Very true Avinash. I often used to say to everyone that the best only realistic film which I have ever seen about visually impaired is Sparsh.
Renuka. On 2/4/16, George Abraham <geo...@eyeway.org> wrote: > Sanjeev Kumar did play the role of a blind man in the movie Katl in which > he plans and executes the murder of his unfaithful wife. > > Regards, > > George > > -----Original Message----- > From: AccessIndia [mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On Behalf > Of avinash shahi > Sent: 04 February 2016 09:57 > To: sig-dsu; accessindia; jnuvision > Subject: [AI] Sparsh after 35 years: Sparsh was Hindi cinema’s first > realistic portrayal of a visually impaired man > > Lets screen to celebrate 35 years of the movie Sparsh and watch/listen > together. The JNUForum could organize this on Godawari Dhaba what say > Pankaj? or we could have the screening at Delhi University. > http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/entertainment/sparsh-touched-a-chord-shattered-stereotypes/article8174368.ece > > > Sparsh touched a chord, shattered stereotypes > Radha Rajadhyaksha Sai Paranjpye’s Sparsh was Hindi cinema’s first > realistic portrayal of a visually impaired man.— Photo: Special > Arrangement > Sai Paranjpye’s Sparsh was Hindi cinema’s first realistic portrayal of > a visually impaired man.— Photo: Special Arrangement The woman sitting > with the blind man gently berates him for refusing to accompany her > and their friends to a Bharatanatyam recital she wanted to attend. “So > you should have gone,” he tells her, his voice slightly on edge. “Not > without you,” she responds. The man’s sightless eyes dart agitatedly > from side to side. “Dekho Kavita, main nahin chahta hoon ki tum mere > liye Gandhari ban jaao,” he says tensely. > > This pivotal scene in Sai Paranjpye’s Sparsh encapsulates what the > film did when it was released 35 years ago — it subverted, in one > stroke, every stereotype that Bollywood had built up about visually > challenged people over the decades. Cinema has its classics as well as > its path-breakers — and Sparsh , though underrated on account of not > getting a proper release, belongs to the latter category. Not only did > it combat the cliché of the blind as objects of pity, it had Hindi > cinema’s first realistic portrayal of a visually impaired man — > Naseeruddin Shah’s mind-blowing act, famously described by Gulzar as a > “textbook performance” for actors to follow. > > Till Sparsh came along, blind characters in Bollywood were something > of a bad joke. The popular enactment of such a character was someone > who stumbled around, fluttering his eyelids and rolling his eyes > heavenwards (notably, the female blind characters all wore eye > make-up). After the pathos of the sightless condition had been > sufficiently milked by the director, the blind person would regain his > or her eyesight in a stock scene — the bandages would come off slowly > and suspensefully followed by one or two out-of-focus shots and then a > joyful “Doctor saab, main dekh sakta/sakti hoon!” to the sound of > violins. > > Against this sort of caricaturish backdrop came the blind characters > of Sparsh to make a stunning impact. Most of them were adorable > children from the Blind School, Delhi, aided by remarkable > professionals like Om Puri. And then of course there was Naseeruddin > Shah in what is arguably the best performance of his lifetime. > > Born of a blend of insightful writing and extraordinary acting, > Naseer’s Aniruddh Parmar is an unforgettable character — a poised and > fiercely independent man who nevertheless harbours a complex about his > handicap and is constantly wary of what he perceives as pity from > sighted people. Every time I watch Sparsh , I’m mesmerised anew by the > way Naseer (under)played the character… downcast eyes, eyeballs > darting rapidly when excited or perturbed, cautious walk, white cane > moving in a sweeping left-to-right arc. It was not so much a > performance as masterful character authenticity on display. > > Naseer has consistently rated Sparsh as one of his most fulfilling > roles because of “the simple beauty of the script that was written > with truth”. True. Sparsh is a narrative that seamlessly merges vital > issues relating to the world of the blind with a unique love story in > which the sighted Kavita, far from becoming Gandhari, journeys from a > visual to a more tactile understanding of love and her lover’s world. > Indeed, Sparsh subtly establishes parity between their two worlds: if > Aniruddh is visually handicapped, Kavita is emotionally so; Pappu, the > sighted child wants to be blind because Kavita pays more attention to > his blind friend; and Kavita rues to her friend that her being > ‘normal’ is her biggest disqualification in Aniruddh’s eyes. Here, the > blind are not pitiable, and the sighted are not superior — they share > the same vulnerabilities and human frailties, the same joys and > sorrows. The universe of Sparsh is a beautiful, inclusive one. > > Sparsh won three national awards: best screenplay, best Hindi film, > and best actor for Naseeruddin Shah, who had gone all out to prepare > for the difficult role. Told by Sai Paranjpye that her protagonist was > inspired by the suave and erudite principal of the Delhi Blind School, > Ajay Mittal, the actor asked if he could spend some time with him. > “Mittal was most flattered,” recalls Sai. “He agreed instantly and > Naseer went to Delhi 10 days before the shooting began.” By the time > the rest of the unit landed up, however, things had changed somewhat. > “When Mittal met me, he was totally agitated,” recalls Sai with a > chuckle. “Naseer had been trailing him everywhere from the classroom > to the bathroom, and he was at his wits’ end. ‘Sai, I can’t take it > anymore,’ he expostulated. ‘Please get your hero off my back!’” > > Interestingly, it wasn’t Naseer but Sanjeev Kumar who was Sai’s first > choice for the role. Impressed by her script, the actor, who’d > brilliantly played a deaf-and-dumb man in Koshish , agreed instantly. > Later, however, he backed out, and Sai had to replace her original > lead pair of him and Tanuja with Naseer and Shabana Azmi. > > Sanjeev Kumar’s brief association with the film has an interesting > epilogue. “Sanjeev and Naseer were on a set in Bangalore when the > national awards were announced,” says Sai. “Sanjeev, generous as he > was, threw a party for Naseer, at which he casually asked him which > role he’d got the award for ( Sparsh was yet to be released). Naseer > told him it was a blind man’s part — and as he filled him in with more > details, it suddenly dawned on Sanjeev that this was the role he’d > withdrawn from. ‘Hell, I was supposed to do this one!’ he exclaimed. > And then added good-humouredly, ‘Agar main karta, shayad mujhe hi > national award mil jaata!’” > > Some things are meant to be, and today it’s inconceivable to think of > Aniruddh Parmar as anyone else but Naseeruddin Shah. In a beautiful > piece of cinema that allowed audiences a sparsh of a world so > different from their own. > > The author is a freelance writer and editor > > > -- > Avinash Shahi > Doctoral student at Centre for Law and Governance JNU > > > Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of > mobile phones / Tabs on: > http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in > > > Search for old postings at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ > > To unsubscribe send a message to > accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in > with the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please > visit the list home page at > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in > > > Disclaimer: > 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the > person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; > > 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails > sent through this mailing list.. > > > > Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of > mobile phones / Tabs on: > http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in > > > Search for old postings at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ > > To unsubscribe send a message to > accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in > with the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please > visit the list home page at > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in > > > Disclaimer: > 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the > person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; > > 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails > sent through this mailing list.. > Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
