Gaja Gamini

Gaja Gamini गज गामिनी گج گامِنی
Directed by	M. F. Husain
Produced by	Rakesh Nath
Written by	Kamna Chandra (writer) M. F. Husain
Starring	Madhuri Dixit Shahrukh Khan Naseeruddin Shah
Music by	Bhupen Hazarika
Cinematography	Ashok Mehta
Edited by	Waman Bhosle Virendra Gharse
Distributed by	Yash Raj Films [1]
Release dates	1 December 2000
Country	India
Language	Hindi, English
Box office	₹ 26.75 lakhs [2]

Gaja Gamini (Hindi: गज गामिनी, Urdu: گج گامِنی‎, English translation: One with a walk like an elephant) is a 2000 Indian film written and directed by M. F. Husain and is his ode to womanhood and his muse of the time, Madhuri Dixit, who stars as the lead in the film with Shahrukh Khan and Naseeruddin Shah.^[3][4] The film was a box office disaster.^[5]

Plot

The central figure of the film is represented by a mysterious figure called "Gaja Gamini" (Madhuri Dixit), who inspires, arouses, and confuses the common man. "Gaja Gamini" is the inspiration behind Leonardo da Vinci's (Naseeruddin Shah) 'Mona Lisa', Kalidas' poem "Shakuntala", and a photojournalist named Shahrukh's (Shah Rukh Khan) photographs. The mysterious "Gaja Gamini" appears as four characters, one of them being Sangeeta, a blind girl from Banaras at the beginning of time, who inspires village women (Farida Jalal, Shilpa Shirodkar, and Shabana Aazmi) to revolt against a male-dominated system and carve a niche for women forever. Another character is Shakuntala, who is the subject of Kalidas' poem of the same name. Shakuntala incites jealousy in the women and love in the men around her, charming humans and animals alike in the forests of Kerala. "Gaja Gamini" is also Mona Lisa during the Renaissance, the object of painter Leonardo da Vinci's obsession. Finally, Monika, the most confusing sector of the film, is supposed to represent the woman of the New Millennium. Kamdev, the God of Love (Inder Kumar), walks the earth throughout history, attempting to win the love of "Gaja Gamini".

Thrown into this mix is a large black wall, separating two different periods, and confrontations between Science (Ashish Vidyarthi) and Art (Mohan Agashe) at different points in history, showing that the world itself can change, but its original ideas will always be the same. For example, a play by Shakespeare written and performed by actors in the 15th century will still be performed in the 21st century, but with different actors. The confrontations between art and science also bring about the idea that while science is firmly set on believing that which can only be proved, the basis for art is that which can be proved, and an intuitive sense that can be felt. Science uses the brain, while Art uses the brain and the heart. Another facet of the film is a "gathri", a small bundle which a woman carries upon her head, like a burden, with which she must walk forever.^[6][7]

Cast

• Madhuri Dixit – Gaja Gamini/Sangita/Shakuntala/Monika/Mona Lisa
• Tanvi Hegde - Baby Shakuntala
• Shabana Azmi – Premchand's Nirmala
• Shahrukh Khan– Shahrukh (special appearance)
• Naseeruddin Shah – Leonardo da Vinci
• Shilpa Shirodkar – Sindhu
• Tej Sapru – Tansen
• Farida Jalal – Noorbibi
• Mohan Agashe – Kalidasa
• Ashish Vidyarthi – Scientist
• Inder Kumar – Kamdev

Crew

• Art direction – Sharmishtha Roy
• Costume design – Reza Shareefi
• Choreography – Saroj Khan, Jojo Khan
• Sound – Buta Singh
• Background music – Anuradha Pal

Review

Critic Taran Adarsh said "The film has a very colourful look, with the visuals being eye-catching. But as a director, Hussain fails to convey his thoughts on celluloid. On the whole, Gaja Gamini is an artistic film which will not be understood by any strata of audience - classes or masses. Business-wise, the film is sure to spell disaster. A waste of precious celluloid".^[8]

Soundtrack

Hussain approached A. R. Rahman to compose the music for the film, but due to time constraints, he had to turn down the offer. The music was composed by Bhupen Hazarika.

References

External links

• Gaja Gamini at the Internet Movie Database
• Gaja Gamini at Bollywood Hungama