Amar Singh Chamkila—Ishq Mitaye, Ishq Banaye

Who knew Imtiaz Ali would find his mojo back with a biopic? Biopics are some of the most boring films for me because their storytelling is dull, or they are turned into hagiographies, ignoring that humans are complex. Ali challenges these conventions in Amar Singh Chamkila and makes a beautiful film that does not necessarily provide all the details but provides sufficient context for its eponymous hero. Amar Singh Chamkila tells the story of the singer Chamkila (Diljit Dosanjh). Born as Dhani Ram in a poor family, Chamkila found fame and popularity for his songs, often described as lewd and vulgar. Known as the Elvis of Panjab (sic), he was a Dalit who sang in akhaaras with his wife, Amarjot (Parineeti Chopra). They both were eventually shot dead by unknown people for reasons that, till today, are not clear. The film asks questions about artistic freedom and morality that are relevant today. Who decides if his songs are obscene? Are they not part of the lived reality of people? How were his songs different from the ones that women sing during ladies' sangeet?

Early in Amar Singh Chamkila, a young Chamkila sees a woman accusing a man of having an affair and getting a boner—khada. He asks his mother about the meaning of khada, but she shuts him down. Then, during a wedding ceremony, women sing and dance to a song about boners. This influences him to write about boners, but he is punished by his teacher, a sign of what he will face in adulthood, too. He sees men stealthily watching women bathing. He sees men and women having sex. These events shaped his worldview, and he started writing about them in his songs. As we have seen earlier, the worldview of Ali's characters is shaped when they are young. Childhood never really leaves them. In Tamasha, the young Ved was fascinated with storytellers, which became his life calling. In Highway, the young Mahabir saw the sexual abuse of his mother, which broke him mentally and made him see his mother in Veera. In Amar Singh Chamkila, too, there is a moment when he sees his father being kicked and physically abused. In Laila Majnu, the young eponymous couple met as kids at a wedding, which tied them together. They saw each other even in their dreams. In Jab Harry Met Sejal, Harry left home and never forgot it. In Love Aaj Kal (2020), Raghu and Leena met during their teens. Even after all these years, Raghu never forgot her, making him incapable of being in long-term relationships.

Chamkila then grows up and finds a job in a sock factory, but his heart is not in it. He finds passion in singing. He sits before a well with his tumbi, singing into the void. He starts writing lyrics for other singers till he, by chance, gets to sing himself. He is loved by the audience and then decides to take it up professionally. His father soon finds out about his singing. In a stunningly shot scene that uses the interplay of light, Chamkila offers him money, making his father forget all his issues. Again, the parallels with Ved cannot be missed. Ved lost his identity while working in a corporate job. He used to run away to listen to stories. His father sends him to a boarding school that suppresses his dil ki awaaz. But Chamkila was smart enough. He was already prepared to confront his father.

Chamkila knows the kind of songs people want to hear and enjoy. He partners with Amarjot to sing across akhaaras and gains more fame. As it happens, with fame came his detractors. His competitors try to fan negative sentiment against him. An interesting scene in the film is when Chamkila is interviewed by a journalist (Sahiba Bali). He initially tries to not see her directly as she is wearing pants. The journalist mocks him for his hypocrisy that he can write offensive lyrics about women but cannot see a woman in jeans. He replies that he sings about what he has seen in life, and his songs reflect that. He is an ordinary person who sings what ordinary people like to listen to; otherwise, he wouldn't be an artist. The scene is a reminiscence of the journalist character from Rockstar, played by Aditi Rao Hyadri. But it again shows that if Chamkila only gave what his audience would hear, who would decide the morality of his content? It is the same argument we hear even today related to music remixes. Producers make remixes because people listen to them, or is it the other way around?

As one reflects more on the film, it comes to mind that Ali had already shown us snippets of Amar Singh Chamkila in his earlier films. For instance, think of the scene when Aditya meets Geet's grandfather in Jab We Met. Chamkila visiting the religious leaders who ask him to stop singing gives the same vibes as Geet's grandfather. Or think of the scene where Chamkila's albums start selling like hotcakes; something similar was seen in Rockstar when Jordan's albums began selling. There is also a Khatana Bhai-like character in Amar Singh Chamkila, again played by Kumud Mishra. Or think of the ending scene when Chamkila and Amarjot are on the stage, identical to Tamasha's ending. Or the scene where the bright light glow can be seen on Chamkila's face when he sits outside. It is just like the glow on Ved's face when he calls Tara's name in Tamasha.

