POVs on this scene.

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    1. Wonderful observation. Thank you for sharing. Yes, I noticed it as well after later re-watches. Even in their wedding scenes, there is a theme of yellow and blue. I think these are Sachin Kundalkar's favorite colors as well. Saw it in Cobalt Blue as well.

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