A Potpourri of Vestiges Review
By Murtaza Ali Khan
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| Aditi Subedi (second from left) responds to a question from Shobha Akshar (extreme left) her father (extreme right) looks on (Photo Credit: Twenty4 Frames) |
Baba Azmi’s ‘Mee Raqsam’ was
recently screened at the 3rd Azamgarh International Film Festival. The
film, which was released last year on ZEE5, shares a special relationship with
Azamgarh. Baba Azmi’s legendary poet father Kaifi Azmi had a deep desire to make
a film in his native village, Mijwaan, situated in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh. But
he couldn’t realize it during his lifetime. So Baba Azmi took it upon himself
to fulfill his father’s dream. And he finally realized it by making ‘Mee Raqsam’.
Now, the film is not just made in Mijwaan, but it also has the bragging rights
of discovering its lead actor from there. Young Aditi Subedi who plays the
central role of Maryam in the film was handpicked by Baba Azmi for his film
during a visit to Mizwaan. For four months, Aditi was trained in Mumbai while
staying with Baba and family. The training also included learning Bharatanatyam.
‘Mee Raqsam’, which also stars
Danish Husain, Shraddha Kaul, Rakesh Chaturvedi Om, and Naseeruddin Shah in
pivotal roles, revolves around a young Muslim girl who aspires to become a
dancer. But, hailing from a small village like Mijwaan, Maryam faces great
resistance as everyone questions her dreams and choices, including her aunt and
grandmother. After her mother passes away, she finds great support in her father
(played by Danish Husain) who backs her in this journey, only to face a great
backlash from the community. A poor tailor dependent on the community for work
is suddenly ostracized on the commands of a powerful religious leader named Hashim
Seth (essayed by Naseeruddin Shah) who strongly disapproves a Muslim girl’s
affinity towards Bharatanatyam—a dance form he considers alien to Islam and
hence unworthy to practice.
But it’s not just Maryam’s
community that’s against her learning Bharatanatyam. For, there are also people
on the other side of the fence who find it difficult to digest the idea of a
Muslim girl getting so involved with a dance form that’s so deeply rooted in
spiritual practices closely associated with Hinduism. A rich and powerful
patron named Mr. Jai Prakash (portrayed by Rakesh Chaturvedi Om) is hell-bent
on derailing Maryam’s journey. So on one side there are bigots like Hashim Seth
and on the other there are hypocrites like Mr. Jai Prakash desperately trying
to snuff out her penchant for Bharatanatyam. Will Maryam succeed in overcome
these insurmountable odds? Or will she too lose this battle against bigots like
all those other girls whose dreams are ruthlessly crushed by patriarchy?
Written by Safdar Mir and Husain
Mir, ‘Mee Raqsam’ may not be a film that can boast of a big budget but it is
definitely a film with a big heart. The various performances on offer are
really the film’s USP. Naseeruddin Shah as Hashim Seth is in many ways the
antithesis of his progressive ‘maulana’ character from Shoaib Mansoor’s ‘Khuda
Kay Liye’. Seth is a relic of a bygone era desperate to perpetually keep his
community caged in the dingy recesses of bigotry for his petty political
benefits. Interestingly, Rakesh
Chaturvedi Om as Mr. Jai Prakash is not unlike Mullah Saidullah, the character he
essayed in Anurag Singh’s ‘Kesari’. Although, the two characters are separated
by their religions, their minds are united by bigotry and hate. Kudos to Rakesh
Chaturvedi Om for yet again succeeding in making a highly unlikeable character
look so believable. Danish Husain is also superb as Maryam’s hapless but
determined father. Those who saw him play the part of Taliban’s supreme
commander Mullah Khalid in the Netflix series ‘Bard of Blood’ may find it a
little difficult to recognize him here. Shraddha Kaul is menacing as Maryam’s regressive
aunt who believes that women are incapable of stepping out of their
households. When she forces Maryam to
take up stitching classes in order to stop her from learning Bharatanatyam, she
actually feels as if she is doing a huge favor to her dead sister by preventing
her daughter from going astray.
‘Mee Raqsam’ is a powerful
reminder of the patriarchy-driven prejudice propagated in the name of religion
which tries to prevent women from pursuing their dreams. It is also a testament to a son’s commitment
to the fulfillment to his great poet father’s dream. But there is another dream
that the film fulfills. That of Aditi Subedi’s father to watch his daughter on
the big screen in his hometown of Azamgarh and in front of his own people. When
Aditi was invited by Shobha Akshar, Assistant Editor, Pakhi on the stage as
part of the film festival’s post-screening discussion, everyone present there
was on their feet. Aditi couldn’t hold back her tears anymore. Her father was
equally emotional seeing her daughter cast a spell on all those present with
her spellbinding performance. Who says dreams can’t be fulfilled? All that’s
required is a desire, and a will to fulfill that desire.
A version of this article was first published in The Daily Guardian.
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