Many other scenes remind one of Ali's earlier films, like the concept of waqt. When Chamkila convinces Amarjot to sing with him, he tells her, "Yeh apna waqt chal raha hai, Babbi. Aur main guarantee deta hun, yeh hamesha nahi rahega." When he refuses to stay in Canada, he counters his friend by saying, "Yeh waqt bura hai? Yeh hi to waqt hai." People are listening to him now; he cannot just sit at home. Remember what Geet tells Aditya in Jab We Met before she runs away with him. She said, "Yeh jo waqt hai na yahan jo hum kaat rahe hai, ye bahut accha time hai, dekhna aage chal kar hum ise yaad karenge aur hasenge." In Laila Majnu, Qais tells Laila, "Duniya hai, duniyadari hoti hai. Time hai," after she asks for more time to finalize her divorce.

One of the other peculiar things about Amar Singh Chamkila is that it called Punjab Panjab. It is entirely intentional, given the subtitles also call it Panjab. There are many theories by scholars on whether this should be the correct spelling of Punjab, but the film never explains this aspect. Ali, though, has always had an interest in Panjab. Ever since Jab We Met, Panjab and Sikhs have appeared in his films. Geet was a Sikhni who lived in Bathinda. In Love Aaj Kal, Veer and Harleen were Sikhs. The Panjabi women sang La La Ho Gayi Re in Thoda Thoda Pyar. The film ended with Bhangra dancers dancing on Aahun Aahun. In Rockstar were the songs Katiya Karun and Sadda Haq Aithe Rakh. In Tamasha, the musicians with tumbi who showed up in Heer Toh Badi Sad Hai were Sikhs. In Jab Harry Met Sejal, Harry is from Panjab, and the film is based on his desire to come home.

Ali is quite inventive in the storytelling of Amar Singh Chamkila. He incorporates real-life video footage from Chamkila's life into the film (something we also saw in Class of '83). He adds still black-and-white photographs of Chamkila and recreates those moments. He uses split screens. He even uses animation to depict some sequences. (We also saw brief snippets in Tamasha when Ali showed paintings depicting the phases of Ved's life.) He shot all the songs at live locations. He provided the full lyrics for Chamkila's songs in Hindi as text. In this regard, the contribution of the film's editor, Aarti Bajaj, cannot be ignored. It is quite well done. The fabulous montages (which Ali's films are also known for) are another highlight of the film.

Not only in its storytelling, but Amar Singh Chamkila also emphasizes the very act of storytelling. Once upon a time is often how Ali's films begin. In this film as well, there is the act of storytelling. The story of Chamkila is told to us by different people after his death. Each of these people describes their view of the story. Tikki (Anjum Batra) first spoke about his relationship with Chamkila. Then, his other band members start sharing his story. Then, the story is continued by his other friend, Sivia (Apinderdeep Singh). The police inspector Dalbir Singh (Anuraag Arora) is the listener of this story. He had always listened to Chamkila's songs but pretended he did not know much about him. By the end, he becomes sympathetic to Chamkila and lets his son listen to his songs. That is why stories are transformational. They help us understand something better.

In many places, the film equates Chamkila and Amitabh Bachchan. Early on, Chamkila styles his hair like Bachchan at Vijay Hair Dresser. He is called by the panchayat after he marries Amarjot without revealing his first marriage. He compares himself to Bachchan and performs in front of the villagers. Later, he convinces Amarjot to sing with him as the public is ready to pay them a lot. Their music records were sold in black, just like Bachchan's films were. His friend Sivia says that he even started looking like Bachchan. He starts dressing like him. The jeans. The shirts. The swag. When he refuses to quit smoking, the animation shows him lighting up with Bachchan's swagger. In Canada, Chamkila sees Bachchan on the billboards and finds out he is performing at the same theatre where Bachchan had performed. The manager tells him they had to put nearly a thousand extra chairs for his show compared to Bachchan's. Hearing this, Chamkila is left dejected. He had surpassed the popularity of his childhood hero. He might have won all the fame, but as an artist, he lost something forever.

