HIDDEN METAPHORS (PART 1) IN GANGS OF WASSEYPUR ??

It has been 7 years since Anurag Kashyap’s gangster epic ‘Gangs of Wasseypur 1 and 2’ released and took the entire nation to witness a miracle. Whether it is the well etched characters or power-packed dialogues, the film received a cult status in no time at all.

After watching the film several times and grinding several theories, there are still a lot of things that continue to enthrall me as a cinephile. I have seen the film atleast more than 35 times and saw some hidden metaphors that I still wonder were deliberate or not.

1.       ASHA vs. TAZ

If we closely watch GoW, the first scene starts when a group of people are watching a daily soap on TV and as the camera pulls back, we see a calendar of Shiva and Parvati with ‘ASHA’ written in Hindi. In English, ‘Asha’ means hope. I feel ‘Asha’ symbolizes the Pathan clan where earlier Shahid Khan hopes to lead with power, Sardar Khan, Naghma and Faizal Khan hope to seek revenge from Ramadheer, Definite hopes to lead Wasseypur, Mohsina hopes for a better life, Shama hopes for acceptance by her brother. 

The name of the brass band is again "Asha" which caters almost to every single occasion in Pathan household, be it a celebration (salam-e-ishq meri jaan) or a mourning (yaad teri aayegi). The word "Asha" is somehow, again, quite metaphorically placed in frame. 

During the "Sultan shoot out" scene, another Pathan 'Definite' kills the 'Qureshi' Sultan. During this scene, I saw word "Asha" written over Definite's bike. Though it is not readily visible to the naked eye, yet it occupies an important portion of screen. 

Metaphorically, "Asha" plays within the context of Wasseypur and the conflict between the Pathans and Qureshis. Is it deliberately placed???

The word 'Taz'

As "Asha" means Hope, similarly "Taz/Taj" means the crown or POWER. There are these two scenes in the film which shows prominence of TAZ associated with Ramadheer Singh. In one scene (GoW Part 1), when Ramadheer Singh is addressing the ‘Mazdoor Union’, we see ‘TAZ SOUND’ as the name of the sound vendor. It is during that time of the film when Ramadheer’s might is taking prominence and he is slowly and steadily becoming feared in Dhanbad.

Similarly, during the shootout of Sardar Khan, when Sultan and his men shoot him ensuring a precise and calculated hit, we see a roadside hoarding in the background with name “TAZ STEEL”. It is an important scene where power is again shifting back to Ramadheer Singh as earlier in the film, due to Sardar’s increasing clout, he infuriates Ramadheer that results in this scene. Is Anurag Kashyap trying to convey the power shift through ‘TAZ’ ?  

…. To Be Continued… in PART 2

NOTE: (The above write-up is solely based on my thoughts as a film writer and a cinephile. Nothing related to this is available online or in any text book.)

-Written by

Manas Mishra

Watch micro-budget indie feature 'KSHAY' this weekend on Amazon Prime

How many people do you need to make a film?

100..?

70..?

20..?

2..?

Two.. Well.. but how?

Kshay is an example of micro-budget film-making where the director Karan Gour collaborated with Cinematographer Abhinay Khoparzi and gave us this highly inspiring piece of cinema. Kshay showcases the psychology and obsession of a middle-class housewife for a statue of goddess Laxmi. The plot is simple yet effective because of the brilliant pre-production work. Now when I say pre-production, it is the hardcore planning and conception that goes on after finalizing the right script. For somebody who is making a film in just 4 lakh rupees, a lot of things have to fall in place to make sure it sees the light of the day.

It is a new kind of experimental cinema where the director has used quite a number of ingenious techniques. It is a break from the kind of stylized cinema we gorge on mostly. The film is mainly for the cinephiles who love engaging stories, novels, plays, write-ups, etc. It would remind you of Nolan’s Following and Doodlebug or Aronofsky’s Pi and some of David Lynch films. Few smart moves by the makers of Kshay are:

1)     They selected the black-and-white tone for the film which works both ways. Firstly, it depicts Chhaya’s (played by Rasika Dugal) psychological status where she doesn’t have colors in her life (she had a miscarriage, low finances). The other reason could be that the makers had very limited production budget (approx 1 lakh) so a lot of money is saved in art direction and lighting (basically the frame). The opening scene where Arvind is talking to Bapu has flat walls behind but the black-white tone kind of reduces that flatness.

