Paanch and the ‘Yuva’ Kashyap

 The Auteur and the influence of his own life

The system has made them hopeless and left them helpless. There is only so much that an individual can do to mend the age-old, bourgeois mechanical system in place. And even with the changes taking place _[1], will the conservative Indian society support the roaring ambitions of the ever-so high strung youth? The 90’s was a tough time for India- the poor had found another way to retain their poverty and the rich were getting even richer _[2]. 40 years into its independence and the country was tasting its first real wave of modernization. The youth, the carriers of raw-energy, were eager to make a mark. But not everyone gets the same opportunities.  What about their dreams then?

Released in the wake of this situation, Anurag Kashyap’s Paanch forms an apt social commentary about the extent of destruction these unsatisfied kids can cause. Luke (Kay Kay Menon) has this excruciating rage within him, this inherent urge to debunk the fascism­­ and moral policing of the society. His songs mirror this sentiment through and through.

The autocracy orders:

ये सही है, ये गलत

मेरी मानो सोचो मत

ये न पहनो, वो न बोलो

हो सके तो मुँह न खोलो

ये पढ़ो मत वो सुनो मत

मैं चुनूँगा तुम चुनो मत

कटते जाओ मिटते जाओ

दबना सीखो दबते जाओ

And to this, Luke has a simple response:
बस अब और नहीं

साँस लो, दम भरो

चिल्लाकर सबसे कहो

सर झुका खड़ा हूँ मैं

मैं खुदा हूँ... खुदा!!!

         When Murgi (Aditya Shrivastava) fails in finding a job, Luke jestingly tells him that the system doesn’t work like that; you must to ‘snatch and steal’ whatever you need, to survive.  The flatmates who depend on him remain his only asset, and gradually with the incineration of all the humanity in him, he turns into a demonic creation and doesn’t wait too long to tear the society first. Luke could’ve been the archetypal anti-hero for any Bollywood commercial flick, only in this case, he is the central protagonist. This is where Anurag’s uniqueness as a writer comes into picture.  He doesn’t build an ideal son or a true patriot or a sacrificial lover _[3]. He picks that depressed, abused and neglected guy sitting on one of those back benches in a government school who faces the wrath of his inability to become another cog in the system all the while. The one who runs away from his disappointed parents to make a mark for himself, or rather just to survive. But the other side is no merry land. Years of gruelling struggle and uncountable failures lure him into vandalism and uncontrolled streaks of violence. He is still thirsty for recognition. No wonder we see this written on his wall:

“Van Gogh,
Michelangelo were
unrecognized geniuses in
their lives.
As I am now.
Recognize Me.”
Luke Morrison

         Yes he draws his inspiration from Jim Morrison. But not just Paanch. Pick anything Anurag made during the early 2000s. Right from Last Train To Mahakali, his male characters have been dark, brooding and inward-pondering. They are at the margins of law, their sanity is on the verge of crossing the veils set by the society. Their condition is easy to pathologize but difficult to understand. It is but obvious from their character arcs' progress that their journeys will only end in self-destruction. However, just the way Martin Scorcese does in Taxi Driver, Kashyap intends to give their ambiguousness its necessary and deserving moments of catharsis.

         This spoilt and beaten personality seems to have been directly associated with the man’s personal struggle. Every writer subconsciously seems to be strolling in a garden with the same certain pet themes and thus elaborating her/his  insight on the subject. It is but impossible to completely separate the personal life of an auteur from her/his work. This interplay is not always specific, sometimes subtle, sometimes more overbearing, which can include locations, supporting characters, premises or any or everything. If the filmmaker does not involve his own self, it's the work of a craftsman and not an artist, as they say. Anurag too had a sensitive childhood. He once wrote a poem about suicide and the teachers instead of critiquing his work suggested his parents to have him checked for mental issues and depression _[4]. His originality and creative instincts were never understood or encouraged; instead his voice was drowned in the routine and security of a conformist existence. He felt like an outcast in his own school where he did not know English and was abused and assaulted and was reprimanded not to open up in front of anyone about it.
      
   Hence when he came to Mumbai, he was no different than Luke, filled with the same contempt and vigour to speak up, and gladly, unlike Luke, he chose the constructive path of writing and making films which have walked the thin line between commercial and arthouse and yet managed to stir the conscience of a generation. (...to be continued...)

(Thanks to the CBFC, Paanch was never released across theatres in India. A terrible print, however, got leaked online and that is how people came to know about it.)

(This piece is a collection of information from various sources that have been listed wherever necessary. There might be areas which are debatable and non-verified and hence the reader should think twice before citing the same.)