An elderly couple sets off for Tokyo from their tiny fishing hamlet, Onomichi, to visit their children who have settled comfortably in life. The parents leave behind their youngest daughter to take care of the house. Their eldest son, Koichi, hosts them at his house first. His wife, Fumiko (who I shall call Jethani henceforth), is the very picture of the adarsh Indian daughter-in-law that Bollywood tearjerkers are made of. But try as she might, her kids refuse to take to their grandparents immediately. And so she is left to apologise profusely for their rudeness. Duty beckons as Koichi needs to cancel Sunday sightseeing plans to save a child from flu(I'd like to say cancer but that might be too dramatic for subdued Japanese cinema). The parents ofcourse understand graciously but their disappointment is visible, as was my confusion. Sorry Mom+Pop, there are kids a-waitin to be saved by the good doc! Cut him some slack, his wife is literally running from bamboo door to bamboo door trying to make your stay comfortable!
But ofcourse, our parents can't dream of imposing themselves on their son.They decide to head to the dwelling of their second child, Shige who has her own beauty parlour. Now you gotta watch out for this one. Shige is one selfish bitch and she'll sell off her poor old parents to a yakuza gang if that were legally permitted. Somehow, I can't stop picturing Himani Shivpuri playing this part to perfection if this movie were to be remade by Sooraj Barjatya. Rajshri Productions proudly presents "Hamara koi hai nahin" (We don't have anyone left to call our own anymore) starring Alok Nath and Reema Lagoo in lead roles. Ooh, I gotta write this one down somewhere!
Shige has no time to chaperone her gawaar(uneducated) mummy-daddy. There are Japanese women in line waiting to be beautified and time is money,people! So the crafty vixen calls her sister-in-law, the lovely Noriko, to spend time with the couple and show them around Tokyo.
Now if you thought Jethani deserved the "Bahu of the year" award for her service, wait until you've met Noriko. The vivacious lass has an indelible smile that gets tedious after a while. But she worships her in-laws with a devotion so fierce that the Bahurani(Daughter-in-law) Foundation of India(BFI) has protested against her unrealistic portrayal. The Society for Sassy Saasoo-moms (Mothers-in-law) (SSS) however has decided to make Noriko-san their international Spokesperson.
Noriko married the youngest son in the family,only to be deserted when he had to rush off and drop bombs in WW2. We are told that he died in the war, a detail which could have been really milked well by the inclusion of a mother's lament, reincarnation(picture Raakhee's"Mere Karan-Arjun aayenge!") or one of Manoj Kumar's immortal songs. Sati-Savitri that she is, Noriko continues to believe that her heart belongs to the man she lost, chiding herself the moment she stops thinking about him. And ofcourse, his parents might well be her parents!
The daughter-in-law showers care,concern and affection on the elderly couple in a manner that should shame the children. But then, with the likes of Shige,we don't have to worry about shame really. Some classic scenes which remain fresh in my memory include the evening when Mom+Pop head to Noriko's tiny shack after painting the town red. I love Japanese culture just for the fact that family and respect play such vital roles in daily existence.
Noriko:"Thank you so much for visiting my house,Mother and Father"
Ma-in-Law:"Thank you for inviting us over,Ms.Noriko"
Noriko:"Thank you for accepting my invitation,Mother" (hah!I am one up over you in being courteous!)
Ma-in-Law:"Thank you for thinking about inviting us!" (Hah Hah!Thought you could win this one? I've been around a lot longer, missy!)
Ok, that scene really didn't happen the way I'd exagerrated it to be!But it was close enough! With all the apologies and thanks that people had for one another, I was beginning to wonder how substantial conversations actually happened in Japanese culture! Do they maintain such formal tones when they exchange juicy gossip as well?
Hypothetical lady1 at beauty salon:"Thank you for informing me about Kimura's husband's adultery"
Hypothetical lady2 at beauty salon:"Thank you for listening to me about Kimura's husband's adultery. I am sorry I cannot find out exactly how many times he has cheated"
Lady1:"Please dont apologise. I am sorry I burdened you to share this gossip with me"
Ok,I don't want to digress too far. But you do understand that this movie is a lesson in Japanese cultural traditions. And so, I was only trying to make my point more lucid!
Back to Tokyo. Shige decides to send her folks off to a nice spa on the coast so that they can relax. Ocean view, hot luxurious baths, massages,great seafood...the works! Now wasn't that nice of her (even though she kinda wanted them out of the house to prepare for work-related gatherings)? Heck, I would've trotted off to that spa with pleasure. But alas, Otoosan(Father) and Okaasan(Mother) climb a stone wall and dangle their legs as they regret how their children have changed over the years. Mom gets a bit dizzy and they decide to return to Tokyo.
Shige is clearly not expecting them back so soon. After all, she and her husband pitched in 1000 yen each to send them away. Her displeasure is pretty evident when she doesnt respond to their Tadaima!(Ta Daa..We are home!) with the customary Okaerinasai!(Hey welcome back!) and instead pecks on about their early return. Methinks she must have been worried that the spa wouldn't give a refund on nights they didnt spend there. Hey, I would have done the same thing!