2)     In the film, Chhaya sells all the household stuff to procure the required 15000/- for the statue. Now that is a smart move by the makers as we don’t have to fill the foreground or background. It justifies the absence of having negligible scope for art direction or continuity. Well it augurs well for the shoestring budget.

3)     Arvind is shown working for a construction company. Finding an under-construction building is not a major issue and most of the time, he is shown wearing the construction helmet and standing in front of the building, which again excludes the need of intensive recce.  

4)     In the climax scene, when Arvind reaches Bapu’s office with the gun, the entire shootout is not shown. Both the characters go inside the room (camera remains outside) and we see a flash of light with the sound of gunshot and then one of the characters come out with blood stains on his shirt- CUT TO- Chhaya mourning. It solves two purposes for the director. Not only it creates anticipation for the audience but also enables director to avoid headaches of vfx or fancy camera movements or in short, to save money, which is the underlined objective of any indie filmmaker. Hats off to this approach !!

5)     We all know how talented Rasika Dugal is so the director has tried to give her maximum screen time, not forcibly or disjointedly, but has created her demand through the story and narrative. The story is about her (character of Chhaya) so most of the shots are close-ups/mid close-ups in contrast to wide shots as there is not much to show around or to fill the frame. Quite intelligently so..

6)     Since both the lead characters (couple) are going through a financial crisis, it automatically rationalizes their current situation in the story. It allows to minimize fancy clothes, accessories, lights, furniture paraphernalia, etc, thereby keeping a check, once again, on budget.

7)     There are four main locations used: Bapu’s office, the statue shop, the rented apartment (around 80% film has been shot here) and the construction site. Also there is a fifth location i.e. Chhaya’s sub-conscious, which mostly appears to have been shot inside the apartment only. The director leaves us mostly with Chhaya and her sub-conscious so the maximum film happens to be inside her rented apartment and we don’t even realize for how long she had been there.

8)     The camerawork needs a special mention for carefully using slow-motion and POV shots, that makes us seamlessly enter and exit Chhaya’s subconscious. The opening sequence where she gets hit by a stone was nicely edited to show its POV. Also Goddess Laxmi’s POV as if she is also obsessed with Chhaya or is it Chhaya’s perception of Goddess looking at her, we can only discuss.

The film was released way back in 2011 when the state of independent film-making was such that it got released on Friday only on four screens in the entire India i.e. 2 in Mumbai and 1 each in Delhi and Gurgaon.

The film can currently be seen on Amazon Prime. For people who love cinema and appreciate good content, it is a must watch !!

-Manas Mishra

SCIENCE Vs. ARTS & HUMANITIES

 
I still remember it was 1st March 2003. Arch rivals India and Pakistan were all set to clash in the 2003 WC and I was busy studying physics for my final board exams as the exam was on 3rd March. As a cricket fan, it was getting difficult for me to concentrate as the match pressure was getting on my nerves. My father, knowing it, insisted that I should follow the match. Reluctant at first, somehow I gave up on physics and enjoyed the match. India won the match with Sachin's heroic 97 runs and I managed to get 75% marks in physics. Most of my classmates got more than 90% in physics and still had regrets but for me, it was more than expected. I still wonder whether studying physics helped me. Yes, I know about Ohm’s law and Biot-Savart law but no one made physics interesting for me. Atleast the way I wanted it to. May be if I had studied some other subject, things would have been slightly different. 

Recently, one of the parents I know sent their only son to study Engineering far away due to delusion of a "secure" life that the above-mentioned career promises, in common parlance, that the life of the kid is “set” and also may be to maintain their prestige with other relatives, whatever that means, the cost being the abstract dreams and ambitions. He had to compromise on his creative & artistic abilities that would have given him some fame atleast and more than an underpaid job. 

