Listen Amaya...

Listen Amaya...

Even though the dichotomy between East and West has largely narrowed in the last century or so, it is still, in my opinion, largely visible when it comes to Human relationships and its various nuances. In traditional cultures, the concept of family, relationships between its members, their behavior and expectations - all these are fostered and nourished through generations of practice, enforcement and inheritance. It really cannot be thrown overboard overnight. No matter how competently we ape others, there is a deep inner voice in all of us that cannot be ignored. Call it conscience, traditionalism, conservatism - give it any name; fact remains we still shrink at some behavior or attitudes. We may call ourselves modern, liberated, mimic and adopt customs and habits of our brothers and sisters in the Western world, but none of that can really bring out a fundamental change in our beliefs – at a deep level of what we are, and what we have grown up with.. We are Libertines when it comes to other’s life, but when something happens to us, we get very uncomfortable , unsure about how we should behave.. It really takes a real psychological revolution to accept and change such deep rooted foundations.

On my flight from Atlanta to Denver, I finally got around to watch “Listen Amaya..”, an offbeat Indie film featuring two of my favorite actors. - Deepti Naval and Farooq sheikh. It is unbelievable that in the meaningless environment of commercial Hindi Cinema, someone dared to conceive and execute a drama with such poignant sensitivity as this. It is about a Middle Aged widowed lady finding new lease of meaning and purpose in a relationship with a photographer- a widower himself having lost both his wife and daughter tragically. Leela ( Deepti Naval) owns a coffee shop cutely called “ Book a coffee" along with her grown up daughter Amaya, aspiring to be a writer. Amaya is an independent, strong minded, articulate and intelligent girl whose love for her mother is filled with respect and admiration, but when she finds out that mother wishes to have a relationship with Jayant beyond friendship , she is disturbed. She asks her mom a stunning question : “is it all about sex?”. This question underlines the moral and cultural drift in Modern youngsters, and the mistaken belief that the only need that a post-marital relationship can satisfy is sex. In the changing prism of social context in India, where more and more couples are beginning to find solace and warmth beyond the sacred boundaries defined by marriage, this tale raises the important question about the extant and nature of such a relationship, and more importantly, when is it considered appropriate.. While, it is clear to us as audience that the relationship between Jayant and Leela is mature and more stems from a need for genuine companionship, the daughter misinterprets it. The beauty of this tale lies in the understanding both the elders display, and their ability to put themselves in the shoes of the young girl bristling with unwarranted anger. With age should come maturity and wisdom. And “listen Amaya..” is an ode to that stage in life.

After nearly twenty five years, the magic between Deepti and Farooq shimmers again on screen. The best pairs are always those whose presence is non-intrusive and allow each other their spaces. It is never contrived. When this pair got together in “Chasme Badoor”, it seemed impossible to believe that they had not previously acted together. Their chemistry was a class act in emotional fluidity, the doe eyed Deepti complementing the innocent, docile and shy humor of Farooq. There was never a tinge of vulgarity, instead their presence created an aura of understated sensuality which lingered long after the movie. Audience loved the down to earthly beauty of this pair. Common man perceived his own life mirrored in their performances, and that is the true yard stick for any art. Intelligent, articulate and not after financial glory movies could give them, they performed merely for the love of acting. Perhaps, that is why they weren't as commercially successful as some of the other less talented ones who shot to limelight.

What I liked about this movie is the unpretentious portrayal of a very sensitive subject. And the movie does not take sides. The upset daughter is right in her own way, and so is the mother. There can be no outward reconciliation of the two. One of them has to transform and perceive things in true light. No amount of ratiocination, reasoning can effectively solve an social dilemma, unless there is radical change in one’s stand. In our Upanishad’s, our sages talk about two kinds of truth. Sruti - values that cannot change with times, and Smriti - values and relationships that definitely change and one must flow with those changes. The fact that a mother is also a woman with needs is a long accepted truism in Western society, but In India with our long history of placing Women on a pedestal festering with unsolicited opinions on purity and divinity, it will take a lot of courage and inner resolution to accord her the same position as in the west. We still have our restraints. The good news though is that things are changing, and changing fast. And movies like “Listen Amaya” bring out that sense of liberation in a refreshing manner. The strong statement the film makes is this :While the meaning and importance of Motherhood will never diminish, it doesn't not necessarily mean that woman behind that motherhood should suffer solitude and deny herself a life because of bonds of marriage, especially so, if such a marriage unfortunately has ended prematurely, for whatever reason. It is a theme that has been told many times before, but this film presents it afresh for modern times.

A simple story, told in remarkable style. Well done Avinash Kumar singh for directing this work.

God bless…

Yours in mortality,

Bala