A sense of desperate hurt and morbid
pain is hanging in the air. Is it the music? Vidya Balan? Mahesh Bhatt or Mohit
Sur? I wonder if I am getting sentimental with age or is it just that the film
makes its sincere statement. The film maker has attracted some criticism for
reiterating old world values. What is wrong with values of the past, if they
still hang around or if they still have place in our society? Why is it
retrograde to respect symbols – the reference to the mangalsutra – like it or
not we traditionally hold it as very respectable? Are mirages not mile stones?
Are not sign posts mirages? May be it is rooted in a culturally and morally
different time and space- but that is the prerogative of the film maker and
what is so wrong is pointing out to submissive women when they still exist in
our times and space? At least the film maker is not celebrating the
exploitation!!
Vasudha (Vidya Balan) is forced into matrimony by her traditional dad to Hari
(Raj Kumar Rao) who believes that his wife is property and is unhesitant in
physically exploiting her including getting his name tattooed on her hand as a
sign of eternal love. Hari in fact had walked out of the life of his wife and
only son Saanjh. The grown up Saanjh thus shuts the door on him years later
when he returns and offers to take Vasudha’s ashes to Bastar. Hari however manages
to take away the urn of ashes (a Mahesh Bhatt connectivity with Saaransh!!) and
leave behind a biography of what went wrong with their lives and their
marriage. Meanwhile Vasudha runs into a rich businessman and hotelier Arav
Ruparel (Emraan Hashmi). Arav like characters form Mahesh Bhatt’s world has
angst thanks to a fractured childhood. His Mom (Amla Akkineni) is a cabaret
artist who has to steal food for her child. He thus makes his tryst with wealth
and comes to own 108 hotels across the world. Vasudha finds love and respect
for the first time in her life and she decides to walk the way with him and
seeks the guarantee of a proper life for her son.
Hari in the meanwhile is believed to be a terrorist and the police are hunting
for him. He returns home on the eve of the prospective wedding of his wife with
Arav and things turn ugly and fatal leading to the tragedy. “Mein thak gayi
hoon” says Vasudha in the course of the film – a feels she shares with the
audience. Cat calls at the theatre suggest that while we may be often critical
of our film makers, they give us what we deserve. Why else would a moron hoot
when a woman in anguish is making her tear filled statement? While it all very
fine to be critical of the film makers are we a mature audience that is willing
to take anything out of the ordinary?
The film is marked by some very fine performances. Raj Kumar is wasted. Emraan
is revealingly awesome. He underplays brilliantly and if this was done by a
Ranbhir or some other “backed up” actor the media would have gone to town with
praise. Vidya Balan is good as ever. She takes a role that would have a Meena
Kumari, Shabana Azmi and Deepti Naval proud. By that standard she falls short.
Yet she gives the movie its tranquil tragic moments but falls short to convert
it to the rawness that Pooja Bhatt gave some films dealing with hurt.
Humari Adhuri Kahani is a punch packed film of a woman who is willing to fight
back albeit after taking shit for a long long time.
Rating: 3 stars
+ performances and punch
– Old fashioned and formulistic.
L. Ravichander.