| Gaja Gamini | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | M. F. Husain |
| Written by | Kamna Chandra (writer) M. F. Husain |
| Produced by | Rakesh Nath |
| Starring | Madhuri Dixit Shabana Azmi Inder Kumar Naseeruddin Shah |
| Cinematography | Ashok Mehta |
| Edited by | Waman Bhosle Virendra Gharse |
| Music by | Bhupen Hazarika |
| Distributed by | Yash Raj Films[1] |
Release date | 1 December 2000 |
Running time | 122 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
Gaja Gamini (English: Woman with an elephant's gait) is a 2000 Indian film written and directed by M. F. Husain and is his ode to womanhood and his muse of the time, Madhuri Dixit, who stars as the lead in the film with Shahrukh Khan and Naseeruddin Shah.[2][3] The film was a box office failure.[4]
Plot
The central figure of the film is represented by a mysterious figure called "Gaja Gamini", who inspires, arouses, and confuses the common man. "Gaja Gamini" is the inspiration behind Leonardo da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa', Kalidas' poem "Shakuntala", and a photojournalist named Shahrukh's photographs. The mysterious "Gaja Gamini" appears as four characters, one of them being Sangeeta, a blind girl from Banaras at the beginning of time, who inspires village women to revolt against a male-dominated system and carve a niche for women forever. Another character is Shakuntala, who is the subject of Kalidas' poem of the same name. Shakuntala incites jealousy in the women and love in the men around her, charming humans and animals alike in the forests of Kerala. "Gaja Gamini" is also Mona Lisa during the Renaissance, the object of painter Leonardo da Vinci's obsession. Finally, Monika, the most confusing sector of the film, is supposed to represent the woman of the New Millennium. Kamdev, the God of Love, walks the earth throughout history, attempting to win the love of "Gaja Gamini".
Thrown into this mix is a large black wall, separating two different periods, and confrontations between Science and Art at different points in history, showing that the world itself can change, but its original ideas will always be the same. For example, a play by Shakespeare wrote and performed by actors in the 15th century will still be performed in the 21st century, but with different actors. The confrontations between art and science also bring about the idea that while science is firmly set on believing that which can only be proved, the basis for art is that which can be proved and an intuitive sense that can be felt. Science uses the brain, while Art uses the brain and the heart. Another facet of the film is a "gathri", a small bundle which a woman carries upon her head, like a burden, with which she must walk forever.[5][6]
Cast
- Madhuri Dixit as Gaja Gamini/ Sangeeta/ Shakuntala/ Monika /Mona Lisa
- Shabana Azmi as Premchand's Nirmala
- Naseeruddin Shah as Leonardo da Vinci
- Shilpa Shirodkar as Sindhu
- Inder Kumar as Kamdev
- Tej Sapru as Tansen
- Farida Jalal as Noorbibi
- Mohan Agashe as Kalidasa
- Ashish Vidyarthi as Scientist
- Kalpana Pandit as Abhisarika
- Raisa Husain as Phulvania
- Alihassan Turabi as Bhola
- Rashida Siddiqui as Nawab Begum
- Sunita Kumar as Raj Mata
- M.F. Hussain as Painter
- Shahrukh Khan (Cameo)
Review
Sumnan Tarafdar of Filmfare gave a positive review of the film, calling it "not something that comes along every day".[7] Taran Adarsh said "The film has a very colourful look, with the visuals being eye-catching. But as a director, Hussain fails to convey his thoughts on celluloid. On the whole, Gaja Gamini is an artistic film which will not be understood by any strata of an audience – classes or masses. Business-wise, the film is sure to spell disaster. A waste of precious celluloid."[8][9]
Soundtrack
| Gaja Gamini | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 1 January 2000 (India) | |||
| Genre | Film soundtrack | |||
| Label | Sa Re Ga Ma | |||
| Producer | Bhupen Hazarika | |||
| Bhupen Hazarika chronology | ||||
| ||||
Hussain approached A. R. Rahman to compose the music for the film, but due to time constraints, he had to turn down the offer. The music was composed by Bhupen Hazarika.
| Song | Singer(s) | Lyricist |
|---|---|---|
| "Gaja Gamini" | Bhupen Hazarika | Maya Govind |
| "Meri Payal Bole" | Kavita Krishnamurthy | Maya Govind |
| "Hamara Hansa Gaya Videsh" | Kavita Krishnamurthy | Maya Govind |
| "Shloka – Part 1" | Suman Devgan | Kalidas |
| "Shloka – Part 2" | Suman Devgan | Kalidas |
| "Yeh Gathri Taj Ki Tarah" | M. F. Hussain | M. F. Hussain |
| "Do Sadiyon Ke Sangam" | Udit Narayan, Kavita Krishnamurthy | Javed Akhtar |
| "Deepak Raag" | Shankar Mahadevan | Maya Govind |
| "Protest March" | Instrumental | |
| "Yeh Gathri Taj Ki Tarah" | Kavita Krishnamurthy | M. F. Hussain |
References
- ↑ Gaja Gamini Yash Raj Films.
- ↑ "This film is my tribute to women: M F Husain". Archived from the original on 20 October 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
cinematic essay of Indian womanhood
- ↑ Mark Deming (2007). "Gaja Gamini Overview". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 6 November 2007. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
- ↑ Priyanka Roy (10 June 2011). "Through the eyes of the besotted". Telegraph India. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
- ↑ "The Paradox of Progress II: Gaja Gamini (2000)". Retrieved 8 October 2009.
- ↑ Gaja Gamini Archived 5 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine Yahoo! Movies.
- ↑ Tarafdar, Suman (2000). "Gaja Gamini". Filmfare. The Times Group. Indiatimes Movies. Archived from the original on 8 February 2001. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
- ↑ "Gaja Gamini". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 24 January 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
- ↑ Sharma, Ruchi. "The wonderful timelessness of a Woman". Rediff.com. Retrieved 18 September 2022.