Movie review of Lagaan: 15th august 2018

Lagaan was directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, produced by Aamir Khan and Mansoor Khan, and written by Ashutosh Gowariker and Abbas Tyrewala.

The film is set in the Victorian period of India's colonial British Raj. The film was shot in an ancient village near Bhuj, India.
As a English literature students,i have to analyse the movie with the help of various literary theories, approaches and different perspectives.


This movie is very unique one than other patriotic movies. Generally, Patriotic movies use atom bomb, Machinegun, sword, spears to fight with national enemy, but here director use Cricket as metaphor because cricket is a Britisher's game and India also very powerful in this game in 21st century. So , here very good used of this game to make critical thinking and also to make it entertaining. According to me that may be director thought may be was that we can not defeat Britisher with atom or else things but we can do it with cricket because now we are master in cricket. So, It can be possible that the intention of the movie maker to use cricket as metaphor.

this is archetypal story similar to other movies. There are many archetypal symbols like tlemple, Rain, Myth, love story, etc. But here we can try to understand or will interpret through the various literary theories, approaches and different perspective like:

Post Colonialism

Nationalism

Indianess

Patriarchy

Cricket as metaphor

Subaltern

Rural India

Teamwork and Leadership

Teamwork and Leadership:   teamwork and leadership is main aspects of this movie, we can say that this is major factor of this film. Leadership is not an easy task, leadership is both a research area and a practical skill encompasses the ability of an individual or organization to lead or guide other individuals and teams. Similarly, Bhuvan also tries to buildup team for the betterment of the village so he tries everything to make unity in the team for the battlement.

Rural India:  

                       India ranks second worldwide in farm output, more than 80% of population live in the rural area, and rural farmers helps a lot to growth our GDP. The real India live in villages. So, The entire setting of the movie in the village, not a single scene of the urban area shown in the movie. So, here  the director tried to show the real India through the villages, how the condition of the people in the village, their farm, everyday life, tension about rain for food grain and  Britisher imposed the high  taxes(Lagaan) on farmers, they unable to pay because of a prolonged drought. Furthermore, we also see the family structure like joint family, gender role, culture and religious atmosphere all the things show the real Rural India.

Subaltern:  

                   

                 Subaltern means marginalization in caste, gender, race, etc by hegemony of power. Power position and elite class are discourse maker and other are inferior. This little beat concept about subaltern. So, in this movie we can see various aspects like gender, caste, culture through subaltern study. Through caste base, First there is one marginalized character his name is Kachra belong to lower class. Further, when Bhuvan elect Kachra in the village team then teammate deny to take him as team member because he is untouchable. Secondsubaltern in the gender role, gauri's character is marginalized. When Bhuvan looking for to make team then Gauri wants to play a game but her father ask her to do household work, and also all the women characters are passive in the movie. And third one is cultural marginalization. Here we can compare two women character one is Elizabeth is teaching the rules of cricket to win the bet for lagaan and otherside Gauri worship to God for victory. So, here we can say that movie portrayed Indian Culture and psychology inferior to British culture and psychology. fourth living manner and styel between both cultures also make superiority and inferiority.

Cricket as Metaphor:

Patriarchy:  

As we all know that many Bollywood movie are based on patriarchal ideas. This movie also follow the tradition of our movies. If we talk about the patriarchal elements in the movie we first see the marginalization of women in the character of Gauri, Elizabeth, Arjan's wife and sister, Bhuvan's Mother all are passive and voiceless. When Gauri wanted to play cricket then her father told her to do household work and said this is not women's work. second is Elizabeth, when he tries to help Indian cricket team and her brother come to know about that matter he also scold her and to made her aware to do not go to village. Third are Arjan's wife and sister who not come out outside from the home when the villagers dances outside because of Arjan's restrictions. And at last Bhuvan's mother also a voiceless even she is veteran and has power to handle all thing and give good suggestions to Sarpanch but patriarchal ideology never accept.

Indianess: 

The entire movie is about Indianess. There are many aspects are portrait Indianess like:

Nationalism cum Regionalism:  

                         I don't think so that the movie is about nationalism or patriotism. It can be  the different thinking of director to represent nationalism through regionalism. But, according to me it is only about regionalism, Bhuvan's concerns only for his region or village not stand for entire country's sake. Movie is about the taxes(Laggan) imposed by Britisher on the farmers and farmers unable to pay so Villagers raise their voice fore the sake of their farm and economical condition not for the betterment or freedom from British Raj. I think you see the movie as a patriotic but what is the out come of the is? beyond the cricket game, there is a love triangle between the main characters Bhuvan, Elizabeth and Gauri that's it. 

# Post Colonialism:-

This movie represents post-colonialism through the game of cricket. We accepts to play cricket because we want freedom from tax but now in free India why this game is more famous than any other game. It clearly shows that how still British people ruling our mind. Still nowadays cricket is more played and watched than our national game.

ELT: Pro. Javed khan sir

In department of english. we have three days guest lecture from 16 August to 18 August by Prof J.H. Khan. Lectures taken by him was very fruitful and knowledgeable for all of us. Sir talked on NET /SET and ELT. He is ELT specialist.He has a deep knowledge about ELT.

Key concepts of ELT :

    ELT refers to the various approaches. How ELT creates the new dimension of learning. In his starting point he says that one can not teach... And I am here to interact with you. So by interactions one can learn more. Further he talk about English as a native language and as a foreign language. How our syllabus remains like primary school syllabus. The change is must require in the higher studies. The direction of seeing English language should be positive.

• Core Knowledge discussed in the class :

        If we talk about the core knowledge then we find English as a ESP - English for Specific purpose. And another purpose is EAP -  English for Academic Purpose. These both purposes has there own different fields. For example someone can learn business language as a specific purpose. Same way for Academic purpose Sir discusses the essay by Liz Hamp. And also he refers to the English as a literary purpose.