The parents realise that their unexpected return was not a smart move, since Shige was expecting to host colleagues. They don't want to be in the way.Mom decides to spend a night at Noriko's (God bless every MIL who has a DIL to worship her!) while Pop decides to visit an old friend and possibly get himself invited to crash for the night(crafty!).
As Pop tries to sweet-talk his friend's wife into letting him spend the night, she sees through his design and makes a pre-emptive strike saying that they don't have enough food in the house (aha, a likely story!). Pop and his buddy grab some other geysers and they trudge into the neighbourhood sake-shop to drink away their woes about their offspring.
A flying saucer now lands in the middle of the city and aliens crawl out to attack Noriko's house when Godzilla emerges from the sea......ok ok I was just testing to see if you were following the story!
Mom tries to persuade Noriko-san to forget about their son, move on with her life, remarry and seek happier times. Noriko consistently maintains humility in her response. This is kinda how it goes...
Mom:You are so good to us.
Noriko:No!
Mom:You are so kind to us.
Noriko:No!
Mom:You went to such great trouble to show us around.
Noriko:No No!
Mom:You really miss my son,dont you?
Noriko:No!...er I mean YES!
Mom:You are still young.
Noriko:No!I'm not young anymore! (Girl,who are you kidding?You could have any American from the Okinawa base anytime you want!)
Mom:You should really try to find another man. You don't owe us anything.You should remarry.
Noriko:No!No!Double No! Please have a goodnight.
Mom:Father and I worry about you
Noriko:No! Please have a goodnight.
Mom:We want to see you happy
Noriko:No! Please have a goodnight.
Mom:We really wish you'd think more about yourself.
Noriko:No!Please have a goodnight (turns off light. That's it you old cow, You better shut up and go to sleep before I kick you out!)
While Mom is pampered in Noriko's humble abode, Pop is so wasted at the sake-ya(bar). The police have to return him to Shige's house and ofcourse the dragon breathes fire when she sees him inebriated. Isn't it funny how parents and children switch roles after a certain stage?
The next day, Mom+Pop decide to return to their village,back to their bucolic setting. A parting song for the family would have been a moneygrosser, reminding society about how the heart always loves the ones dear to it. I would have asked for my money back if the movie had ended here. I mean,come on...so Shige is a little pre-occupied but its not like the parents were disowned by their kids! In a Barjatya movie, you'd be praying to Lord Krishna at this point,hoping that he would send an animal (usually a dove or a fluffy toy dog) to set things right.
Fortunately (rather unfortunately), the kids get a telegram from Onomichi.Mom is critically ill. Shige and Koichi decide to rush down, smartly packing their mourning robes (just in case). Noriko follows swiftly (a tsunami couldn't keep her away). The doctor cautions that Momma might not make it through the night, an alarming detail which brings some shock before Shige regains her calculating self and comments on their younger brother Keiso's delayed arrival even though he lives close by in Osaka. Her acrid tongue goes far enough to express surprise that their Mom should be the one to go first (when Papa clearly has a drinking problem).
Alas, Momma passes away in the morning and young Keiso is too late. Funeral arrangements are swiftly made and Shige immediately stakes her claim on some kimonos which Mom used to own. Hey,its not like she wanted the house or her pearls! Relax,people!
Anyways, the kids ofcourse head back to their homes soon after.Noriko is the last to leave. She mourns this new loss as her FIL stares off into space with his now-legendary "Mmmmm" line (he delivers that to perfection every time someone has a question for him).
And that's it.
Now tell me, Sooraj Barjatya couldn't have made a blockbuster with that plot, a dozen songs and gifted pets?
Extrapolating...
Movie sets: Ram Nagar(Onomichi) and Mumbai(Tokyo)
Mom:Reema Lagoo/Rakhee(lets have a bawling competition to decide)
Pop:Alok Nath
Koichi:Mohnish Behl
Fumiko(Koichi's wife):Tabu
Shige:Himani Shivpuri/Mita Vashisht
Noriko:Vidya Balan
Keiso:Shahid Kapoor
Additional cast:
Tuffy the dog(must have)
Billi the cat(nice to have)
Bindu(essential)
In-laws for all spouses (5 pairs)
Music:Himmesh Reshammiya(no wait,scratch that! He might end up acting in the movie then!)
Overall, I will definitely agree that I loved some of these characters. And I'll always remember Mom with fondness. I dont think the movie is "one of the greatest movies ever made" when I recollect some Bollywood classics (Nargis,Guru Dutt, Dev Anand hits) which really hit you hard. But I wont deny that the movie left me thinking about how jaded we have become to dismiss such a story for lack of melodrama.
As a race,have we already taught ourselves to be thankful for small mercies in our twilight years?
2 comments:
you actually found time for this? 無用仲間! - Subash
haha well I wanted to keep it short but I got carried away!
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