Jaag Utha Insan (1984)

It will never cease to amaze me that Sridevi was not a formally trained dancer. Especially after seeing this movie, where I literally couldn't take my eyes off of her when she danced. I honestly can't find the words to describe how special her performances were- all I can say is that they are a good enough reason to watch the movie.

Another highlight of the movie for me was the palpable chemistry between Sridevi and Mithun Chakraborty. Yes, I am lowkey obsessed with scandalous movie star couples, and no, I have no regrets. But seriously, those two together were beautiful to watch and if your heart isn't moved by their story, you don't have a heart. It's as simple as that. I do have quite a lot of problems with the caste dynamics (Brahmin benevolence and the glorification of Vedas being the most prominent), but I also applaud K. Viswanath for making that rare Hindi film that takes caste head-on. As we are all too aware, inter-caste love and relationships are still a taboo in our society, which is in consequence a big reason behind the sustenance of casteist patriarchal structures. The messaging was not as radical as I would have liked it to be, but at the same time, the urgency with which we need to address caste endogamy can't be denied. And with this, I would like to point out that this movie was made in 1984. We have such a long way to go before we can actually call ourselves an equal society. 

The visuals are amazing, and so are the songs. It's a pity I had to see a low-quality version on YouTube. Hope someone streams it in HD one of these days, because that's what it truly deserves. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and watch all of Sridevi's dances in this movie. Again. Okay, bye.

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