Movie - Guzaarish

 Actors - Hrithik Roshan, Ashwarya Rai & Others

 Director - Sanjay Leela Bhansali

I will begin with a disclaimer- those who haven’t watched this movie should beware of spoilers! This article is more of a critique than a review.

Of all the movies I have reviewed so far, I find Guzaarish the most difficult to comment on. Because I cant make up my mind about this film. In my experience, if you don’t know whether you like a film or not, it is difficult to critique it. A bit of a paradox since objectivity is sort of key in this entire endeavor. But its true nevertheless.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s films are known for their trademark poetic aura, their flamboyance, and their romanticism. Maybe sometimes a bit too indulgent, but that’s his style. And anyway, what’s an artist without the freedom to express himself the way he wants to. With regard to cinematography and art design, Guzaarish, like Bhansali’s previous offerings, is mesmerizing. It’s a beautiful film to look at. Performances by the lead protagonists are brilliant. The story, well…. that’s where I am confused…

Guzaarish is the story of a former magician Ethan, who, owing to an accident during one of his shows, becomes quadriplegic (paralysed neck down). He has embraced this life for 14 years, hosts his own rather successful radio show, keeps most friends and loved ones at bay, but now, has had enough and cant do this anymore. He wants to obtain legal permission to have his life taken away. He wants to fight for the right to euthanasia. A very interesting premise, I think. The film is not about his struggle to survive; we have seen several of those inspiring sagas. The film is about his struggle to die, legally. A theme, that I think has major potential. So far so good. Unfortunately though, Bhansali fails miserably to build a heart- wrenching story around this basic concept, and consequently, it’s this very script that turns out to be the film’s major letdown.

Let me first write about what’s great in this film. Undoubtedly, Hrithik and Aishwarya’s performances. As a quadriplegic, Hrithik only has his eyes and his expressions to convey everything- joy, sorrow, desperation, helplessness, humor, anger, fear… everything…. And he does it brilliantly. It is very clear that the actor has put his life, his soul, and all the strength in his body into this one performance. And you wont find a single person on this planet who is disappointed by his work. Having said that, his was an author- backed role. He is in the spotlight all the time. Its almost as if he had no choice but to be brilliant in this film. Also, none of us expected any less from an actor of this caliber. However, what came to me as a rather pleasant surprise is the performance of the other lead actor of the film, Aishwarya Rai. This is arguably Ash’s best performance to date, overcoming, by a very slight margin, my other two favorites, Guru and Sarkar Raj. I think when Bhansali briefed Ash on her role, he must have said, ‘This is probably going to be the most underplayed performance of your life’. And that’s exactly what it turned out to be. She is constantly in the backdrop of almost every single scene, she has very few dialogues to mouth, but she makes her presence felt, strong and undeniable. She is subtle, confident, graceful, dignified and defiant. Her character Sophia is in stark contrast to Ethan, who is the constant center of attention, while she is almost always relegated to the backdrop. She is the silent spectator who witnesses everything, says almost nothing, while dedicating her entire life to Ethan, who she has fallen in love with.

There are several comic moments in the film, which lighten up the otherwise serious narrative. The songs aren’t great but they don’t really impede the story- telling. There are scenes so poignant, they will easily move you to tears.

Now, the flaws. Putting aside the merits/demerits of the story itself, the narrative has a lot of loopholes. First, Ethan’s former girlfriend who Ethan has dumped in order to save her from the pain and trouble of taking care of him (Oh, Come on! Leave it to her, will you? Does she have a say at all in this matter or not?) appears abruptly, and before you realize what she is saying, disappears. Ethan’s former best friend, who sabotages Ethan’s act resulting in the accident, appears and disappears just as hastily. These two are crucial characters in Ethan’s life but they have been treated like a casual acquaintance. I think the director should have rather not introduced these characters into the narrative than have them make such unnecessarily short appearances. Its almost as if the makers had to cut the movie short and had to keep appearances by supporting characters at a bare minimum. Second, the end of the movie is, for lack of a better word, disturbing. Ethan loses the euthanasia battle, but falls in love with Sophia, who is also in love with him. But, he still wants to die. I am finding it difficult to reconcile with the idea that Ethan chose to end his life rather than live on for the sake of that person who he knows loves him with all her life. Why did he not choose love? I am a strong believer in the power of love. And Sophia’s diligent commitment to Ethan was solid evidence of her love. He even marries Sophia at the end before leaving this world. What the hell? Why would you marry her if you did not think your life was worth living because of her and her alone, if nothing else? Did you think she would have a better life as a poor widow (Ethan, it turns out, has no money) rather than a poor divorcee (from her first husband)? Did you marry her out of respect for her love, or out of sympathy? She didn’t even ask Ethan to marry her! In fact, Sophia’s character is so selfless, that even after Ethan declares his love for her, she doesn’t even ask him to choose to live for her sake. So, why did he marry her?

The one major philosophical opposition that this movie garnered, is the very premise of the story. Rather than providing inspiration to thousands of quadriplegics around the world, who are struggling to find the reason to live, this movie seems to glorify euthanasia! Quadriplegics have shown tremendous strength and will power and many have done wonderfully despite being physically incapacitated. This movie, instead of encouraging them and applauding their efforts, has the audacity to preach mercy killing! I understand this argument. But I also think that this was not the intention of the movie. This movie is the story of one individual, not all quadriplegics. It reflects Ethan’s thoughts, his philosophy, and his decisions. It has nothing to do with others suffering a similar fate. Therefore, it has to be treated objectively. One cannot generalize one person’s reasoning to an entire population. In fact, the movie shows how Ethan, after the accident, actually proves to be an inspiration to many quadriplegics by succeeding to establish a post- accident career as a radio show host. He even talks to them, motivates and encourages them to embrace life as it is, with all its trials and tribulations, before he decides to end his own. He is in no means deriding the efforts of those who have chosen to live on. His argument is that he has lived, rather commendably for 14 years as a quadriplegic. Now, he is not interested anymore. It is too painful and he does not see a reason to continue. Despite being a compassionate person, I believe I am in no position to comment and judge whether or not the pain of a paralyzed person is reason enough to merit mercy killing. I don’t know. All I can say is that the point of the movie is not to glorify euthanasia. The point is to tell the story of a man who gives up on life and when society does not let him, fights for his right to choose. Having said that, I once again reiterate that Ethan’s decision was wrong. I believe he should have lived on for Sophia. After everything she did for him, that’s the least he could have done for her. As an afterthought… was he being selfish? Was he so engrossed in his own suffering that he did not realise how painful it would be for Sophia to lose the one she loved with all her life?