Haider – Conditioned Minds And Their Repercussions
By Harmeet Singh Dhillon
17 October, 2014
Countercurrents.org
Film Haider brings the pain of Kashimiris on screen during the peak years of militancy. Though the story is of one family but efforts have been made to portray the Kashmir crisis which lingers on till today. Vishal Bhardwaj has adapted Shakespeare’s Hamlet as Haider but even he admits that in reality Kashmir itself is ‘Hamlet’. Watching the movie one feels that the story can be of any region where the state attacks the collective consciousness of a minority. . But when that minority reacts, ruling state retaliates with brutality. It is then that people get to know that there is a fifth season that is in the hands of state and gun wielding militants. That season is season of terror and fake encounters. There seems to be no light on the other side of the tunnel.As gulzar says in Maachis “koee andha kuan hai ya koee band gali see hai”.
A part of the population which distances itself from extreme positions and is busy in fulfilling their tiny dreams, is also sucked in by the “Black hole” of the conflict. On one side there is the fear of being called traitors by their own community and on other side there is a fearful terror of the state for supporting the separatist movement. It is a deadlock situation. ‘Guns, Deaths and Graves’ enter into daily vocabulary. Time gets numb and there remain no fixed rules to live.
In one scene Haider’s grandfather talks with leaders of militant trend and says “inteqaam sirf inteqaam paida karta hai. inteqaam se kabhi azaadi nahi aati”(revenge breeds further revenge. Freedom can’t be attained through it). This is the introduction of Gandhian thought in the movie. Same thing is reiterated by Haider’s mother in another scene. In both scenes, there is no answer from the other side as if they have been rendered speechless by this clinching argument. But the point is why the same question is not pointed at the state which initiates the cycle of revenge. Bigger question – Is the Gandhian idea of non-violence relevant only for victims and not for the ruling classes? It brings IromSharmila’s continuous fast against AFSPA as being one end of the spectrum with separatist violence as another end.
One thing movie Haider does to a Punjabi is that it brings back the memories of militancy period of Punjab(1984-1995). Clearly there are lots of similarities. One similarity is black cats. Men who initially joined militant movement but then went to the other side(security forces). It makes you understand that actually black cats is a psychological phenomena not linked with a particular religion or a region. Because their cycle of birth, ways and actions was same in Punjab as it is depicted in Kashmir. Actually they are those youngsters who join the militant movement due to pull of adventurism or in an ultra-emotional state. Sometimes their idea of movement is too ideal to actually fit into reality. After the initial euphoria dies,they get fed up easily due to the hardships of the movement or are unable to bear the brutality of terror unleashed by forces. Hence some voluntarily join and start serving the security forces as this side is safer and also fulfills their hunger for violent adventure. Some of them are forced by the state to join them after their arrest.
Another similarity is the role of ISI. It is same in Kashmir as it was in Punjab. Sikh militants who crossed the border during militancy period and then returned back tell the story of the other side of the ‘fence’(pun intended). They tell you how the main control was with ISI. Right from choosing targets,planning and ways to implement them, everything was done by ISI bosses. These leaders of militant organizations were just confined to carry out the orders to their cadre.Dependence on ISI and over dependence on weapons surely harmed the movements in many ways.
Another major similarity is fake encounters. Fake encounters are extra-judicial killings. This tool is effectively used by the state forces to physically eliminate militants, suspected militants and supporters of militants. This strategy gives ultimate power to the forces leaving common man at their mercy. It also completes psychological hegemony of forces in minds of public. In movie Haider, there is a scene where he is seen finding his father in a truck full of corpses.
The last major similarity is the reaction of common man during such turbulent periods.He is fearful, shaken and confused but always trying to bring his life back on track. He cracks jokes even when death is a bigger reality than life itself. In one scene a man stands at door of his house but doesn’t enter it. He stands there silently,lost. Another character (Irrfan khan) comes and shows that how people have become so habitual to checking that they forget to enter their homes without doing the security procedures. Majority of audience in the theater laughed at this scene. But in reality, this scene is one of the darkest scenes. It shows how terror seeps into the psyche of common man during such times.
Now coming to the characters in the movie, Haider’s uncle is a classic case of a cunning politician or men we see all around us. He can be even you or me. Actually it’s the greedy ego in him which forces him to see self fulfilling goals even during such a dark phase. This is the same ego which makes him change his statements with every new situation or set of people.
Another character is Haider’s mother beautifully played by Tabu. She is normal in real sense. She loves her family, cares for her son and wants to fulfill her own needs. She needs praise and attention. So she is not wrong anywhere in that “normal” sense. Not ready for any major sacrifice, she wants to live a normal life in abnormal times. Here is her fault. When time is for grandstands her adjustments become faults. She understands it in the end and shows that she wouldn’t lack even in that field either.
Character of Haider is a mix of his father and mother. Baggage of hamlet has its own toll on this character. He is never at peace with himself. Actually he is not searching for his father but himself, the real Haider. His search for his own being doesn’t end even till the last reel. This is why crisis of Kashmir lingers on till date. It will end only when Haiders will find their real self.
Kashmir is wonderfully laid bare in the movie. The raw nakedness of Kashmir that comes out is exceptional. Kashmir’s beauty, innocence, slowness, alienation,pain, all come out of camera shots.This is the real success of the movie.
In the last I will end up by writing about the scenes that have multiple pointers. Scenes that give the movie its depth. Blowing off Haider’s house by a rocket launcher symbolizes army’s arrogance,boredom and hasteness in such conflicts. Another success of the movie is by which the rawness of graves is thrown at the audience without any excuses. Satire on death is depicted wonderfully. Scene at the city square, whereHaider acts as an insane is the peak of the movie. That madness is not specific to the character of Haider due to some personal loss, but that madness is the collective madness that comes through that particular character. Manifestation of an insane person is the best way to show the reality of “saner” and “lawful” things like AFSPA. Actually it is THE sarcasm on the life of human society of today’s world. But the question still remains unanswered – Who is mad and who is normal?
Harmeet Singh Dhillon presently working as a Bank Officer in Chandigarh. Worked in leftist organizations. Got disenchanted with their thought. Presently interested in analyzing militant movements and the thought behind them.
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