Mirch Masala : A 'Sour' Tale of Chillies & Spices !!!
The decade of 1980 proved to be quite an unpleasant time for the Indian film industry as most of the flicks produced didn’t offer any satisfaction to the moviegoer. Most of them were dominated by ostentatious musicals and doltish melodramas. But there were a few of them that were able to allure a particular section of the people. Flicks like Masoom, Jaane Bhi DoYaaron, Ardhsatya, Aakrosh, etc to name a few. Among them was “Mirch Masala” directed by an ostensibly cagey director Ketan Mehta. The movie portrays the plight of the village masses & highlights the role of women in the appeasement of the power-seekers.
The film is set in colonial India during the early 1940’s when tax collectors (Subedars) used to travel from village to village to demand taxes. By making use of their power, they would oppress villagers & seize women along with property & money. One such Subedar (Naseeruddin Shah) commands Sonbai (Smita Patil) to sleep with him. Sonbai flees from his grasp and takes shelter in a local spice factory. This plunges the entire village into conflict. When a group of women wants to join Sonbai in her unusual insurrection, they are repelled by their own husbands. The villagers and Village chief (Suresh Oberoi) must now decide whether to hand over Sonbai to Subedar, or let him destroy their village and molest their wives, sisters and daughters.
Director Ketan Mehta has very effectively used the metaphor of chillies and spices to represent the female power. His distinctive story works itself out both as an impressive narrative and as a challenging moral question. Moreover, the film carefully portrays the different villagers and their varying responses when confronted with the moral dilemma. Mehta’s exposition of the complexities helps bring forth the drama. He has uncovered the underlying realities through the use of vivid colours & sharp photography.
Naseeruddin Shah, as a tyrannical tax collector, has done a dazzling job. His face is quite expressive of the complexities involved in his role. Smita Patil, as a fierce and uncompromisingly proud woman, Sonbai, impresses too. Other actors such as Suresh Oberoi, Deepti Naval, Om Puri and Mohan Gokhale have done justice with their respective roles. Om Puri as Abu Miya, the watchman of the besieged spice factory, comes out with an exceptional performance. Cinematography by Jehangir Choudhary is truly remarkable.
Despite of being so remote now as per the contemporary time, the movie provides a good & enriching source of entertainment. Truly a complex and beautifully filmed work !!!!
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Re: Mirch Masala : A ‘Sour’ Tale of Chillies & Spices !!!
Very good review, of a good movie. You made me remember this movie which was lost in my memory. As you said this movie does provide an enriching source of entertainment.
But I disagree when you say that the decade of 1980 was very bad for Indian film industry. You say that all of them were ostentatious musicals and doltish melodramas. You say that very few good movies were made and gave some examples. The examples you gave are all non-commercial Hindi movies.
But you missed out quite a few movies.
Telugu film industry produced some of the gems of Indian cinema during the decade 1979-1989 , mostly by director K Vishwanath....
1. Year 1979: Shankarabharanam : Directed by K. Vishwanath. Considered by many critics ( including Mani Ratnam ) as one of the best Indian film.
Awards won by this film:
National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment (1980)
National Film Award for Best Music Direction (1980): K Mahadevan
National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer (1980) - S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer (1980) - Vani Jayaram
2 Year 1982: Saptapadi: Again a gem of a movie by director K Vishwanath, giving social message.
Awards:
Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration (1982)
3. Year 1983: Megha Sandesam: Directed by Dasari Narayana Rao.
The movie won four Indian National Film Awards.. It won a total of 27 awards, a record for the Telugu Cinema Industry.
Best Regional Film (Telugu)
Best Music Director: Ramesh Naidu
Best Playback Singer (Female), 1983: P. Susheela
Best Playback Singer (Male), 1983: K. J. Yesudas
Best film, 1982
Kalasagar Award, 1982
4. Year 1984: Sagara Sangamam: Again by K. Vishwanath.The movie won accolades at the Asian Film Festival in both "Best Movie" and "Best Actor" categories.
National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu
National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer for S. P. Balasubramaniam
National Film Award for Best Music Direction for Ilaiyaraaja
5. Year 1985: Swathi Mutyam: Again by K. Vishwanath.The movie won accolades at the Asian Film Festival in both "Best movie" and "Best Actor" categories. The movie is about an autistic person who happens to defy existing social customs and traditions for a good cause. The movie was chosen to be India's official entry to the Oscars for 1985.
National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu (1986).
6. Year 1987: Pushpak Vimana : Directed by Shrinivas Rao Singeetham. A movie with no dialogues superb acting by Kamal Hasan and Amla. The film was lauded by critics (including those of the Cannes jury)
7. Year 1989: Geethanjali: Directed by Mani Ratnam. The film was critically acclaimed upon release. A dying man (Nagarajuna) learns that the girl he loves (Girija) is also dying. The song "O priya priya" by S P Balasubramanyam was very popular all over India.
National Film awards -Golden Lotus Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment (1990)
Bangaru Nandi Award - Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment - from the State Govt. of Andhra Pradesh
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