Before I get to the film review, let me digress.
In the course of my internet travels, I sometimes run into the attitude that a person of good conscience can’t enjoy Bollywood, because to do so would mean supporting a film industry that ignores the very real problems of Indian society, instead presenting a fantasy land with little relevance to everyday Indian life. As a well-meaning fellow going by the name of harry-76 says about Lagaan:
Having said all that, I’m not sure that harry-76 would consider Paisa Vasool (2004) an improvement. Paisa Vasool’s India is anything but idealized, but the film is ultimately no more realistic than Lagaan, and the film’s release has not (at least so far) done much to end all injustice across the subcontinent.
Maria (Manisha Koirala) left an abusive marriage to a policeman in her native Goa, and fled to the big city. Now she leads a dreary life in Mumbai, spending her days in a run-down bakery and her nights in a run-down apartment. The only bright spot in her life is the subtle flirtation she shares with Johnny (Sushant Singh), a disabled former athlete who lives across the hall from her.
During a rare trip to a local nightclub, Maria meets Baby (Sushmita Sen), a frustrated film actress who has been relegated to background roles and item numbers because of her height. The women bond quickly, and soon Baby moves in.
The phones in Maria’s building are as run down as everything else, and crossed wires are common. Thanks to one such crossed wire, Maria and Baby accidentally learn about a recent jewel heist, and Baby has the bright idea of blackmailing the perpetrators. Wackiness quickly ensues, as does murder.
Paisa Vasool tries to be both a thriller and a comedy at the same time. This is true of many other Bollywood movies as well, of course, but this film is stirred much more thoroughly than the typical masala, where a tense dramatic scene will be followed by cheesy slapstick with Johnny Lever. Here, there’s no separate comedic track; the action and comedy involve the same characters and often take place in the same scene.
As a result, the “thriller” aspects of the film suffer somewhat. Since we’ve seen the mobster villains bantering and generally behaving like idiots, they really don’t come across as menacing. In particular, the hitman stalking the pair kills a lot of people, but between his hairstyle, demeanor, and the frequent jokes about his pot use, he comes across as more of a malevolent Shaggy than a terrifying figure. And for that matter, many tense scenes devolve into Scooby Dooish hijinks, complete with Maria being blinded by the loss of her glasses.
The comedic aspects of the film are more successful. Thanks to Baby’s job, the filmmakers poke a lot of fun at Bollywood, and not the gentle kind of fun, either; Baby’s first “hero” is a dead on, note-perfect parody of Salman Khan, and he gets off comparatively lightly. There’s another inspired sequence involving a thug with an empty gun, and the obligatory Sholay joke is indeed funny.
Unlike most Bollywood films, Paisa Vasool does not take place in an essentially moral universe; Baby and Maria do not succeed through virtue and filial piety. Instead, they succeed by being a little smarter and a lot luckier than the opposition. The world is also a lot grimier than the average Bollywood film, and even the cinematography reflects this, with a grittier, more “European style”; the acting style, however, is traditional Bollywood and seems even broader when contrasted with the film’s naturalistic look.
The women are the driving force in the film. All of the male characters are really fairly ineffectual, with the possible exception of Johnny, and even he is ultimately not much help. The romantic subplot also receives the exact minimum amount of focus possible while still being in the movie; it certainly doesn‘t overshadow the core friendship between the two women. This is probably the most female centered film I have ever seen come out of Mumbai. I don’t know how much influence the two lead actresses had with the making of the film; Manisha is listed as a producer, and Baby’s plotline seems drawn in part from Sushmita’s life. Either way, both Manisha and Sushmita project a kind of “Let’s rent a barn and put on a show!” vibe that adds a distinct charm to the film. They’ve got moxie, and I can’t help but admire that.
I don’t know if Paisa Vasool really succeeds as a film or not; either way it’s very different from the average Bollywood flick. I don’t think it’s different enough to make harry-76 happy, but I also don’t think Manisha and Sushmita stay up at nights worrying about it.
In the course of my internet travels, I sometimes run into the attitude that a person of good conscience can’t enjoy Bollywood, because to do so would mean supporting a film industry that ignores the very real problems of Indian society, instead presenting a fantasy land with little relevance to everyday Indian life. As a well-meaning fellow going by the name of harry-76 says about Lagaan:
But how can this or any of these film products be separated from the societal conditions of the country from which they come? World tourists to India return emotionally shaken from witnessing the horrid suppression of human rights there. Eye-witnesses of “untouchables” without decent homes, diseased beings begging in the streets, exploited to near-slavery conditions – all in full view and awareness of the government, church, and upper class citizenry – point to a highly divided, confused, and unjust society.
