Silsiilay (2005)
I didn't really have any great expectations from this movie; in fact, I was almost sceptical of watching it, even though a lot of people I admire in Bollywood were involved in it- Tabu, SRK, Kay Kay Menon, Jimmy Sheirgill, Rahul Bose, and Khalid Mohamed. And of course, Dolly Bindra. I guess it's the way the movie was packaged- "what women really want" and all that, that made me think this was going to be another example of what I like to call "Bollywood feminism" (maybe one day I'll write a separate essay on that). And I am, at best, a reluctant viewer of that particular sub-genre, and at worst, one of its biggest haters.
However, Silsiilay completely defied my expectations. At every turn, I was clenching my teeth, prepared for the worst to happen, but no. All the women behaved so beautifully, so majestically, that I was completely in awe of every single one of them. Yes, all of them, except Nandita ofc. And the South Bombay housewives who were lowkey bullying Rehana (Tabu). The film very accurately shows the wide variety of ways in which men tend to gaslight the women around them, and what is so special about the narrative here is that it shows that women exercising their autonomy and standing up for themselves and what they want (I guess the "what women really want" tagline was correct after all). It was truly liberating to witness all of that in a Hindi movie from 2005, back when stuff like No Entry was all the rage (not that things have gotten much better now; I mean, we just had Housefull 4, for pity's sake). Dare I say, Silsiilay was ahead of its time?? And not ahead of its time like Lamhe (1991) was (I still love you Sridevi Amma), but actually, genuinely ahead of its time. No wonder an idiot like Taran Adarsh "panned" it and said it would appeal only to a "niche audience"- yes, in this stupidly patriarchal society, a film showing women with agency can just not appeal to the people. Big frickin' frick.
Also, this movie is totally worth watching just to hear SRK and Tabu talking in Urdu. My ears have been blessed, my crops have been watered, and my skin is finally clear.
Now, for the obligatory TCU rant: is there anything this woman can't do? Everyone was really good in this movie, definitely, and yet, Tabs managed to stand out as Rehana. I don't want to say too much, because nothing I do will do it justice, but god. And the dynamics between her and her stepson? Just perfect. She doesn't have to say anything, but you know exactly what she feels about him. Your fav could never. Unless your fav is Tabu, ofc.
It would not be fair to conclude without mentioning 2 other lovely things about this movie-
1. Himesh Reshammiya was the music director #blessed
2. The chemistry between Ziya (Bhumika Chawla) and Neel (Rahul Bose) is just SO GOOD, I was lowkey shipping. Proof-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDGzXMHMC6o
Now, go and watch it. Khuda Haafiz.
However, Silsiilay completely defied my expectations. At every turn, I was clenching my teeth, prepared for the worst to happen, but no. All the women behaved so beautifully, so majestically, that I was completely in awe of every single one of them. Yes, all of them, except Nandita ofc. And the South Bombay housewives who were lowkey bullying Rehana (Tabu). The film very accurately shows the wide variety of ways in which men tend to gaslight the women around them, and what is so special about the narrative here is that it shows that women exercising their autonomy and standing up for themselves and what they want (I guess the "what women really want" tagline was correct after all). It was truly liberating to witness all of that in a Hindi movie from 2005, back when stuff like No Entry was all the rage (not that things have gotten much better now; I mean, we just had Housefull 4, for pity's sake). Dare I say, Silsiilay was ahead of its time?? And not ahead of its time like Lamhe (1991) was (I still love you Sridevi Amma), but actually, genuinely ahead of its time. No wonder an idiot like Taran Adarsh "panned" it and said it would appeal only to a "niche audience"- yes, in this stupidly patriarchal society, a film showing women with agency can just not appeal to the people. Big frickin' frick.
Also, this movie is totally worth watching just to hear SRK and Tabu talking in Urdu. My ears have been blessed, my crops have been watered, and my skin is finally clear.
Now, for the obligatory TCU rant: is there anything this woman can't do? Everyone was really good in this movie, definitely, and yet, Tabs managed to stand out as Rehana. I don't want to say too much, because nothing I do will do it justice, but god. And the dynamics between her and her stepson? Just perfect. She doesn't have to say anything, but you know exactly what she feels about him. Your fav could never. Unless your fav is Tabu, ofc.
It would not be fair to conclude without mentioning 2 other lovely things about this movie-
1. Himesh Reshammiya was the music director #blessed
2. The chemistry between Ziya (Bhumika Chawla) and Neel (Rahul Bose) is just SO GOOD, I was lowkey shipping. Proof-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDGzXMHMC6o
Now, go and watch it. Khuda Haafiz.
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