Rage-neeti!

The late night show at Rivoli on Friday was a decent experience. Discounting the 'Tum mere jesht putra ho' and other cinematic nonsense, the movie was alright in most parts. Not something that I had imagined it to be, but Prakash Jha's Rajneeti was not a letdown either.

Walking out in the wee hours of the night, I could only draw parallels between what I had seen for about 150 odd minutes and our epic, the legend, Mahabharat. The portrayal of characters on celluloid was strikingly, and unimaginatively, similar to what we have grown up with, thanks to B.R. Chopra. That made me drift elsewhere. Who was right and who was wrong in the Great War? Was Karna at fault for feeling humiliated by the ever so impulsive Panchali? Could Duryodhan be blamed for forging an alliance with Karna for their mutual benefit? Wasn't Drona heartless when he sought Eklavya's thumb because he could not stand Arjun being a close second? Was Draupadi irrational in her demand for Duhshasan's blood to tie her braid after she was disgraced in front of the entire sabha?

The line between moralistic and circumstantial behaviour is often very blurred. Winding up Mahatma vs. Gandhi, the story of Harilal- Bapu's eldest son whom he had publicly disowned- made me feel strongly for the gentleman. He was always in awe of his father, and could never come out of his shadow. Not that he did not try, but because Mahatma was 'morally bound' not to favour his children. Should one always blame the 'lesser mortal' because he is not as idealistic as is expected of him? Can't a human being, with all his weaknesses and lacunae, be correct in his demand for justice?

History has always extolled the selfless. It has sneered at the weak, the gullible. But the basic question remains that should someone be looked down upon, or even branded an 'evil', because he portrays emotions- feelings of angst, hope and hurt? Shouldn't we stand up for Karna and understand his predicament at being the 'unwanted child'? Was Gandhi being 'idealistic' in denying his child the right to education- something that he believed should be the fundamental right of every Indian?

Is doing wrong to a 'wrong' person, the right thing?
Some questions can never be answered. And some should not.