There are movies
which are difficult to interpret and analyze, and then there are those which
are way beyond all realms of coherent or decipherable meanings – so much so
that, even an attempt at rational untangling is bound to end in futility. Kamal
Swaroop’s weird, absurdist, surrealist (or Dadaist, perhaps?), trippy, bizarre,
loony and wildly experimental cult film Om
Dar-B-Dar belongs, unequivocally, in the latter category. Hence,
understandably, watching it was equal parts infuriating, frustrating, maddening
and baffling, and it certainly doesn’t make for a regular viewing experience.
However, that said, it was also funny, quirky and gleefully crazy; no wonder,
it has been routinely classified as a “Great Indian LSD Trip”. Made in 1988 but
not released in theatres until 26 years later (interestingly, it opened on big
screen on the same day as Ashim Alhuwalia’s intoxicating grindhouse gem Miss Lovely), it reminded a bit of such psychedelic movies as Daisies, Birds Orphans and Fools, The Color of Pomegranates, etc. Set in
the small town of Ajmer in Rajasthan, the film’s array of characters includes
the titular Om, a misfit and disillusioned teenager; his elder sister Gayatri
(Gopi Desai) who seduces the love-struck bicycle riding Jagdish (Lalit Tiwari);
their wiry astrologer father (Lakshminarayan Shastri); a titillating actress (Anita
Kanwar) hoping for image makeover, etc. Swaroop filled the film with a barrage
of non-sequitur sounds and fantastical images, jarring production design, free-flowing
mash-up of reality, dreams and fantasies, a hysterical sense of humour, and some
phantasmagoric songs too – the deadpan “Bablu Babylon Se” and the nutty “Meri
Jaan” were memorable zany – as it covered themes ranging from religion, mythology,
cinema, politics, consumerism, war, voyeurism, small-town nostalgia, Freudian
dreams and whatnot.
Director: Kamal Swaroop
Genre: Avant-Garde/Experimental Film/Surrealist Comedy
Language: Hindi
Country: Country
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