I like the films of Jahnu Barua. I find him to be an honest filmmaker. He has made some very interesting movies--the best of which I consider to be "Papori," made in 1986. Any director would like to aspire to make a bigger budget film, with bigger names in Indian cinema. I guess this was the genesis of Barua's well-meaning effort called "Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara." Forget the melodrama of a senior member of the family suffering from a serious disease (why do so many Indian films need to have this ingredient in the plot?) the viewer will be able to see the honest Barua at work: the modern India forgetful of the values of individuals who gave birth to the world's largest surviving democracy, the dishonest lover who is scared of annoying his parents, the university students who treat a demented teacher with respect and courtesy, and the love and affection of grown-up adults for their parents. These are social values that exist in India today that Yash Chopra and other producers bank on to make a film successful. These are the "feel good" social credentials of Indian cinema.
In this film, the real Jahnu stands up as he succeeds in extracting a marvelous controlled performance from Urmila Matondkar, while Anupam Kher does his usual over-the-top melodrama playing to the gallery as he did in "Saaransh." Yet Jahnu, who usually is careful with his script mixes up Alzheimer's disease (first half of the movie) with delusion and psychological after-effects of a childhood incident (later half of the film) and the cure for it. I am not a medical expert but the two disorders seem to be strange bedfellows to manifest itself in the same individual.
The film, though well-intentioned, lacks the intensity of "Papori" comparatively a small budget film because it plays to the gallery. We love this film because it is more honest than the Bollywood kitsch and has some fine performances. This was evident at its screening at the recent Dubai Film Festival. For many in the audience it was the first film of Barua they had seen. And they liked it. If you loved this film (which is technically superior to his previous films, thanks to the bigger budget) do see Barua's "Papori" or even the less impressive "Aparoopa" where the real talent of Jahnu Barua emerges and impresses you even more.