In moments such as the above, Amar Singh Chamkila touched upon the thinking of kalaakars. It does not go into much detail, but there are flashes of what it means to be an artist. When Panjab is going through turmoil, Mr. Ahmed (Kumud Mishra), like Khatana Bhai in Rockstar, asks Chamkila to continue to sing. When people are already sad, they don't want to listen to sad songs. They want to listen to lively music to make them forget their pain. Later, Chamkila turned to sing religious songs, but his fans insisted that he sing his original songs. He gives in to their demands. Do artists have to be humble to the wishes of their fans? Can they take the risk of reinventing themselves without losing their audience?

An Imtiaz Ali film will surely have lovely music, and Amar Singh Chamkila does not disappoint. Each song has its special place in the album and is fabulously choreographed. Ali is one of the few filmmakers focusing on creating new music rather than using old remixes. The album has six songs, five of which make it to the film. The first song in the film is Baaja. Chamkila and Amarjot are about to sing at a wedding. As soon as they get out of the car, they are shot dead. Moments later, Baaja begins with Mohit Chauhan making a special appearance. The song is presented like Chali Kahani of Tamasha, and Yeh Dooriyaan of Love Aaj Kal, where Chamkila's life story is narrated. Surly men break the fourth wall to tell us, "Jis wajah se chamka, us wajah se tapka." He was, "Chamkila, sexila, tharkila."

In the past, Ali has often used external objects to depict the gradual change in his characters' internal state. In Love Aaj Kal, Jai was happy when he went to San Francisco, as Main Kya Hoon shows. However, he slowly realized something was amiss in his life. Jai collected packets of mayonnaise. By the song's end, the bowl is full, signifying he cannot take it anymore. In Tamasha, the lack of Tara's smile shows her decaying relationship with Ved. When Ved used to leave after dropping her, Tara's smile gradually disappears as she realizes that Ved is not behaving like he did in Corsica. In Amar Singh Chamkila, travel by car is used to depict the nascent increase in the closeness of Chamkila and Amarjot. Amarjot's brother always came in between the two when they traveled in a car till one instance where Amarjot decided to sit next to Chamkila. This sequence eventually concludes in Tu Kya Jaane, another fabulous song from the film. The song is presented like Amarjot's dream, in which the background has a halo effect. The lyrics talk about the woman talking about her beloved—tann ka taj bhi, man ka raj bhi. She then says she will fight against the world for her beloved. Jitt loon zamane se main jung karke, tujh pe duppatte wala rang karke, suit se apne main loongi mila, rakhna tujhe seene pe ab maine haaye.

The third song, Ishq Mitaye, appears in the film in 1984, when Panjab is reeling from riots and terrorism. Contrary to societal rules, Chamkila decides not to give up singing during troubled times. He wants to give people some joy during difficult times of their lives. He continues to sing all over Panjab and is mobbed wherever he goes. The song is absolutely fantastic and pays tribute to Chamkila's life. It says, "Ishq mitaye haye haye, ni maye, mera ishq banaye haye haye." Love destroys; love creates—a perfect description of Chamkila's life, just like Baaja also said, "Jis wajah se chamka, us wajah se tapka." The lyrics of this song have political undertones comparing Chamkila's life with Panjab—Main hoon Panjab. There is also a beautiful phrase, "Jeeve agg meri sara jal mera jeeve," which means my inner fire and water may thrive. When this line appears, we see the fire inside the dancers on the screen. This is reminiscent of the burning guitar scene in Rockstar, where fire and water were present when Jordan was in the bathtub.

The most memorable song sequence in the film, however, is the fabulously choreographed Naram Kaalja. It completely contrasts Baaja, where men talk about Chamkila. In Naram Kaalja, it is all women and their naram kaalja. Tender heart. The men seemed angry in the former, while the women light up this song with their charm. Naram Kaalja begins when an older woman says she stealthily listens to Chamkila's songs. She says his songs are not much different from the songs that women sing themselves during wedding ceremonies. Then, many young women secretly turn on the record player to listen and dance to his songs. The lyrics are a tribute to the type of songs that Chamkila used to sing. Here, the women sing about their auratpan and how men are only a means to their desire—aish ka saamaan. The women acknowledge their societal relations but say their desire takes higher precedence. Devar ki bhabhi bhi main hun, rishtey qabuloon, par yeh na bhooloon, kaise bhujhani hai jo agg lag jaaye. The song has all types of women: young girls, college-going women, newly married women, working women, and older women. They all sing and dance as if Chamkila has given a voice to their desires. Women went crazy listening to Chamkila; even roofs on houses fell when women gathered, earning him the moniker kotha dhau kalaakar. It is sheer joy to watch this song and be delighted; the last song I recall that had this similar feeling was Chak Chak in Atrangi Re.

