Soupçon, In Memoriam, VI.v

                          Soupçon III                                                        In Memoriam Series                                                           VI.v        

In our on-going analysis of "Sairat", which is sure to continue for quite some time, let us today look at some aspects of the male lead of the story. He is "Parshya". Look at the very nickname he gets. It stinks of disrespect, of belittling, of dismissal. 

Compare it with the nickname of the female lead character. She is "Archi", the very moniker suggesting modernity, uniqueness, smartness, and what not. Actually, even for a woman centered film, initially she is nothing but aggression, 'attitude', arrogance born out of the privilege she is born in to so much so that love, too, is an extension of her acquisitive personality. 

Honestly, initially, she is boring; while he is from the beginning more talented, more sensitive, more aware, may be, because of his background. Remember the scene when atop her mobike , she goes prowling, in search, and the old lady tells her off? 

His insecurities, conveniently dismissed as male chauvinism, or jealousy, are more a result of his societal background, too. If a film were to be made with the same storyline, but from his (or his social strata's) perspective, it would have the title, "Bali" (sacrificial animal) to her ego, given her wealth, given her societal set-up, right? What say? 

Pratima Agnihotri