Shyam benegal is a master of creating sharp characters and narrating the plot through their intersecting motivations. On one hand is Rukmini Bai, played superbly by Shabana Azmi. On the other is Mr. Gupta (khulbushan Kharbanda), a suave Business man with deep pockets who has his wolf eyes set on this prime piece of land and Shanti Devi, a self proclaimed moral police funded by Mr. gupta, trying to ouster Rukmini Bai from the city . Caught in the midst is Mr. Agarwal who heads the Municipal committee but has a dark secret kept safe and happy in Rukmini Bai’s Kotha. There are sub plots and digressions, but none have any significant bearing on the film. It is more about the detail of present than the cause(past) and effect(future) contraption of most narratives.
The Kotha and its degenerating walls is a landscape in itself livened by Tungrus (Naseruddin Shah), her human pet who either barks when drunk or ho-hums to his master’s wish; Zeenat(Smita patil), her favourite amongst all who spend her days practicing Gazal in the ‘high room’; Om Puri(ram gopal) as the lascivious photographer always in hunt of sleazy pictures of the inhabitants and other women of the house played by neena gupta, soni razdan and ila arun.
In Mandi, we see a departure from the stark realism of most Benegal movies. The camera angels are creative, with deliberate use of mirrors in a lot of indoor shots sometimes only so to make it interesting and does nothing to add meaning. The characters are almost caricature like driven by linear motivation. The film is more in the land of ‘Black comedy’ rather than a satire.
But the movie belongs to Shabana Azmi, hands down. Long before method acting became fashionable in bollywood, the super shabana walks, talks, bites, drapes, laughs, weeps, indulges, admonishes like someone who has seen the turning of tides. There is not one single sincere moment of Rukmini(shabana) revealing her true feelings, not a single close shot to explore that. In a long stretched chaotic sequence, the deaf&dumb bride sold off to Rukmini tries to commit suicide but if finally saved- observe the manipulative Rukmini creating a sense of victimhood and sympathizing with the Bride but has no intention to send her off back to her life. In fact one feels that Rukmini has played so many characters in her life- of a parent, mentor, a victim of society and men at large, a secret keeper, a philosopher of her profession, a task master, a seductress, an artist of higher taste more evolved than the keepers of morality, that the real rukmini has walked off to one corner realizing its uselessness.
At 2 hr 42 mins, this film has been made for patrons and not viewers accustomed to the 90 min films with shots changing every 15 sec. The plot is not as dense and heavy like other Benegal films, but still is entertaining primarily because of its characters. Like a patron soak yourself in the youth of zeenat and the excitement of young love (yes! There is a sub plot too), follow closely the entertaining gazal ‘Zabane Badalti hein’ and you will find yourself smiling, feel pity for tungrus who can only rant at the changing times, get seduced by Shabana...o Shabana who simply is the chhappan bhog which will only make you want more.
If you do watch it, tell me if you did not find the superclose shots of rukmini and her muse cum favorite Zeenat bordoring on lesbian love. I dont know if its my male gaze or Benegal is plain naughty here. Or both :)
Time for EMI-
E- 7/10 (only because of its length)
M- 7/10
I- 5/10
Final Score- 6.6/10
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