Meenaxi – A Tale of Three Cities… Phew!

Given it away…:-)
Watched ‘Meenaxi – A …’ last night. Pinch alternated between exasperation and helpless laughter throughout the film. ‘I don’t understand this, why do they speak such arcane dialogues? It’s easier to follow the songs than the dialogues!’…
Obviously, he hadn’t watched ‘Gajagaamini’.
Well, I have realised that in order to enjoy a Hussain film, one shouldn’t try to draw the film into a plot or a storyline. Instead, one should sit back and enjoy the trip. A bit like ‘Ulysses’ or whatever little I read of it. Enjoy the play of words, the flighty trips of imagination.. the colour and fantasy. Don’t try to limit the medium or draw a conclusion of place, time or person. Imaginary characters float on the screen along with real ones… The video was in bad print. Yet I could appreciate the camera work, the locations, the lovely photography. The film is beautifully shot. Shot in Jaisalmer, Hyderabad and Prague, the film manages to bring out the sheer beauty of the cities. The noise of the bazaars, the festive spirit, the Sufi qawaals… Hyderabad comes across as a noisy and vivacious city. Jaisalmer is bright, colourful, musical. Prague… Nice, European city and that’s all I can say.
Tabu floats through all the reels like an ethereal spirit, lovely and timeless. Hussain does a cameo, a fleeting shot in an Irani cafe.
The film is worth a watch… but you need to be in a different mode to enjoy it.

After the film, I’ve decided… I must go to the Urs festival sometime.