In our country, there has always been an endless debate of Science vs. Arts and Science students are looked upon with respect as compared to Arts.  It is a common belief that Science gives better employability to students. However, I have mixed views on the same. With both my maternal and paternal grandfather being Chemistry Professor and Civil Engineer respectively, and my father a Forensic Expert, taking science as a subject was always on the cards for me but studying science didn't come naturally to me. It was good to know about human anatomy and the environment but studying periodic table including chemical reactions and deriving formulae in physics made me feel as if I am flying an aircraft without a license. 

Humanities or Arts is like a ‘chachera bhai’ of Science. Very few students voluntarily opt of Humanities as a stream after Class 12. Most of them are discouraged by their parents and their peers. Out of the remaining who still opt for Humanities or Arts as a stream after Class 12, do so because of they have not been able to manage a seat in either the Science or Arts stream. 

I feel both Science and art are as interconnected as heart and brain, as male and female, etc. Sometimes, science results to art (technological advancements in today's cinema) or art results to science (tales about human flight led to airplanes and jets). A rhythmical poetry or song is just an organized maths equation. Learning literature, history, music, films and other languages thus are necessary to understand the basic beneficial, utilitarian and apparent form of science.

I studied films and film-making at master's level, and all the while I did my best to integrate scientific knowledge into my artistic practice, since it seemed to me to be a useful tool to enlighten my path. I got drawn into it through my fascination with the aesthetic experience. Also, making and writing films helped me to study history and politics at a deeper level. I studied forensics because I was interested in human behavior. I feel Psychology and Sociology are still considered quite under-rated subjects in Indian context. 

But finally, the arts and humanities is getting its due importance as most of the students are not shying away in selecting humanities and social science subjects after class X because of the interesting career opportunities they have to offer. Not only this, it leads to a strong understanding of the social undercurrent and the environment as well as art and culture making for a well-rounded and cultivated personality. 

Now-a-days, there are so many students, especially young girls, pursuing political science, history and economics, who go on to do well in areas like civil services and international relations. Science is chosen mostly for engineering and medicine and there is an engineering college in every nook and corner.

I still feel, learning about history, geography, political science, economics, literature, philosophy and anthropology fills that vacuum inside a student that otherwise is left unattended. 

Yet to be seen how many more opt for Medical & Engineering… or will the winds change their direction soon ??

Spice up your screenplay with this plot device !!

As a screenwriter, an important question arises as to how to engage your audience. Today I am going to discuss a winning formula to spice up your screenplay. As a famous proverb goes - “You reap what you sow”, similarly in a screenplay, one of the very important device is ‘Plant and PayOff’, which simply means that you establish something earlier in the film that pays off later or is later used in the film. 

Some of famous ‘Plant & PayOff’ used in films are as follows:

1)        In James Bond films, the character Q introduces different gadgets, car and weapons to 007 which he uses toward the end to fight with villains (PayOff). 

2)        The term ‘Rosebud’ in Orson Welles’ classic ‘Citizen Kane’ is beautifully planted in initial few shots which remains a mystery throughout the film, only to be revealed in the last shot of the film (PayOff) and that too only to the audience (won’t reveal here- watch the film). 

3)        In ‘Do Dooni Chaar’, the plant is the question paper of a student (having roll no. 1393) that allures the school teacher into a money-making deal for the down payment of his dream car ‘Alto’ (PayOff). 

4)        In ‘Mom’, the plant is the shady detective guy (played by Nawazuddin) who helps the protagonist (payoff) to trace the rapists. 

5)        In Abbas Mastan’s ‘Race’, the plant is establishment of Saif Ali Khan’s character as a daredevil who loves racing and stunts. It pays off later in the film when his character is re-introduced doing gravity-defying stunts and saves Bipasha Basu. 

6)        In Shyamalan’s ‘The Sixth Sense’, well, the plant is so subtle that the payoff comes as a surprise (One of the best I have seen).

7)        In ‘Jaws’, it is the pressurized scuba tank which later helps in killing the shark (payoff). 

8)        In ‘Fukrey’, the plant is the character of the homeless drug-addict (who used to sell Lali’s motorbike parts) who later helps Lali by giving him the money to invest in the next dream (payoff).

9)        In Abbas Mastan’s ‘Aitraaz’, the plant is the mobile phone defect that is introduced later in the film and it finally helps Raj’s acquittal.  