Amar Singh Chamkila ends in quietness. At the funeral of Chamkila and Amarjot, there is a somber silence. Not many words are spoken. I remembered how Love Aaj Kal (2020) had also ended in silence when Raghu visited Leena's tea café. He discovers she is pregnant and realizes his time to be with her is gone. No words are spoken, only gestures, and then he leaves. After the funeral in Amar Singh Chamkila, the melancholic Vida Karo plays. As the title suggests, it is a farewell song in the film's final moments. Chamkila is asking people to let him go as he has been problematic and impure. Tum sabhi paak magar, paap ka dariya main. It is profoundly moving. I don't like many of Arijit Singh's sad songs, but this one is beautiful. It could be because it is more conversational rather than singing. The song is, in fact, inspired by Shiv Kumar Batalvi's Mainu Vida Karo.

Diljit Dosanjh is fabulous as Chamkila and gets to the skin of the character. Parineeti Chopra is good as Amarjot. Other performances, especially Tikki (Anju Batra) and Inspector Dalbir Singh (Anuraag Arora), are memorable. Many of the themes, such as artistic freedom and censorship, raised by Amar Singh Chamkila find resonance even today. Ali asked the right questions but might not have provided all the answers. No film is perfect, but given Ali's last few films, Amar Singh Chamkila is a win. Who knew Imtiaz Ali would find his mojo back with a biopic?

Trivia:

1. Amarjot reads many Punjabi books in the film. Here, she reads Chitta Lahu by Nanak Singh.

2. An interesting thing about the poster is that it is more Rangeela than Chamkila. 

3. Window scenes in Amar Singh Chamkila.

4. Diljit Dosanjh had sung Ikk Kudi in Udta Punjab, also written by Shiv Kumar Batalvi.

Other Reading:

1. On the films of Imtiaz Ali—Link
2. On Laila Majnu—Link
3. On Tamasha—Link
4. On Agar Tum Saath Ho—Link
5. On Rockstar—Link
6. On Highway—Link
7. On Tara in Tamasha—Link
8. On Jab We Met—Link
9. On Jab Harry Met Sejal—Link
10. On Love Aaj Kal (2009)—Link
11. On Love Aaj Kal (2020)—Link

12. On Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Tamasha—Link

Dialogue of the Day:

"Jeeve agg meri sara jal mera jeeve."

—Amar Singh Chamkila

The Heart Wants It But Does Not Get It

After ages, I finally understand this line: Sukh hai alag aur chain alag hain. The last few weeks have been too difficult because of everything happening. I don't feel like doing anything and am getting a few tests done. I am turning thirty-seven in ten days and don't feel good about it. I feel very left behind in life. I know comparison is the thief of joy, but I am not comparing myself with anyone but with my goals. When I was young, probably one year old, a priest told my uncle about me in a temple in Mathura that this child is very lucky. He said it because I have this birthmark on my face. I still remember this line, which my mother told me a few years ago. I don't feel good about it now because I feel left behind. My parents keep asking for marriage, but it has not been easy to make up my mind for that as well. Love is hard to find these days. It is fine. I will be fine like I always am. I write here when I am sad, but I will also write when I am happy. I may delete this post in a few days. Meanwhile, I am watching all the scenes of Sid from Dil Chahta Hai again. I love it when he paints Tara's lips on her portrait with his hands. This film is special and will always be special. 

