PREM GRANTH review

[Livleen K. Diwana]

This review was published in THE LINK.

A New Page From An Old Book
Prem Granth
*ing: Madhuri Dixit, Rishi Kapoor, Anupam Kher, Om Puri, Prem Chopra
Producer: Rishi Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor, Rajiv Kapoor
Director: Rajiv Kapoor
Music: Laxmikant Pyarelal

by livleen k. diwana
Falling in love - as seen in the movies - invariably means
challenging a set of rules strictly ordained to by society.
In his maiden venture "Prem Granth", Rajiv Kapoor tackles the thorny
issues of women in society and the hypocrisy of religion.
As with all RK films, a great deal of time is spend on the heroine.
Madhuri Dixit, who plays the village belle Kajri surpasses all
expectations with her brilliant performance. She is convincing as a
naive young girl and as the film progresses, the viewer is able to
remark upon her transition into womanhood. Kajri grows up before our
eyes.
"Prem Granth" is like watching two different films. The second half
has splashy, colorful musical productions shot on location in South
Africa and a ceremonious if not ritualistic slaying of the villain.
The passion of the director's vision lies in the first half of the
film. The rape of Kajri happens early on in the film. The scene
itself is very graphic and violent in its degradation. Kajri then
must confront social scorn. Society seemed to condone the assumption
that once an unwed woman loses her virginity she is of no use to
anyone. When Kajri becomes pregnant, only two options remain: to
commit suicide or to become a prostitute.
The plight of an unwed mother is realistically captured by director,
Rajiv Kapoor. The cinematography, Madhuri's understated wardrobe and
make-up and the coup-de-grace, Lata Mangeshkar's soulful vocals
perfects each shot.
Religion, as personified by Anupam Kher as the Pundit, is depicted
as a helpless statuette to be carried from one spot to the other and
yielding no real power of its own. In a poignant scene, the Pundit's
secretary, Prem Chopra uses religion to defame and insult Kajri and
her father, Om Puri. It's a beautifully crafted scene in which
oppression, society and religion come face-to-face. During the
monologue about oppression, superbly delivered by Om Puri, Anupam
Kher says nothing, does nothing... he is as still as the religious
statuette he symbolizes. Meanwhile, Prem Chopra uses religion to
defend society's pious and righteous scorn against the fallen-from-
grace family.
The virtues of a woman and the virtues of religion are raped,
exploited and oppressed. When the oppressed Kajri and the exploited
Pundit encounter each other, their shared helplessness becomes the
focus.
When watching "Prem Granth", another RK film comes to mind, "Prem
Rog" in which a woman's worth is valued and devalued at will. "Prem
Rog" maintained the somber, thought-provoking mood right to the very
last frame. Failure to do likewise was the weakness in "Prem
Granth".
After carefully defining the characters and their dire
circumstances, the viewer is then forced to sit through four lively
songs and dance sequences. The mood is shattered and the message -
the new and powerful message of women and religion - is unforgivably
lost.