Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa

I did not come away thinking that the director wanted to preach Marxism (like some comments indicated), but told a story about some that strongly believed in it. He told the story of those that embrace a movement and by doing so, they have involved their entire family one way or other. The shadows of their sacrifices are long; character Nandini talks about it. The survivors deal with differently -- here the mother is running around her sons memories. She is reaching out to the places that he ever touched. This kind of intelligent film making, simple story lines, characters with depth are not everybody's cup of tea.

I'm not going to say I agree with the story premise but I loved the film, characterization. No actor went for a grandiose performance; dialogues were simple, no punch lines. Hence a very simple film. I would suggest people watch the DVD; the film does a wake some emotions in you.

Performances: What can I say? I have not seen one actor that performed better or worse. Every one lived in their roles, hence the credit goes to the Director. But, I just have to say this... I loved Jaya Bhaduri in Guddi, Uphar, Kora Kagaj ... the lady is natural. She never acts - Amitabh acts -- Jaya just lives in her roles (even in KKKG in few scenes that were not artificial).

This much acclaimed film is a narrate of Sujata Chatterji's (Jaya Bhaduri) discovery of her son's (Brati Chatterji played by Joy Sengupta) life. Made in the backdrop of the Naxalite uprising in Bengal's Naxalbari, the film mostly deals with Sujata's quest for understanding her deceased son's ideologies and outlook to life. Starting off with a mere corpse number '1084' (which lends the film its name), she establishes her son's true identity, despite the social barriers surrounding her.

What appealed to me the most was Sujata's character defined as a simple minded mother whose love for her son gave her the strength to not only discover his pursuit in life, but also, find meaning in her own. That apart, Govind Nihalani brings out a nice diagnosis of the varying ideologies of an entire generation - how a protected and almost shrouded environment can co-exist with an uprising that seeks to change the very foundation of society. The movie explodes at a point where Sujata questions this very oddity, thus marking a moment of change in her own life.

The film has some rather intense moments in Nandita Das's portrayal of the character Nandini . In almost a monologue, Nandini converses with Sujata where she not only brings to light a revolutionary and romantic episode of Brati's life but also rescues a mother dwelling amidst ignorance and compromises. A stark contrast to the dignified and contained Sujata, is Somu's mother (Seema Biswas) who despite her troubles, has has seen more meaning and truth in her motherhood.

The film has tremendous talent in its actors like Anupum Kher, Seema Biswas, Nandita Das, Joy Sengupta, Milind Gunaji and of course Jaya Bachhan making a comeback in 1998 after a long gap in her cinema career. On a slight con side, I think the cinematography on occasions could do better. Overall, a very good film to watch.

The film not only portrays the dark days in the history of Bengal when human rights were strangled under the boots of power, it also essays the journey of a middle aged lady that led her to discover her dignity as a human being and reassess her own goals in life as she delves deeper into the life and ideology of her deceased son.

A beautiful story of struggle, realization and hope.

Calcutta, the capital city of West Bengal, the eastern state of India. The period is 1970-72. The city is in the grip of a leftist militant movement, popularly known as the "Naxalbari Movement". The "Naxalbari Movement" began in the Naxalbari region to get minimum wages for the agricultural labour, and soon spread to other rural and urban areas of Directed by Govind Nihalani and based on Jyanpeeth award winner Mahashweta Devi's novel, Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa (Mother of Number 1084), is clearly one of the better films to come out of India in the recent past.

Set in Calcutta in the turbulent period of 1970-1972, when the region was much shaken by the Naxalbari movement, it tells the poignant story of a woman's quest for truth and self realization. The Maoist movement that originated in the Naxalbari region demanding minimum wages for agricultural labor had spread to urban areas in the 70's and attracted leftist intelligentsia and restless student groups. Wanting a new social order, a socialist economy and a society free of all social barriers, these youth took to the streets renouncing the lifestyles of their affluent parents. In the process, however, the movement muddled into dogmatic class-struggle theories espoused by Mao's (since disgraced)lieutenant Lin Piao and adopted violent, even murderous, tactics that completely alienated the bourgeoise and most of the general population.

A struggle that sought to free oppressed villagers from the clutches of feudal landlords soon spilled into urban homes with leftist militant youth rebelling against what they considered the complacent, hypocritical and bourgeois society.

As the film begins, Sujata Chatterji (Jaya Bachan), an upper middle class wife and mother is called to the police morgue to identify her son Brati Chatterji (Joy Sengupta). Known only as number 1084, her son is vilified by his own father, who is more concerned with hushing up the matter. The police refuse to turn over the body, and mother and daughter watch numbed as the son is cremated in a perfunctory public funeral.

The mother, beginning to question the conditions in which she herself lives, seeks out a reason for her son's passion for the revolutionary cause and sense of sacrifice for a proletariat that the family has had no connection with. Her anguish and pained bewilderment are slowly supplanted by her self-awareness andcoming to terms with her own reasons for existence.

This reviewer, never a fan of the over-the-top mannerisms that constituted Jaya Bacchan's acting style, was impressed here by her restraint and economy of movement. The integrity of her performance as the protagonist in this film reveals a sincerity and conviction that may have been unrealized in the Bollywood light comedy for which Ms. Bachhan is mostly known. Govind Nihalani must surely share the credit for tapping this actress's potential.

Seema Biswas, an enormous talent (Bandit Queen, Company), is commendable as the mother of a working class Naxalite, who is also murdered in the same encounter as Brati. Nihalani depicts the two mothers coping with their loss in their different ways, bringing out their class and cultural differences. Seema Biswas, the poor Bihari mother is warmly uninhibited both in grief and expression of affection, while Jaya Bachchan bottles up her sorrow, and is restricted in her display of emotion. While there are no cathartic outbursts,in a climactic scene, Ms. Bachhan suffers a burst appendix at the party celebrating her daughters's engagement. As she clutches her stomach and writhes in agony, her screams evoke a woman crying out in pain during childbirth.

In the novel, the story ends there. The film, striving to bring a more Cinematic closure to the tale, has the woman build a successful Human Rights organization and converting her unfeeling husband to her way of thinking.

Anupam Kher as Sujata's shallow spouse and Nandita Das as the fiery lover of Brati are quite adequate whereas Milind Gunaji as the hated cop puts forth a brutally strong performance.

The film won the National Award for the Best Hindi Film, 1997, is a must see for all lovers of meaningful cinema.

This movie and the original story on which it is based seem to paint a rosy and glamoros picture of the Naxalite movement and the Marxism on which the movement was based.

How can one ignore and forget that the countries like China and USSR have been the biggest oppressor of human freedom and democratic rights.

The film and the story portrays Marxism and Naxalite movement as the ultimate saviors and revolutionary for the society. Alas! such hollow slogans and empty dreams could not be implemented even in the birth-place of those, viz., USSR and China, which are turning to capitalism themselves.

Apart from this heavy ideological bias, the movie is well-made with powerful performances by Jaya Bachchan and Nandita Das.