Does one just close one’s mind to all this, and buy into the fantasy world of “Lagaan”? Are all of these products, in effect, used to distract the peasantry and others from the actual injustices being perpetrated against them? The real-life conditions of the country suggest the need for a massive planetary revolution. Yet, here we are, blithely humming the tunes and savoring the romance of “Lagaan.”
For me, there’s no joy in Bollywood. Not until the last vestiges of discrimination, suppression, and domination are eliminated. Until then, “Lagaan” can well keep what it has to offer.I can see his point. I really can. It is undeniably true that mainstream commercial Bollywood films gloss over real societal problems in favor of a highly idealized vision of life in India, just as it is undeniably true that mainstream commercial Hollywood films gloss over real societal problems in favor of a highly idealized vision of life in the United States. Still, it’s important to remember that harry-76 and I are not the target audience for Bollywood; unsurprisingly, the Indian film industry aims its product squarely at the people of India, all of whom are in a much better position to observe the conditions in their own homeland, and decide on the degree of gritty social realism they want in their entertainment.
Having said all that, I’m not sure that harry-76 would consider Paisa Vasool (2004) an improvement. Paisa Vasool’s India is anything but idealized, but the film is ultimately no more realistic than Lagaan, and the film’s release has not (at least so far) done much to end all injustice across the subcontinent.
Maria (Manisha Koirala) left an abusive marriage to a policeman in her native Goa, and fled to the big city. Now she leads a dreary life in Mumbai, spending her days in a run-down bakery and her nights in a run-down apartment. The only bright spot in her life is the subtle flirtation she shares with Johnny (Sushant Singh), a disabled former athlete who lives across the hall from her.
During a rare trip to a local nightclub, Maria meets Baby (Sushmita Sen), a frustrated film actress who has been relegated to background roles and item numbers because of her height. The women bond quickly, and soon Baby moves in.
The phones in Maria’s building are as run down as everything else, and crossed wires are common. Thanks to one such crossed wire, Maria and Baby accidentally learn about a recent jewel heist, and Baby has the bright idea of blackmailing the perpetrators. Wackiness quickly ensues, as does murder.
Paisa Vasool tries to be both a thriller and a comedy at the same time. This is true of many other Bollywood movies as well, of course, but this film is stirred much more thoroughly than the typical masala, where a tense dramatic scene will be followed by cheesy slapstick with Johnny Lever. Here, there’s no separate comedic track; the action and comedy involve the same characters and often take place in the same scene.
As a result, the “thriller” aspects of the film suffer somewhat. Since we’ve seen the mobster villains bantering and generally behaving like idiots, they really don’t come across as menacing. In particular, the hitman stalking the pair kills a lot of people, but between his hairstyle, demeanor, and the frequent jokes about his pot use, he comes across as more of a malevolent Shaggy than a terrifying figure. And for that matter, many tense scenes devolve into Scooby Dooish hijinks, complete with Maria being blinded by the loss of her glasses.
The comedic aspects of the film are more successful. Thanks to Baby’s job, the filmmakers poke a lot of fun at Bollywood, and not the gentle kind of fun, either; Baby’s first “hero” is a dead on, note-perfect parody of Salman Khan, and he gets off comparatively lightly. There’s another inspired sequence involving a thug with an empty gun, and the obligatory Sholay joke is indeed funny.
Unlike most Bollywood films, Paisa Vasool does not take place in an essentially moral universe; Baby and Maria do not succeed through virtue and filial piety. Instead, they succeed by being a little smarter and a lot luckier than the opposition. The world is also a lot grimier than the average Bollywood film, and even the cinematography reflects this, with a grittier, more “European style”; the acting style, however, is traditional Bollywood and seems even broader when contrasted with the film’s naturalistic look.
The women are the driving force in the film. All of the male characters are really fairly ineffectual, with the possible exception of Johnny, and even he is ultimately not much help. The romantic subplot also receives the exact minimum amount of focus possible while still being in the movie; it certainly doesn‘t overshadow the core friendship between the two women. This is probably the most female centered film I have ever seen come out of Mumbai. I don’t know how much influence the two lead actresses had with the making of the film; Manisha is listed as a producer, and Baby’s plotline seems drawn in part from Sushmita’s life. Either way, both Manisha and Sushmita project a kind of “Let’s rent a barn and put on a show!” vibe that adds a distinct charm to the film. They’ve got moxie, and I can’t help but admire that.
I don’t know if Paisa Vasool really succeeds as a film or not; either way it’s very different from the average Bollywood flick. I don’t think it’s different enough to make harry-76 happy, but I also don’t think Manisha and Sushmita stay up at nights worrying about it.
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