MOVIE REVIEW: Paheli (2005)
I like Bollywood. With that statement, I can say I have made the Understatement of the Year for 2016. But to task, I remember the first time I saw the stars of the fairy tale movie Paheli in action: the 1997 Bollywood classic “Kuch Kuch Hotai Hai”, which dates me terribly.
Kishanlal (ShahRukh Khan in a bad fake mustache) is an accountant living in the Rajahstan area of western India, and he marries the painfully beautiful Lachchi (actress Rani Mukherji)…but he’s so caught up in his work he ignores his wife on their wedding night. If you thought that was bad, he goes on to tell her he’s leaving the next day on business and will be gone for THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. What is she to do, as he rides out on a camel to make money for his family? She can do nothing but cry and pray to have her husband back. The gods work in mysterious ways, as a plan to balance it all is in the works.
On the way back from her wedding, Lachchi was followed by several woodland creatures, all of which were manifestations of a ghost. The ghost fell in love with her and when the ghost found out Kishanlal he had left his wife alone for 5 years, he swooped down to Kishanlal’s family home…in the guise of Kishanlal himself (also played by ShahRukh Khan)! He presents himself to the family and to his wife, making sure to right the wrongs made by his visual forbear AND is able to do so even after telling Lachchi that he is in fact a spirit. She made her peace with this fact, saying she could not stop the one who wanted to leave, so how could she stop the one who wants to come. And I was like “YEAH” and the movie went on in spectacular Bollywood fashion (magical events, playful moments, crying in the rain, dance numbers, sexual metaphors), but it’s a fairy tale, so there must be conflict.
A messenger arrived from where Kishanlal traveled — I deduced from the narrative it’s a day and a half of walking across the Thar Desert — and was disturbed to find Kishanlal waiting for him; it was the imposter, but the messenger doesn’t know that. Hijinks ensue when there’s confusion on who is the real Kishanlal and though the man’s family wants answers and for the king to make the decision, they find someone else who is willing to solve the problem: a desert shepherd (played by Amitabh Bachchan). So this shepherd goes on to solve this riddle, or paheli.
Despite its distinctly male-dominated cast, if you like stories of female empowerment this is the movie for you. If you like breaking down fridge logic, this one’s for you. And if you dig the wild and ornate traditional Indian fashions from Rajahstan, by all means partake. But if you have issues with movies that are 2.5 hours long don’t bother — it is an old story, after all.
— previously published 6/12/2016 on Facebook Notes —
