Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi / Oldboy

These two movies might look like strange choices to be paired together but inspite of the differences in language, theme and content, they do share some important traits. They both take risks and emerge unscathed and successful. They turned out to breaths of fresh air considering recent films I've seen in their respective languages. They aren't for everyone. And they feature the best third acts I've seen in movies in a long, long time...

Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi

At heart, Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi is a familiar love triangle. We have a boy(Sidharth) and girl(Geetha) in love with each other and another boy(Vikram) pining for the girl. But the unfamiliar background, and the effect it has on their lives and their loves, makes for very interesting viewing.

HKA takes place in the turbulent 60s and 70s. While not detailed enough to provide a history lesson, the happenings of the time are always in the background. The political awareness among students, the naxalite movement, the emergency - all these shape not just the country but on a smaller level, the lives of the 3 protagonists. The time period guides the trio’s decisions and fashions their lives. Throw them into a different decade and we would get a completely different - and probably uninteresting - story.

All 3 protagonists are painted in shades of gray. If Sidharth is almost too idealistic and stubborn, Geetha doesn’t mind pursuing her passion whatever the moral repercussions and Vikram's only aim is to climb up the economic ladder. There are times when we applaud them and there are times when we don’t approve of their actions. This kind of characterization lends a certain unpredictability to the proceedings and I was rarely sure of the direction the movie would proceed in.

The movie has a great script(you anticipate this right at the beginning when it starts off finding a horological mistake in Nehru's 'Freedom at Midnight' speech!) with several gems scattered throughout. And it succeeds in making us laugh at the most unexpected moments.

The last half hour of the film is really amazing cinema. The screenplay is almost delicious as it gets the lives of the protagonists to intersect in very imaginative ways. And the way it leads us on with a familiar-sounding letter before showing us that the tables have turned is simply mindblowing. The final denouement is tragic in more ways than one since it marks the death, not of people, but of love, passion and dreams.

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OldBoy

OldBoy is a psychological thriller like no other I’ve seen. This originally Korean film is suspenseful, violent and moving in equal parts and is most certainly unforgettable.

OldBoy is the cinematic equivalent of a roller-coaster ride. While it runs, it makes us hold on tight, close our eyes, scream, laugh and even throw up as it zooms through highs and lows. And it ends with a steep dive that is exhilarating and sickening at the same time.

On the way to give his daughter her birthday present, Oh Dae-Su is kidnapped. For 15 years he remains locked up in a room, with no idea why he was kidnapped or who did it. And then just as inexplicably, he is released. With his wife dead(he is the prime suspect) and his daughter adopted by a family in another country, Oh Dae-Su's only aim in life is to track down his kidnapper and kill him. A waitress Mido helps him in his quest.

The film is like Memento in that it places the protagonist in the middle of a huge puzzle and then puts us in his confused shoes. We know only as much as he does. We don’t see his kidnapper(s) and we don’t know why he was abducted. So we understand his single-minded drive to uncover the reasons behind his ordeal and we are with him as he painstakingly unravels the puzzle piece by piece. The suspense moves the film forward even and takes us along with it during the slow portions.

A movie like this, that thrives on suspense for the majority of the running time, must surprise us for all the suspense to seem worthwhile. And boy does Oldboy surprise! It delivers a knockout as it reveals the villain and his diabolical plan. I wasn't sure whether to applaud the audaciousness of the director or be shocked by the actual proceedings. Rarely have I felt so bad about the plight of a film's protagonist. And the movie continues to surprise as it doesn't follow even the usual resolution of the battle between good and evil. But then it doesn't know when to stop and goes in for a convoluted, weird close.

But a word of caution. This movie is certainly not for everyone. There are a couple of scenes of brutal, sadistic violence that made me avert my eyes. A particular dinner scene is sure to make you gag. One scene skirts close to soft-porn. And even the ending, while surprising, will definitely offend those with certain sensibilities.