June 26, 2008

"Mongol" and "Project Kashmir"


This last week I watched two very disappointing movies that I had awaited so expectantly: "Mongol" and
"Project Kashmir".

Bodrov's Academy Award Nominee "Mongol" came on the heels of my reading Weatherford's "Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World", and even though the movie was much acclaimed by the academy it failed to grip the audience like Weatherford's novel on the same subject did. The film dealt at length with the courtship and relationship thereafter between the legendary Genghis Khan and Borte, his wife who he lost multiple times during the course of the movie. This movie is but the first part of a trilogy portraying the life of Genghis Khan, but it is unlikely that I watch the latter two parts.
Then I watched "Project Kashmir" at the Lincoln Center some 100 miles away and in the middle of a high tension work week! Alas, it proved a complete waste of time as it had nothing new to offer both in terms of its factual content and in its perspective on the Kashmir issue. In fact there were points in the film and in the question-answer session with the movie-makers that followed, when the entire project seemed rather amateurish; two friends, one of Pakistani origin and the other of Indian origin embarking on a journey into the heart of Kashmir to figure out how a 'healing' could be brought about for the Hindu 'pundits' and the Kashmiri Muslims. I would any day recommend another documentary on Kashmir, "Crossing the Lines", that I saw a few years ago on the Princeton Campus; made by Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy and Dr. Zian Mian, it offered a more plausible perspective on the Kashmir issue and even had a semi-viable solution to offer at the end; diffusing the religiously volatile situation in Kashmir by luring its people with economic gains that would be independent of both India and Pakistan.

14 comments:

human being said...

hi my dear new friend, Id it is...
thanks for dropping in and your nice comment... and letting me know you... i visited your blog several times but couldn't leave any messages for you...

i found the subjects you write about very interesting... some of which i am ignorant about... i love to come here and learn more...
and when crows learn, they crow a lot... ready for that?

human being said...

oh these lines and borders...
i have always wanted to know about the way countries divide...
intellectuals should find ways to discuss these issues more profounly...
some forces trigger ignorant people's feeling to vote for seperation...
when they become aware, perhaps...

human being said...

sorry: separation
:)

Anonymous said...

This sucks! I have been waiting to see Mongol for a while..I haven't read the book so my opinion may differ from yours...

I haven't seen Project Kashmir but I saw hoodbhoy's film and thought that it was excellent.

kannan udayarajan said...

I was looking forward towards watching Mongol..a bit confused now..:)

Pacze Moj said...

I think Mongol would have been better without the courtship. It was still better than Bodrov's Nomad, though!

Zdenek Kislar said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Pacze Moj said...

...especially when that film about an underrepresented culture is made by a Russian and stars a Japanese actor in the lead role!

lol.

If Hollywood did that, people would scream "cultural imperialism" and call it a "stupid, romantic, American view of Genghis Khan".

Id it is said...

Pacze,
"If Hollywood did that, people would scream "cultural imperialism" and call it a "stupid, romantic, American view of Genghis Khan"."

Truly said!

Anonymous said...

yes. Lash :)

and yes pacze, rightly said

bablu said...

Well - the valley is the news for the wrong rasons again ! Paradise on earth has become a deathgrave !

EYE said...

perhaps i should chec out crossing the borders

Anonymous said...

I totally agree with your review of Mongol-the only thing I'd add is that it compelled me to research and I came up with Weatherford's book that you mention. It was great! So, for those who know virtually nothing about Genghis Kahn, I'd say see the movie and then read the book-but, definitely read the book.

KK

Id it is said...

KK
Thanks for stopping by. The book about Genghis Khan by Weatherford is a very gripping read no doubt; in fact I'd read and reviewed the book a while before I watched the movie.