Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey
The men all wear dhotis (and look darn good in them), the women are covered from head to toe and there’s not a swinging item dance number in sight. In an age of mindless Bollywood entertainment, Ashutosh Gowariker’s ‘Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey’ (KHJJS) is a film you can sink your teeth into. It’s the real stuff.
Based on the book, ‘Do or Die: the Chittagong Uprising 1930-34’ by Manini Chatterjee, the movie documents the little known revolution against the British by a stoic school master and his small band of freedom fighters, assisted by a group of fresh-faced young boys who discover the true meaning of patriotism when they move from trying to reclaim their playing field from the British to really understanding the meaning of ‘Bande Mataram’ and what it means to die for your country.
The film focuses on the single day execution of a well-laid plan to cripple the British by simultaneous raids on their power bases in the small town of Chittagong – minutely planned attacks on the Cantonment, railway station, the officers’ club, telegraph office and the armory, and if one didn’t know it was a true story one would be hard-pressed to believe it.
KHJJS – Abhishek tells Surjya Sen’s Story
These attacks are led by this motley crew with little money, few arms and a ragtag army of cherubic boys who have hardly grown a beard. They are led by Surjya Sen, also known as Masterda, who is a school teacher but also the leader of a band of freedom fighters determined to get India’s independence by any means. He is superbly underplayed by Abhishek Bachchan, conveying anger, frustration and determination just through his smoldering eyes.
Abhishek Bachchan is ably supported by the lovely, spirited Deepika Padukone and a cast of consummate actors who all seem very comfortable in their skin. Sikander Kher stands out as Nirmal Sen, whose passion for freedom trumps all else.
The casting of the youths is perfect, each boy’s individual personality comes out, and you care what happens to them. What is particularly satisfying about Gowariker’s movies is the intense care paid to locales, costumes and the creating of a real world in which you can immerse yourself. There’s not a false note in here though the film could have been tighter with a faster tempo.
KHJJS – Ashutosh Gowariker’s tribute to heroes
My only quibble would be that the characters don’t seem to have a well-etched past life so that you can’t connect to them in a deeper sense – nor do any of them have much of a family, so the emotional angle is missing. And of course, unlike ‘Lagaan’, there’s no cricket to endear these characters to you or to make you root for them! Revolution – blood, guns and bombs – is much more of a serious matter and in these days of terrorism something we all are ambivalent about.
In ‘KHJJS’ this is a band of heroes who took the less popular path to freedom and so sometimes don’t get their due. Yet seeing them battle on, unaware of the happy ending we know occurs in 1947, you have to salute their sacrifice of love and life. It is a movie the young, who take freedom for granted and hence don’t value it as much, need to see. KHJJS is a live history lesson in this age of electronic media. The Chittagong Uprising, lying forgotten in dusty tomes, is once again remembered. Surjya Sen would have been pleased.
