Sparsh

The subject of disability on celluloid has its share of fans but I am certainly not one amongst them. I, for one, could not comprehend Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Black' and found it quite tedious to sit through. His 'Guzaarish' was no masterpiece for me either. So when I decided to watch Sai Paranjpai's 'Sparsh', I was a little apprehensive despite being a great fan of her other noted works- 'Katha' and 'Chashme Buddoor'. It stars Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi- two of the most celebrated actors in Hindi cinema- and after you finish viewing this little gem- you would have no doubts remaining as to why these two are so highly rated. Naseeruddin Shah plays Anirudh, a blind man, who runs an institute for blind children. Shabhana Azmi plays Kavita, a widow, who has not recovered from the death of her husband even three years hence.

Anirudh is shown to be self-reliant man who scorns at any efforts made to help him lead his life. He hates it when blind people are referred to as 'Bechaaras'. His is a really strong persona that commands respect from his students and staff alike. One, however, wonders whether this show of strength and courage an effort made by him to conceal the pain and incompleteness he feels within himself. Kavita on the other hand makes no attempt to hide her dolefulness and lack of purpose in life. She spends all her time in singing and gardening.

The story starts off really slowly with hardly any movement in the first twenty minutes. However things pick up considerably when Kavita joins Anirudh's institute as a mentor, guide, and friend to the children. They warm up to her immediately and start reveling in her presence. Even she is thrilled to receive so much love and respect from them. She starts coming to the institute on a regular basis and starts devoting her entire time and energies completely to the happiness and benefit of the children. She tells them stories, helps them prepare for dramas, but more than all this, she gives them the motherly love they were devoid of earlier. Meanwhile, the bond between Kavita and Anirudh starts getting stronger with each passing day. Regular meeting and interactions slowly gets translated into mutual liking. So much so that after some time they realize that they both need each other in their lives and decide to get married. However complications arise in the form of Anirudh's self doubts that get elevated by a few stray remarks made by his acquaintances. He starts to feel that Kavita is making a sacrifice by marrying him and is forcing herself into lifelong misery and compromise.

The running of the blind school is shown remarkably well. It looks like considerable research went into the whole thing and the results are just amazing. All the kids perform naturally, so much so that one is forced to wonder whether they were actually blind or just acting. There is one kid 'Paploo' who stands out, and incidentally he is the only kid in the school with the gift of sight. There is a small track about him feeling jealous of the blind kids as they managed get more attention from their aunty Kavita. There are a lot of moments between the kids and Kavita that are so endearing that you can't help smiling. The drama between Anirudh and Kavita too is very engaging. Same is the case with the interactions between Anirudh and his sighted assistant to whom acts as a 'love guru' (borrowing a modern lingo).

The strength of this movie lies in its dialogues. Unlike many other movies from the 1970s and 80s that looked like they were made without prior written material, this one looks like it was made after meticulous planning. The story is set in the suburbs of South Delhi- and even the locations are devoid of any misery or darkness just like the content. The music is soothing and works well for the film, however it boasts of no songs that are popular even today.

Parting note- Sparsh is a happy movie about life and learning to cope with its losses. Never once is a kid shown crying over his lack of sight, or feeling depressed about it. And that, for me, is film's greatest victory. Sai Paranjpye more than deserves all the plaudits she got for making this, so did Naseeruddin Shah (who got the National Award) and Shabana Azmi. Sanjay Leela Bhansali needs to take a cue from this movie and reflect on how he could have treated his earlier movies better.

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This movie deals with people with handicaps – one is bitter due to blindness and the other is depressed due to heart break. Society tends to glorify blindness as a bigger handicap than heartbreak. The movie poignantly shows that both are debilitating and need a lot of work to overcome. Kavita and Anirudh are fortunate in discovering each other. Their individual handicaps first help them in working together, then bonding together and then tears them apart. A well-wisher has to step in ultimately to bridge the gap.