Sunday Evenings

Some Sunday evenings, I get sad. It feels like time is running by, and I am not able to catch up. I don't know why it happens. I watch so many motivating videos, but some days, nothing works. LOL. I keep listening to sad songs, like Tere Mere Milan Ki Yeh Raina from Abhimaan. I ended up rewatching Luck By Chance. I find the sadness and melancholy in the film to be moving and calming at the same time. Sona was betrayed by both the men she trusted, but ultimately, she came out as the bigger person. She chooses to be happy and finds meaning in her work. In the recent Animal, Ranvijay says the same thing to his wife: happiness is a decision. It is quite difficult to accept this, but I am working on it. I hope to write that long-pending piece on the absolutely beautiful Luck By Chance. I have written eight or nine short posts on it but I have to write that one complete piece on it. I just love this film.

12th Fail—The Light Within

In 12th Fail, Vidhu Vinod Chopra tells the real-life story of Manoj Kumar Sharma (Vikrant Massey), who overcomes extreme hardships to become an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. The film is based on the 2019 eponymous non-fiction book by Anurag Pathak. 12th Fail has received much love since its release. I was unsure how the film would turn out, but I was surprised. It has been quite a while since I experienced emotional catharsis while watching a Hindi film, but 12th Fail is so poignant that by the end of it, I don't think it is possible to remain unaffected by it. I was immensely moved by its honesty. Much has already been written about it, but I still wanted to write about the different aspects of the film, which not only has an uplifting story but is also beautifully made.

The Kindness of People

There is a lot of brutality in the world of Manoj. However, at the same time, enough kind people helped him—a complete stranger—reach his goal. Be it the police inspector Dushyant Singh (Priyanshu Chatterjee) who comes to rescue him in the middle of the night, the restaurant owner who offers him a free meal, Pandey (Anant V Joshi) who takes him to Delhi, or Gauri Bhaiya (Anshumaan Pushkar) who offers him coaching and guidance and all sorts of other help. Manoj is indebted to all of them and will remember them all his life. Gauri Bhaiya joked that Manoj should return twice the amount he had loaned him when he becomes an officer. When Pandey is in jail, Manoj is the only one who comes to help him. When Manoj had his final interview, he first went to Pandey to meet him even though they were not talking because of a fight. After Manoj becomes a police officer, he gives the first card of his wedding to Dushyant. He is following Shah Rukh Khan's advice in Luck By Chance—to never forget those who knew you when you were a nobody.

Cheating and Honesty

The film opens with Manoj preparing chits for cheating. Manoj believed that honesty was a useless principle and no good comes of it. His interaction with Dushyant changes his belief, and he takes his advice to give up cheating as the gospel truth. He stopped cheating in his exams and everything else in life. He also started following in his father's footsteps to become an honest man. Manoj seems to have shades of the heroes from Satyakaam and Newton, where, like them, he is sometimes arrogant about his honesty. At places, Manoj reminded me of the principled Amol from Chhapaak, also played by Vikrant Massey.

Privilege

One of the central themes of 12th Fail is the notion of privilege. It makes the point that it is tough for someone not born with a silver spoon to make it in life. They have to work harder to reach the top, and their victories are more difficult than those who win the lottery of birth. The struggles of the underprivileged are harder than those of the privileged. Only a handful of students from the Hindi medium clear the final round. So, when someone from such a background makes it, they deserve it more. Manoj cites the example of Edmund Hillary, who climbed Mount Everest, where he says there was a sherpa with him who climbed without oxygen. The sherpa has had to work harder to reach there. In his case, he ran the race without oxygen and nange pair.

The film mentions more aspects of privilege that can bestow certain other advantages. In the interview, Manoj is asked to prove if he would fit in with the officer culture, given his background in Hindi medium. He uses water to make his point. He asks for water in a steel glass, perplexing the interviewer, who says water remains the same in whatever container. Manoj makes the precise point that language is only a medium, so he can succeed there as well. As the teacher also explained, the technology in propulsion remains the same, whether it is a large satellite or a tiny cracker rocket.

Power

The film advocates that power in the hands of the right can bring metamorphosis in social and political aspects. Manoj's first brush with politics is in his village, where the local politician won't let him drive his vehicle. During his interview, he cited the same instance where he would not allow such things to happen if he were made an officer. After meeting with Dushyant, he realized that power in the hands of an honest person can change the world. Shraddha (Medha Shankar) also mentions that she wants to become an officer because she wants the power to stop injustice in the world. In this aspect, a few mentions of APJ Abdul Kalam and B.R. Ambedkar are present in the film. In the cleverly-shot scene, the film also shows a photograph of Swami Vivekananda.

