Monologue (1987)
How can I even attempt to describe what I've just witnessed unravel on screen? What can I say about the greatest Indian film ever made?
I tracked down and had a chat with film director Adoor Gopalakrishnan last month because I was fascinated by the logline to Anantaram (or Monologue, a film I hadn't seen till then), which describes the story to this picture as such:
"Ajayan gets sexually attracted to his brother's wife and this creates trouble for him. However, his life changes for the better when another girl enters his life."
My biggest regret now is that I didn't meet with the famed filmmaker after having been witness to his magnum opus, because I have so much to say to him, both in the form of praise and query.
Anantaram has no DVD copies in circulation, but it isn't a lost film. Adoor handed me a digital copy of the picture that is marvelously restored, which is important because this might be the single most chaotic experience I've had with a film.
I'm at a loss for words. Anantaram takes the storytelling device presented in that one scene in Persona which is repeated twice, and stretches it out to the entirety of its runtime. It deals with the life of Ajayan, a gifted intellect who has a hard time socializing, though he's something of a prodigy when it comes to education and sports. Wait.
It deals with the life of Ajayan, an orphan who hears stories of "medicines for adults", yakshis, and a man who can turn into a chicken, and he isn't very keen on educating himself, though his adopted father and foster brother are keen on helping him with his studies. Wait.
It deals with the life of Ajayan, a man who meets a strange woman come out of a bus and into his life, who makes him question the beauty and authenticity of the female existence. Wait.
It deals with the life of Ajayan, who gets sexually attracted to his brother's wife, this creating trouble for him. However, his life changes for the better when another girl enters his life. Wait.
It deals with the life of Ajayan. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 22, 34, 36...
It does not deal with the life of Ajayan. It deals with Ajayan, the person.
You know that feeling you get after you're done with a film, and you're so stunned by what you've just experience that your head and other parts of your body go numb, while you feel this adrenaline rush happen within you. It's not excitement. It's this fear.
Anantaram left me scared out of my wits, in fear of the hidden reality masked by the stories I'd heard thus far. Slowly attempting to make sense of it all, the film became less of a puzzle and more of a... I don't know what it is. I really don't.
It's not very confusing, don't get me wrong. The film gives you a puzzle, but it doesn't do so with the artificiality of great movies like Memento, Pulp Fiction, etc. You do not know it is a puzzle until the very end. Why do these people behave this way? Why is he doing that?
Anantaram is not only the greatest Indian film of all time, it is a masterpiece of world cinema. Adoor Gopalakrishnan, I bow down to your genius, and in fear of what your mind can come up with.
10/10
(I almost demand you to check it out. It isn't pretentious by an inch, if haters of pictures like Persona got that vibe from my review. I haven't made sense of it all yet. All I know is that I must see it again. As soon as possible.)