There are some endearing scenes with the kids and the dialog is very engaging. The sequence where Anirudh describes his perception of Kavita's beauty deserves special mention for its poetry. Both Naseer and Shabana excel in their minimalist style.

Subtle, simple, sincere and stunning are four words I can use to describe 'Sparsh'. Any movie that involves names like Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Sai Paranjape, Gulzar and Om Puri are more than worth a watch. 'Sparsh' follows Anirudh, a blind young principal who runs a school for the blind. While he is dedicated to ensure that the students have the best possible future and tries his best to make things accessible to them, he is fiercely independent. He dislikes it when others offer a hand and he resents their pity. Anirudh thinks he is satisfied with life the way it is until he meets a beautiful widow named Kavita. The two strike a friendship and he offers her to teach the children at school. At first she is reluctant but soon gives in and finds a new purpose that has taken her away from the lonely life she had accepted to live.

Sai has yet again provided the viewer with another excellent example of the impact subtlety has on cinema. The execution of 'Sparsh' is very simple and efficiently. It's done so effectively as it echos the silence of the unsaid words between the characters. The director raises awareness regarding the educational facilities that are available for the blind and the shortcomings of these schools but he never does so by intruding on the story. It is all part of the story, a part of Anirudh and Kavita's life. Special mention goes to the music. There are only a few songs but the lyrics highlight great poetry.

The development of the bond between the characters, such as between the Aniruch and Kavita and between Kavita and the children is displayed beautifully. Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi are definitely one of best on-screen pairs in cinema. While the two have always worked terrifically together, perhaps 'Sparsh' is the movie that outstandingly showcases their undeniably magical chemistry. The rest of the cast, that includes Sudha Chopra and the students, provides fine support.

'Sparsh' has already become a favourite and I'll surely be watching it again. With raw simplicity as Paranjape has created cinematic magic, something very few directors have managed to display on screen.

Sai Paranjape's films always deal with situations and characters, which one can easily identify with, and her 'Sparsh' is a nostalgic movie. The film upholds an important principle that the disabled want to live independently, to be accorded the dignity and respect other sectors of society are granted.They don't want sympathy, rather they want and need normal behaviour towards them.

Anirudh Parmar (Naseerudin Shah), a visually impaired young man, runs a school for the blind as a principal.He works towards making his students self-reliant and hates the society for pitying people like him.One evening, at a party, he meets Kavita (Shabana Azmi), a young widow, and offers her to teach in his school.

Reluctant at first, Kavita eventually joins the school. She starts enjoying the company of the blind children and they too feel comfortable with her. Gradually, Anirudh and Kavita fall in love and get engaged. However, after some time, Anirudh starts having doubts whether this marriage is going to succeed. He feels he is being demeaned, and pitied, and hence breaks their engagement. He even tells Kavita not to come to school anymore.However, Kavita, who really has love for blind children, translates famous stories for them in brail. Will Anirudh realize her passion and take her for what she is?

A method artist, Naseeruddin Shah studied the behavioral characteristics of blind and came up with an amazing performance, winning himself the National Award for Best Actor.

Apart from critical appreciation,'Sparsh' also won 3 Filmfare Awards.

(Best Director— Sai Paranjape Best Dialogue—Sai Paranjape Best Film—Basu Bhattacharya)

This was back in the 1970's, when Naseerudin Shah was heralded as one of the leading lights of the parallel cinema.His principal of a blind school, who forms a life-affirming relationship with Kavita, left a lasting impression.

Paranjape made a sincere attempt to tell both sides of the story, with a rare unsentimental equilibrium, dealing with the complexes embedded in the minds of both the characters.

This movie was having the best actors who performed their best and yes the story was simple but directed in a brilliant way. Director tried to catch small details in the life of blind people. Relationship between the lead pair was the best part of movie . Undoubtedly shabana, naseer saab, om puri n smita patil(not in this movie) are the best that could have happen to Indian Cinema.