Restart

In the film's opening moments, Manoj's father recites a few words from Atal Bihari Vajpayee's poem Geet Naya Gaata Hoon. He says, "Haar nahi manunga, raar nayi thanunga." I will not concede defeat; I will start the struggle afresh. This essentially surmises the life story of Manoj. He does not give up. Even if he fails, he restarts from scratch. Gauri Bhaiya uses the example of snakes and ladders to underscore the same point. Life is a game of constant snakes and ladders; if one falls back to the beginning, one must restart. Gauri's Bhaiya shop is aptly named Restart.

Sight and Sound

12th Fail has much to see. Early in the film, Dushyant is offered a bribe by the school principal for allowing students to cheat. Manoj and the other students gathered outside and watched from behind the iron bars in the window. Later, the viewpoint of being behind bars is repeated when the police arrest Manoj and his brother for jugaad. Then, when Manoj loses his luggage in Gwalior, he looks at the food shop from a similar viewpoint. In the end, when the results were announced, we again saw that students were standing behind bars. This is befitting of the film's theme of crossing these barriers from one world to another world. The other side lies in power, and Manoj has reached that side with his immense grit.

The other noteworthy thing about 12th Fail is its fantastic use of sound. The film opens in Chambal, with some dramatic sounds playing at the introduction. The background music is lovely, which, Vidhu Vinod Chopra has clarified in an interview, is inspired by Satyajit Ray's Pather Panchali. When Manoj loses his bag in Gwalior, he seems disoriented, and all the crackers start bursting, downing everything out. This instance is repeated before his interview, where he becomes lost in the din of thought, and the sounds of his mind drown everything out.

Mirrors

The Light Within

After Manoj leaves the library, he starts working and living in a flour mill. The space there is so constricted that he cannot even stand erect. Shraddha visits him and questions how he will study in all the darkness. A smiling Manoj replies that his father used to say, "Baahar ke andhere se nahi, andar ke andhere se daro. Suvidhaayon ke laalach me samjhauton ka andhera." Do not fear the darkness outside; fear the darkness within. One has to deal with the darkness of compromises for different comforts. He says he is not afraid of the darkness of the outside world. Perhaps that is why he is always seen around light bulbs throughout the film. The shiny aura of the light outside complements the light within him. During his final interview, he is asked what he would do if he did not become a police officer. He says that once studying under a street lamp, he learned, "If I cannot be the sun that lights up the earth, if I cannot be the sun that shines upon the earth, I can still be a lamp and light up my street." He compares himself to the lamp, where he is happy to shine light upon a few students and teach them. Even in the interview room, we can see the lamps in the frame when he walks out.

History Repeats

The narrative in the film repeats an earlier moment in some places. Early on, Manoj runs to Dushyant to ask for help when his brother is arrested by the police. He exhorts him to help him immediately. Later, the situation comes back twice in different forms. First, when Manoj clears the prelims, he runs to Deep Mohan (Sam Mohan) to ask for help as he owes him. Second, Manoj helped his friend Pandey when the police arrested him without due process. It is almost the reverse of the earlier situation, where he becomes the rescuer instead of the one being rescued.

Manoj's father, Ramveer Sharma (Harish Khanna), was also a principled man. He refused to engage in corrupt practices, which caused his bosses to let him go. His father was suspended from his job as he refused to be complicit in a scam. In an altercation, he throws his slippers at the boss before storming out. Later, Manoj had a similar interaction where he, too, threw his slippers at the librarian who accused him of cheating. 

Pandey

12th Fail is narrated by Pandey. In many places, Pandey's words and actions are reminiscent of Farhan Qureshi's (R. Madhavan's) from 3 Idiots, also produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. Pandey wants to be in the media, but, like Farhan, he does not have the courage to tell his father. In choosing him as the narrator, the film also gives him a chance to make his dream of telling stories come true. Sometimes, Pandey's words reminded me of the line in 3 Idiots where they said, "Dost fail ho jaye toh dukh hota hai, lekin dost first aa jaye toh zyada dukh hota hai."