10)     In ‘3 IDIOTS’, the plant is the ‘Viru S’ inverter that takes power from the car batteries, which is later used in the film to carry on a delivery (PayOff). 

In short, a dialogue, a character, a painting or a photograph, a prop or some piece of information or a combination of all these is introduced (planted) early in a film, is mentioned repeatedly in the film (depends) and finally pays off later in the film generally during a climax (not always during the climax). It can also be used during several scenes instead of the entire film. 

A good ‘plant & payoff’ engages audience and gives them a chance to be an active participant in the narrative rather than being a ‘sitting duck’. The best way to use it is to make sure that both plant and payoff are far away from each other in a narrative, otherwise both plant and payoff would appear deliberate and forced upon. For eg. Consider the above mentioned ‘3 IDIOTS’ scene. Now if Ranchho invents the inverter in one scene and in the next scene, the delivery happens with the help of the inverter… Sounds too superficial.. Isnt it?? 

We have to make sure that the plant is not too obvious otherwise the payoff will fall flat and becomes quite predictable. And, if the plant is too subtle, we might not even notice the payoff. 

So, a ‘plant & payoff’ is a vital element in feature and television writing. Next time you watch a film or a television series, try to identify one and try to use in your own productions as it not only develops your sense of story structure but also helps you to make your narrative unexpected.

Need Ideas for Making a Short Film?? Try this.. (PART TWO)

...........continued from last post

4)        Visual Stimuli- Anything happened the last time you looked at a photograph or a painting ?? Any idea crossed your mind? For eg. Look at this photograph. It was published in a newspaper. What moves you/intrigues you about it? Can you create a new backstory (everything that happened up to the moment this shot was taken? How did this person reach there? What happened after this photograph was taken?

 

5)        Forced Connection- As the name suggests, take two props or two characters or two locations exactly opposite to each other or having no obvious connection and then create a connection between them. For eg., pen and paper is an obvious connection but what about pen and money or paper and sunglasses? Or write a story about a chance encounter of an industrialist with a rag-picker, etc. 

6)        Shoebox- Next time, if you buy a nice pair of shoes or any other footwear, do not throw away the shoebox. Rather, just wrap the opening lid with the base by a cellotape and make a small horizontal cut at the top. What next? Well, jot down on a piece of paper whatever crap comes into your mind, put it inside this shoebox and forget about it. Next time, repeat the same process. After a few weeks, when you feel you have put enough material inside the box, open the lid and take out all the papers. Open and read all of them, try shuffling them or re-ordering them, you will get something to work with for your next film. 

7)        Brainstorming- This is a technique which is used in advertising. Try picking up a subject and list down a free association of thoughts and feelings that come to you. For eg., a wife getting ready for office is searching for her pen drive, which contains an important presentation, drives to office and gives the presentation. Now this scene has no conflict or problem. Keeping PCR (Problem-Complicate-Resolution) theory in mind, we have to create a problem first. We can start with a problem that she is unable to find her pen drive and time is running out for her. She finally gets her pendrive. She starts to drive (may be the tyre gets punctured and she takes a lift which leads her to even more troubles) OR she reaches office in time only to find that she carried a wrong pen drive. So, try to complicate a problem thereby providing a final resolution. 

8)        “What if”- Always ask yourself- “What would happen if this happens??” For eg., you get up one fine morning to find that you are inside a coffin, alive. Or what if you found out that the world will end in 24 hours, what would you do? Or what if you realize that you can read anyone’s mind? Most stories start this way. You will end up getting challenging situations leading to new twists. 

9)        Dreams- Make sure to keep a diary or a note book along your bedside to immediately write whatever you dreamt last night. It could be not so interesting but you will definitely get a starting point. 

10)     Mind Mapping- Write a key idea on the centre of a page. Then write     associated ideas in bubbles around that centre idea, with a line linking each one to your core idea. Then draw bubbles of associated ideas and so on until you create an information web on that page. 

These are some of the ways to generate ideas. Essentially screenwriting is divided into 3 parts:

1)        Pre-writing (65% of total writing)

2)        Actual writing (5% of total writing)

3)        Re-writing (30% of total writing)

The more you work on pre-writing, the better outcome you will get. Don’t just start writing your first draft. Pre-writing cannot be ignored.