• Comment of teaching style/ communication / language / presentation.

         He has a great command over the English language. Which seem in his interactions. He believes in interactions. Because it gives more chances to the learner. He present everything by connecting with outer world. And also he often uses the humours in his presentation which make classroom lively.

• Learning experience :

      It was a an unique experience to attend his lectures. From the first day he gave one motto which we should keep in mind for ever. That be a seeker, don't demand.  According to him one should be active in the class. A good student always posses good confidence. He stressed on the reading.

• How it will help you further :

     Obviously it will help a lot in the future. As a student we have to keep that hunger for learning. If we see in the context of exams there also it will help too.  As a teacher also he gave so many good suggestions like sacrifice for the better civilization. In the life you will not get another chance for study so make it count.

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Movie review: the great dictator

Adolf hitler was, of course, guilty of many crimes, but it's tempting to think that what annoyed Charlie Chaplin the most was his appropriation of his trademark 'tache.  This was Chaplin's first true talkie (and his biggest hit), and it's also an incredibly brave and progressive film that seems specifically designed to irritate Hitler personally.

Chaplin plays both a Jewish barber and a comically paranoid and ruthless dictator called Adenoid Hynkel; riffing on Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper, each man is mistaken for the other. It's not just Hitler who gets mocked; Goebbels becomes Garbitsch, Mussolini becomes the buffoonish Napolini … it was, unsurprisingly, not released in Germany.

Made as the war got under way, Chaplin later said that had he known of the full extent of the Nazi horrors, he wouldn't have deemed them a laughing matter. But we can be thankful that he did: not only did this hammer Hitler's reputation, but it was also one of the first Hollywood films to tackle antisemitism. 

In a climate of US isolationism, Chaplin' savagely funny film painted Hitler as someone to be mocked. It's a film that, particularly in its legendary closing speech, bares its teeth not only to smile but to bite.

Movie review: the moden times

Modern Times, one of the last silent black and white films follows a factory worker  as he suffers a mental breakdown and goes from job to job desperately trying to cope in a economically failing world.

Despite its depressing subject matter, the film is one of the most iconic comedies of cinema history and stars arguably one of comedy’s finest names. Made in an age where talkies were prevalent the film still manages to captivate audiences.

The chaotic situations Chaplin finds himself in, although unbelievable, are classic scenes. Performed by the most iconic figure of early cinema, alongside Pauline Goddard as a tramp, the scenes flit between factory backdrops to shop settings to prison riots.

Its comedic face hides the social commentary at the heart of Modern Times, later being labelled ‘culturally significant’ by the Library of Congress. Through focusing on a man trying to find a permanent job it subtly critiques the expectations held during the Great Depression. Its vilifying of the unemployed allows the film to draw attention to the problems suffered at the time.

As well as commentating on the social problems experienced during the 1930’s, Modern Times  also subtly derides the fascination with new technology. Poking fun at the allure by making Chaplin’s character a guinea pig for a new feeding machine the film almost manages to predict the wonder we would still hold for technology. Predictably the experiment goes haywire but its inclusion provides the film with one of its funniest moments. With the modern employment issues and our continued love of technology the film’s title seems a little ironic…

Often hailed as a genius, Charlie Chaplin is the film’s everyman, having starred in, written, composed, and directed Modern Times and it is thanks to this fact Modern Times is firmly a Chaplin film. Most of the film’s comedy is thanks to Chaplin’s comedic timing and hugely expressive face.

Although Modern Times still has the ability to create laughs it has undoubtedly aged somewhat and some of the scenes can be a little tiresome. Chaplin himself is a bit of a marmite man – some love him, some hate him… some love to hate him and some hate to love him. No matter where you stand the film is undeniably a classic and, although over 70 years old, is still capable of touching everybody.

Pre thinking activity on poe's short story and abnormal experience

01. Recollect a moment of your life when you were at the height of ferocity (anger) on someone with/without some specific reason. What did you feel like speaking to or doing with that person?

Ans. Yes many time i am at that height of ferocity on the strange friends. A friend who has two mask on face and they are not royal to me ag that time my anger is on them. On of my experience is that a friend tries to interfear in my personal life and then she told others about my life at that time my anger was out of control and i have spoke so many things. After that i felt its not good to share our personal experience with friends.

02. Have you ever felt tremendous drive to hit or murder someone? When? Why? How? Elucidate.

Ans. Yes, i felt this tremendous drive to hit or murder. Years ago my friend was in trouble with a boy. he wants to become her friend forcefully and he tried so many things to become her friend. At that time i had some querrels with him to stop doing that. At that time i want to hit him but i cannot do this so i had hit him by words.

03. Have you ever felt like committing suicide? Was it just a passing thought or you were serious? What propelled you to think so? Describe your experience (although momentary) of suicidal tendency.

Ans. Sometimes the situation is very criticaly influence you to commite suicide. Sometimes results are so much affective reason for this. I was so scared about result of 12th std. At that time don't want to alive for upcoming results. But my parent's support and motivation was there with me and i have passing thought at that time. Now i am fair enough strong for the results because there is no fear in my mind.

04. Write about the scariest of your dreams. Have you ever cried or screamed by a bizarre and horrible nightmare? Elaborate.

Ans. Yes, there were so many bad dreams about lost of family and near ones. But i have not cried or scremed.

05. Do you believe in ghosts? Have you ever undergone any experience of supernatural elements? Explain.

Ans. No i am not believe in ghosts. Its just a fear that created by people to make us scared and dominent. I have not experinenced any supenatural elements. Yes i am very hot lover of horror movies but not belivenig that these kind of supernatural things are exist.