Parents

The film's most moving scenes are Manoj's conversation with his parents. Two scenes appear back to back—one with his mother and one with his father—where he becomes more mature. When he visits home, his mother, Pushpa (Geeta Aggarwal Sharma), tries to portray that everything is fine even though she is struggling to make ends meet. Manoj is intuitive enough to see her lying, and he confronts her. And then, Manoj's father visits him in Delhi. He breaks down seeing Manoj's deplorable living conditions and says he is ready to let go of his honesty to give his family a better life. Manoj consoles his father and reminds him of the poem of not giving up that he used to teach them. In this moment, Manoj becomes the emotionally mature one, becoming the father to his father. And all the while, he still has a smile on his face. These were some of the most moving moments in the film.

Shraddha

Manoj finds a special friend in Shraddha, who becomes his emotional support. She was always there for him. When his prelims were not clear, she held his hands. When he was going for his interview, she held his hands. When the results came in, she was the one who checked in for him. Their love is beautiful in the quiet moments. When he gets two chocolates for writing the best essay in his class, he gives both to her. When he sees a book he wants to read but cannot afford, she buys it for him. In another lovely moment, she takes him for a haircut, and the barber asks what kind of haircut he wants—IAS or IPS?

There is also a shoe-related scene with them. When Manoj and Shraddha go for an interview, he wears a new pair of shoes, which makes him feel uncomfortable. Shraddha tells him as they are new, they might be tight, but they will gradually open up. Manoj keeps looking at the shoes when he is asked a question during his interview. But after answering questions about failing in the 12th Class, he is asked to wait out. At that point, he reads the letter from Shraddha, where she writes that she will always support him and she wants to marry him. Then, he feels relaxed after reading her proposal and takes off his shoes. He is visibly more confident in the interview after this. It was not clear to me what the shoes were trying to say, apart from loosening up a bit, but the whole interview was beautifully done except, perhaps, for the caricature of the strict interviewer.

Little Details

The film uses little details to denote the passage of time. When Manoj visits his village after a few years, his sister (played by a different actor) has grown up. When he started studying, there were posters of Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Mission Kashmir, which showed that the timeline was around 2000. The coaching center has photgraphs of Vajpayee, which showed that the timeline was around 2000. At Deep Mohan's office, there were photographs of Manmohan Singh and APJ Abdul Kalam, indicating the timeline around 2005.

A poster of Mission Kashmir (2000)

What also stands out in the film is how, in many places, it subverts our expectations of the narrative. For example, when he and his brother were arrested, in my mind, I kept wondering if his brother would be killed or if something would happen to his family, making Manoj then rage against the system. But then, nothing untoward happens. Or how Shraddha's father would oppose their match, but it is solved without much consternation.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Manmohan Singh

Performance

Vikrant Massey, as Manoj, has given his best career performance. I remember him since the days he played Shyam in Balika Vadhu in 2008. The adulation he has received for his performance is totally deserving and mirrors the hard work of his reel-life character, Manoj. It is the culmination of his hard work over the years.

The Ending

On the day the final results were declared, Shraddha and Manoj went to check it. Manoj was not confident as he felt the interview did not go well. Shraddha looks them up while he stands a few feet away. When she nods her head, Manoj falls to the ground and breaks down. For a moment, it took me to that stunning scene in Sajid Ali's Laila Majnu, where, after years of waiting, Qais finally sees Laila in the flesh after four years. His body cannot take it, and he falls by her one glimpse. The stories of Qais and Manoj are obviously different, but something that has given them strength over the years makes them weak at that moment. In the climactic scene in 12th Fail, Pandey recites the second anubhuti from Vajpayee's Geet Naya Gaata Hun, closing the arc of the film's opening scene where Manoj's father spoke a few lines from the same poem. Often, movies make us laugh and cry, but sometimes, they give us the courage to write and sing the many songs of our lives.

"Toote hute taaron se phoote baasanti swar, 

patthar ki chaati me aa gaya nav ankur, 

jharre sab peele paat, koyal ki kuhuk raat, 

prachi me arunim ki rekh dekh paata hun, 

geet naya gaata hun."

Other Reading and Listening:

1. On A Death in the Gunj—Link

2. On Chhapaak—Link

3. On Vikrant Massey—Podcast Link

Dialogue of the Day:

"If I cannot be the sun that lights up the earth; if I cannot be the sun that shines upon the earth, I can still be a lamp and light up my street."
—Manoj, 12th Fail