Ever seeing “Amu” six years ago, the narrative film based on the 1984 Sikh massacres in India, I have made a point of attending screenings for any film dealing with the Sikhs. As a dramatic subject entailing both human and social dimensions of enormous weight, I can’t imagine any other people better suited for cinematic treatment. As the quintessential underdog from their inception as one of the world’s latest major religions, the Sikhs have been in a constant struggle to defend their rights and their identity against intolerant and more powerful social forces—starting with India’s Moghul rulers in the fifteenth century. As was the case with Christianity in its earliest phases, the Sikh religion was opposed to an unjust social order and ready to suffer martyrdom on behalf of its values. That struggle continues to this day.
The two films under consideration here have athlete protagonists. “Bhaag, Milkha, Bhaag” (Run, Milkha, Run) is inspired by the true-life achievements of runner Milkha Singh. Known as “The Flying Sikh”, Singh (still alive at the age of 77) represented India in the 1960 Rome Olympics as well as many Commonwealth games. Director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, who appeared at a press screening on Wednesday, stated he was not seeking to make a biopic. Since the film is solidly within the Bollywood genre, it is hard to imagine it ever conforming to biopic literalism. As I will explain momentarily, Bollywood films operate within a totally artificial and completely romantic framework—hence their enormous appeal to this critic. full: http://louisproyect.org/2013/07/13/bhaag-milkha-bhaag-breakaway/ _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
