Udaan was perfect except ‘that’ scene

As expected Udaan was a perfect experience! In the world of escapist bollywood masala films, Udaan has set the perfect example of healthy entertainment. When filmmaker remains truthful to characters and the context of the film, a magical film like Udaan is born. After watching the film when I came out of theatre I was thoroughly elated, but later, just one scene from the film kept on pestering me. I thought either the scene was loosely scripted or I failed to understand it.

The scene is in later half of the movie. Bhairavsingh, Rohan’s father is all prepared to meet the officials of bank or some important organization who have come to visit his plant. The way he is dressed up and the way he talks to them its very clear that his fate is dependent on the meeting. After the initial interaction Bhairavsingh requests officials to actually visit the plant.
As he is about to usher them to the plant, he gets a call from Arjun’s (Rohan’s step brother) school. A lady on phone informs Bhaiavsingh that his child has committed some kind of blunder again and he should pick up his child from the school immidiately. Bhaivsingh tries to explain ‘the lady on phone’ about his ongoing meeting. ‘The lady on phone’ insists the urgency to take Arjun right away from the school and Bhaiavsingh instantly succumbs to the pressure and agrees that he will reach the school within half an hour. Accordingly he makes up a reason that his son has taken ill and tells officials he needs to go urgently. He tells officials that plant manager would show them the plant but officials somehow change their mind and give him a lose promise that they would visit his plant some other time.

I think, the above mentioned scene is not quite convincing as it hurts the basic essence of Bharavsingh’s character.

If Bhairavsingh can be so authoritative with his children and overall life and when the meeting is the most crucial one in the context of ‘recession’, how come he succumbs so easily to a call from the school? He could have easily sent his manager to the school to pick up his son or he could have made some alternate arrangement so to address both the issues.

Or

If Bhairavsingh is so sensitive towards his children that he is unable to stay even for a while till officials see the plant or if he so caring about his children that he just wants instantly to rush the school, is he really worth leaving at the end ?

I think the scene in the film is quite important as lot of drama unfolds later on the basis of this scene.

3 Idiots and 2 questions

Rancho is not just a revolutionary, he is also a visionary. He is not an angry young rebellion who wants to refine the system; rather he wants to redefine it. So he moves to Ladakh after completing his so called education and begins constructing the new system from the very beginning. Neither he works with an NGO (like Nikhumbh of Taare Zameen Par), nor does he work for slum children. He knows that the system here in so-called developing India has gone beyond any kind of repair. He knows waking up the ones who are fast asleep is possible but it’s not possible to wake up the dead ones.

So he chooses an untouched, virgin land of Ladakh to bring out the new order and new society. He is strongly in discordance with the present liberal, privatized and globalised India. He knows that the people here are set on a journey, which cannot be undone, so he chooses to restart the journey from the very beginning.

Obviously for lesser human beings like Raju, Farhan and Pia finding Rancho is utmost necessity as they in their college days they had experienced his magical powers. For them he is like a ‘behati hawasa tha wo’ which they could find only in the spacious and pure lands of Ladakh. They have always craved for ‘some sunshine’ and ‘some rain’ and wished ‘to grow up once again’. For them reaching Rancho is the dire need as Rancho, in the lands of Ladakh has begun the process of ‘growing up once again’. They know the sterility of the land where run-of –the –mill people like ‘Chatur’ are deadly engrossed in just surviving with false notions of achievement and happiness.

Rancho reconstructs Farhan by helping him to respect his aptitude and so Farhan happily pursues his passion of wildlife photography. Rancho helps Raju to see that dreams can be realized rationally and so Raju is leads steady life with his new identity. And Pia also learns form Rancho how to listen to one’s heart.

Besides these 3, Rancho also helps his Professor Viru Sahasrabuddhe to understand newer way of learning and teaching. While delivering his daughter’s baby, Rancho actually delivers Professor from the burden of his previous notions of education and achievement.

If the character of Rancho in the film is thought of in this way by the director, 2 of my questions about the film remain unanswered.

1. If Rancho is such important part of Farhan, Raju and Pia’s life, why it takes 10 years for them to find out Rancho, when his Shimla address can be easily traced from the college records?
2. Once Professor Virus has changed because of Rancho, why Pia has to run from her ‘shadi ka mandap’?