BLACK FRIDAY

Continuing my mini blog series on films overlooked by the Academy Awards...

I'm not even sure if Anurag Kashyap's BLACK FRIDAY would even qualify for this year's Oscars- it just released worldwide last week, despite the fact that it was made almost two years ago.

So there are two stories for BLACK FRIDAY- the film itself, and the aftermath of the film. Both stories are pertinent to the message, which is what makes the film so incredible, so award worthy, and so deserving of our praise and patronage, although I'm sure Anurag himself would want to avoid such praise and let the film stand on it's own accords- that's just him, I'll praise the film regardless.:o)

BLACK FRIDAY is a no-holds-barred investigation into the 1993 Bombay serial bomb blasts. In what was initially seen as an act of religious fundamentalist terrorism was later uncovered to be a conspiracy of massive proportions, rooted in organizations of various faiths and beliefs. The film is a direct adaptation of S Hussein Zaidi's book, which chronicles the exhaustive police investigation handled by two primary detectives, Additional Commissioner of Police Rakesh Maria, and former Mumbai police commissioner Amarjit Singh Samra. The story wavers between the investigations of the authorities and the criminals who masterminded the entire event. There is a smattering of testimonials and experiences of the Bombay public (using actual news footage), the inclusion of which gives the story its immediacy and veracity.

Kashyap, who also wrote the screenplay (and is arguably one of India's premiere screenwriters), gets a lion's share of the credit for the vision of the film. The script is highly fractured and complex, shifting chronology and locations in a fractal pattern that resembles the very chaos of the initial bomb blast (depicted without reservation in a stunning opening sequence). The level of lucid organization to make a film like this is staggering, matched in recent times only by the likes of PULP FICTION, MEMENTO, and most recently BABEL. High praise and credit also goes to editor Aarti Bajaj, who faced the daunting task of weaving a multitude of stories together, and executed the film flawlessly. The cinematography by Nataraja Balasubramaniam is top notch- the camera never wavers and it captures the grime, the dampness, and the rambling wreck of an organism that is Bombay. Overall, from every facet of filmmaking, BLACK FRIDAY is a tremendous achievement, and a breath of fresh air for Indian cinema.

And Indian cinema has been unfair to the film. BLACK FRIDAY has been saddled with the 800 pound gorilla that is Bollywood- audiences outside of India, when confronted with an Indian film, instantly make the assumption that it is a four hour melodramatic mishmash with colourful song and dance numbers with impossibly attractive people doing impossibly improbable things. Meanwhile in India, audiences will be faced with a film that lacks melodramatic sentiment, that does not have a neatly wrapped up ending, that won't entertain them in the orthodox Bollywood all-Indian way. But let's get this straight- BLACK FRIDAY is an Indian film, and despite the fact that it was made in Bombay, it is the furthest thing from a Bollywood film. There are no songs, no dances (the score however by the band Indian Ocean is excellent and appropriate). This is a worldly film, an important film, one that has relevance to Americans, Europeans and just about anyone else in the world. This is a story of terrorism, its motivations and manipulations, and of the good people who strive to seek justice at any cost. The film reaffirms that there are good, honest people in the world, and also hammers down the point that there are plenty of assholes in the world too.

The film, above everything else, is OBJECTIVE. Quite a rarity, something which was last seen in Paul Greengrass' masterful BLOODY SUNDAY and historically in Gillo Pontecorvo's THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS. In cinema today we hardly ever get to see the emotion, characterization, and depth of the other side of the terrorist divide. A terror organization has their own justified motivation- for better or worse- and once that motivation is researched, we can try to comprehend their bombastic logic. And maybe that's the frightening thing about objectivity- when we see the motivations of a terrorist, we are afraid that we just might understand why they are doing what they do. BLACK FRIDAY and the films of its ilk ask the viewers to not sympathize with those who wreak havoc, but rather empathize with them, and with that knowledge a diplomatic discussion can begin.

Which leads into the second story of BLACK FRIDAY. The film was made over two years ago, but was then subsequently banned from release by the Bombay High Courts. The reasoning was that in Kashyap's screenplay, he did not fictionalize the characters- he used their real names. The court, for whatever illogical reason, had decided that this was unacceptable..

If we are to talk of corruption, than this is it. Kashyap correctly cited that Zaidi's book on the subject, which also names names, had been in print for many years. The book was accessible to the public for ages, so if there was opinions to be swayed, it was probably already done a long time ago. Despite this logic, the ban stuck, until just recently. Maybe the courts feared the truth, or maybe they understood the power of mass media and its ability to influence the public. Perhaps many of their friends, those with the ability to buy influence and power, would be shown in a negative light. If they were, they they probably deserved to be.

A film like BLACK FRIDAY can only benefit the public, for they can understand the workings of the forces that seek to terrorize our planet. Understanding and education helps to abolish fear, which is the single most paralyzing emotion in human existence. The dissemination of fear provides us with the strength and courage to take these opposing forces head on, and therefore an earnest attempt to rid the world of this scourge can be made. I read once that the US Department of Defense still uses THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS in its training programs, because of its surgical breakdown of terrorist operations. BLACK FRIDAY can also be such a blueprint, for it is uncompromising in its accuracy and its heart is in the right place. This truly is a seminal piece of work, and belongs in the top ranks as one the most influential and meaningful Indian films ever made. Hats off to Anurag Kashyap and his band of outsiders, as they have shown a level of courage and determination that we can all learn from.

P.S. Keep an eye out for Anurag's next film, entitled NO SMOKING. I visited him on the set and it's a complete mindfuck of a movie, one that will make waves in the Indian film industry. Provided some asshole doesn't get it banned. :o)



Snubbed Oscar Nominations: Best Editing (Aarti Bajaj) and Best Foreign Film