Aa kood. Isme khazana chupa hai! That is perhaps the most apt way to review the 1988 masterpiece by Kamal Swaroop called Om Dar B Dar. Released in select theatres only after 25 years of its making, Om Dar B Dar makes for a perfect study of Camus’ philosophy of the absurd. Though the filmmaker’s own familiarity with the Algerian philosopher’s ideas is not known, yet his movie evokes the kind of mesmerisation and nostalgia that erupted from The Myth of Sisyphus. Revolting against the orthodox style of storytelling and filmmaking, Om Dar B Dar challenges the very notion of style and form, in cinema and life in general. The dialogues are so random yet so profound subconsciously that you can’t help but wonder at the ease with which imagination flows at every instance of the movie. Gayatri: “Tujhe kaise pata barish hone wali hai ?” – “How do you know it’s going to rain?” Om: “Tu Kangi jo kar rahi hai” – “Because you are combing your hair.” It’s a cinematic experience that cannot be missed. Filled with the most weird combination of elements- Brahma, Biology, Rana tigrina, Non-cooperation by not breathing, diamonds, the story is like an “LSD trip”. Yet, despite the nonsensical narrative (which was intended) Om Dar B Dar brings forth a post-modernist philosophy that satires everything that ever stood for anything. It’s a deconstruction of meaning, of man’s never-ending quest for context and linearity, and eventually ends up giving the most elemental of sermons ever made- Man creates meaning by himself. The so-called story ends with one of the lead characters committing suicide by his lover’s side, revoking Camus’ central statement- There’s only one serious philosophical question and that is suicide. The whole film, in fact, seems to be portraying what Albert Camus said about the absurd- “Man stands face to face with the irrational. He feels within him his longing for happiness and for reason. The absurd is born of this confrontation between the human need and the unreasonable silence of the world.” Watch it. Don’t try to understand it. Admire it. Feel it and watch it change your perspective. Aatankkari tadpole ne mendhak banne se inkar kar diya tha! (Terrorist tadpole had refused to become a frog!) (Acknowledgement: arthousecinema.in is a wonderful place to discover films such as these and their timeless impact.)
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Rajit Roy
An existential romantic, an agnostic and a prospective biologist. Archives
September 2018
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