“No one here gets out alive.” Said Jim Morrison the mercurial lead singer of The Doors, who dies at the age of 27. The eternal truth be that as it may, the fear of death is ridiculous because as long as you are not dead you are alive, and when you are dead there is nothing more to worry about. Somewhere in the film there is mention of Adi Shankaracharya who dies at 32 after establishing one of the fundamental tenets of Hinduism.
#VipinAtley the maverick director takes a shot at the eternal question in #MusicalChair currently streaming on the brand-new OTT platform #MainstreamTV. The protagonist, Martin is five years older at 32 but has an irrational, all-consuming fear of death. He sets out on a search for deeper meaning and gets you to reflect on the larger question of what it is that we are all seeking during our tenuous lives. The film is produced by #AllenRajan for #Spyrogyra
1. #VipinAtley has previously made the reasonably successful films Ben and Homely Meals returns with a film that’s perhaps thirty minutes too long but will set you thinking. He also plays the lead role of Martin in the film. We are not told too much about his character but the initial scenes where he is seen smoking and drinking and is seemingly unhealthy eating habits makes you curious.
2. The Musical chair is a brilliant metaphor for life itself. The rules of the game mandate that you must be seated on a chair when the music stops. The corollary is that you can occupy the chair only till when the music resumes. And life is but a temporary chair that you hold on to. Is there meaning in a higher order goal then. And that in essence is the philosophy of #MusicalChair.
3. Martin claims to be a writer but spends most of his time with friends who seem to be more aimless than him. He lives with his mother and his expertise seems to be a comprehensive knowledge of the clinics where he can get his cholesterol levels tested. The film does not pronounce any judgement on his character, and you tend to develop a fondness for the cherubic, unkempt, wide-eyed visage of the lead.
4. Martin sets out with his friend to seek answers. He meets up with a temple priest and a soothsayer who don’t impress him too much. The writing has shades of sarcasm here abouts – sample the scene where they stare at the devout woman praying to the Weeping Mary and his friend asks what’s the point in praying to someone who is already weeping!
5. The film goes back in time to help us understand that Martin’s fears are brought on by the words of his grandmother who told him that death makes one powerless. His dad too died at 40 and the scene where he stuffs his mouth with balls of rice mixed with salt is poignant.
#MusicalChair is pivoted around one central thought and leaves little room to manoeuvre either with the script or the characterisation. It is almost like one man’s soliloquy around his quest for the larger meaning of life and the apparent futility of the endeavour itself. Its an interesting premise and had it been tighter and more well-rounded, it would have provoked many more questions in my head. For now, it leave me non-plussed and a little confused.
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