The belief that madness is linked with creative thinking has been held since ancient times. It is a widely popular notion. "Deviant behavior, whether in the form of eccentricity or worse, is not only associated with persons of genius or high-level creativity, but it is frequently expected of them." (Rothenberg, 1990, p.149). Since the time of the Greek philosophers, those who wrote about the creative process emphasized that creativity involves a regression to more primitive mental processes, that to be creative requires a willingness to cross and recross the lines between rational and irrational thought.
ASHOK’s FIVE identifies five reasons to watch #AdityaMotwane’s #AKvsAK on #NetflixIndia and these have nothing to do with madness! I am a firm believer that a certain degree of madness is needed for true creativity but as I sat down and watched this meta film, I found five different reasons why you should give it a try.
But first the basics. #AKvsAK is the tale of an epic altercation between two Bollywood heavyweights - #AnilKapoor and #AnuragKashyap. In the process, Kashyap throws a glass of water at Kapoor’s face and storms out. He then kidnaps Kapoor’s daughter #SonamKapoor and then ensues a meta thriller documentary wherein #AnilKapoor has till sunrise to find his daughter. Following the two is Yogita (#YogitaBihani) with a camera .Welcome to gender bending headiness of an altogether different level!
I loved #AnilKapoor’s performance in the film. At 64 and a winner of four FilmFare awards, he looks fit and agile and is an inspiration. I admire his courage to take up a project like this which shreds his carefully nurtured image over the decades. Here he is okay to lead with colourful cuss words, let down his guard, mingle with his fans and even sustain physical injuries. That one scene where he has been hit by a car and is lying on the side of Grant Road is sublime. “I delivered 13 superhit films in 1986” he laments. At one point, he even mingles with the crowd celebrating Christmas and is forced to dance to his superhit song from #MynameisLakhan as the crowd insists on it. His only chance of getting any information on his daughter is if he performs . And perform he does with gusto as the famous pout and raised arms does the trick. Even #AnuragKashyap is forced to watch in awe.
The next reason to watch the film is the manner in which both the leads play their characters. They play themselves ; they also play who they are perceived to be and at times even play with your mind in terms of the bias that you have about them. For example, #AnilKapoor is no more the nice guy; he is fine to use cuss words and bitch about Bollywood. He is vulnerable and he is conscious about his image and status. On the other hand #Kashyap is true to the image he has developed on twitter - arrogant, loud-mouthed and does not mince words. In the film, the common man single screen viewer mistakes him for #AnuragBasu and the cops identify him as #MadhurBhandarkar. He is narcissistic, egoistic and packs a punch with his aggression.
#AKvsAk also depicts Bollywood no holds barred. There is angst, jealousy, one-upmanship and pure hate. In this terse, unexpected and labythrinian chase, the actors speak their minds. It was disconcerting to hear #AnilKapoor call Kashyap the “Ranvir Singh of Cs” right at the beginning.
#AKvsAK also has its bits of clever writing. Kashyap lampoons his own work all through. There is #HarshVardhanKapoor and #BoneyKapoor who make special appearances. Harsh abuses Kashyap for ruining his career with #BhaveshJoshi . In the next scene, Kapoor and Kashyap go at each other fisticuffs and all and end up with a bruised eye and bloody nose. The conflict between who is more important - the star or the director is another interesting theme. You almost get the feeling that some of these recurrent themes are incorporated with careful thought. To me, the script was very precise and very measured even though some of the scenes were over-the-top.
An interesting take on the film is also the debate as to whether on-screen actors ever stop acting. Do they manage to make the transition once the camera is switched off and settle down to normal life? How does it feel to do that? Is this a trap that one can never escape from?
#AKvsAK is not just an interesting experiment. Yes it drowns a little in its own hubris and the last portions seem a little too stretched and tiring. I would say its worth a watch for all the interesting nuances that it throws up. And five stars for #AnilKapoor for being courageous enough to do this !
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