Rukmini Bai (Shabana Azmi飾)一清早例行公事
誰說Shabana Azmi不能演"呵呵呵,來追我呀!可惡的小東西.樹林奔跑的角色", 依Mandi幾場表現,幾乎養出長三那一路的嬌媚.請看過Mandi的觀眾替Shabana Azmi平反~~
Mandi -- Market Place
Shabana Azmi悠遊於印度主流'非主流的璀燦光芒實與中印導演Shyam Benegal之作品緊密相繫.以世界影壇譬喻的話, Penelope Cruz得力於阿莫多瓦一手調教, Shabana Azmi是Shyam Benegal的女演員,但Shyam Benegal意味深長的角色沒有Shabana Azmi不見得斐然剔透,無關本領高下, 純粹是協調自然的問題. Mandi是Hindi語, 改編自巴基斯坦小說家Ghulam Abbas執筆的Urdu短篇小說 Aanand,戲謔買賣人體的市場.
Hindi電影圈側寫性工作者的作品多矣, 背景可上溯古典小說Umrao Jaan(1981),或是英治土邦的Pakeezah(1972),甚至公元六世紀的Ustav(1984), 幾近妍極雅緻美人綽約或調笑傷嗟情惘然; 遞嬗於當代的Chindni Bar(1996),Market(2003), Chingaari(2006),則寫實非人生活, 主角群反抗求取人身尊嚴, 由古到今性工作者的存廢對立兩宗各執其理, 寫實類的印度影片一貫批判現實, 觀點入世繼而殘酷共憤.上列導演各有專擅, 匠氣貴氣建立起導演的的電影事業, 但在二十年前大宗師Shyam Benegal的構思下,這些花娘遊走在古雅與現實之間,送往迎來又習藝競爭,有的利益所趨坑賺同行,有的見風轉舵舌燦蓮花;恩客們也是各色人等莫衷是一, 有好色貪花的,貪小便宜的,也狗仗人勢的,更有初墜情網的良家子追求藝伎,沒想到兩人卻是同父兄妹.
Mandi娼門女的慨世笑語一直讓我聯想到阿莫多瓦的 Todos Abre Mi Madre(我的母親).兩部電影中的社會邊緣人無謂悲情訴衷,嘻笑人生才是當行本色, 藉調侃詼諧抽離困境. 主角群不作絕境困獸,反是以快打快,越是煎熬越是恬嬉無度,彷彿立誓在淺薄荒瘠的塵埃中開出一株亭亭野花. Mandi諸女何嘗不然?Ghulam Abbas的原著以其薄短致使影片魄壯而形單. 但各色人等穿梭來去和影片組織一樣左右逢源, 形形色色匪疑所思可寫實片中的批判力道不等同驟弱,亦不一味走偏鋒煽動, 全片找不到惡人翻手生風,翻手覆雨, 一切端的是怎然便怎然, 中文的青樓,勾欄,瓦窯,煙花含蓄名目,Shyam Benegal索性詮釋"性工作者"之謂 : Vasanti (Neena Gupta演過Ustav,1984)理直氣壯,換一口飯吃; 遭騙婚的喑啞Poolmani被拐入則也是不說也罷的常態;身世神秘的Zeenat(Simita Pati. 1955-1986)被尊養在閣樓習藝,故事更是不可說不可說,她們暇居鬧市中的小天地工作,沒人看不起她們, 她們直率嚷叫反而像吃定嬌客, 倒是鴇母Rukhmini(Shabana Azmi飾)瞧不起一干道貌岸然的偽君子, 一日男女政商勾結決意以消滅妓院重振道得為選票來源, Rukmini自顧打疊虔婆嘴臉, 輕鬆出場討價還價,立刻撕下一群假慈悲假關懷的政客面皮. 賣淫涉及道德與否牽涉面廣, 稍有差池則無法自圓其說,甚至招惹非議, 但在供需市場方面做起文章, 遭逐邊鄙的Rukmini依舊在"男人的世界"中重立起屬於她們的基業, 人人奔於途,處處聞曲舞,不得不佩服編導演三者揶揄幽微----不患人之不知,但患人之不需.
Mandi輕鬆裕如直逼喜劇, 只是順勢而為, 畢竟社會惡藪不窮,沉痾難起,玩笑不恭日久自有此輩入世軔然的超脫態度, 此業的密傳心法. 由尊貴如閣樓公主的Zeenat一角誦詩ghazel,習舞Mujra, 手足間引欲含笑亦見潛伏於下一脈相承的藝伎傳統. 蒙兀兒帝國時期,凡有喜慶,舞伶必於表演獻藝,一方面顯示主人身份,同時慶賀宴會(詳見Bengali小說 The music Room, by Tarashankar Banerjee.電影由Sayajit Ray拍攝),非比尋常本能工作者.Zeenat不消言語,其間風情醉得良家子拜倒榴裙,但電影一轉兩情相悅的戲碼為悲喜劇, Zeenat和追求者的血脈同源,兩人幾乎亂倫, 更強烈暗合古來藝伎傳統Umrao Jaan的皮條客Gohar Mirza來歷, 或Devdas的Chandramukhi警示:" 我們身份卑賤,但沒有這些尋歡客,怎麼有我們!當你春風一度,或許送往迎來的人也有你的姊妹在其中." 不管善始惡終或是善始全終, 當Rukhmini伏地再起企畫東山再起, 狂喜的朗笑似乎又回到故事的原點, 買賣場是現實經濟的,性工作者一定會存在,只要有需求,端視社會怎處理怎安置,兀自趕盡殺絕,又是說不盡的故事了.
題外話: 很多年前台灣電視劇<<江山樓>>出現過板友討論: 哪有媽媽桑(林美照演)看起來比藝旦女兒(楊林飾)年少青春的? Shabana Azmi第一個鏡頭出現時, 觀眾必疑相同的選角問題--虔婆貌美勝諸女.幸好Azmi拿出真本事, 無論是在顧客身後鄙視,或是諛詞口蜜,哪幾場討價還價戲到位極了.否則她演Zeenat就夠了.
While actresses like Meena Kumari, and Rekha played the gracious, golden-hearted courtesans in Pakeezah and Umrao Jaan respectively, Rehana Sultan and Zeenat Aman led the care-a-damn attitude brigade in Chetna and Manoranjan. Shabana Azmi, Manisha Koirala and Sushmita Sen have explored a new level in their roles in Mandi, Market and Chingari.
Actress Asha Parekh who portrayed a kothewali in Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki, asserts that playing a woman who's looked down upon or considered 'a fallen woman' is very challenging, as one has to be the representative of a tarnished society.
Actress Ila Arun, who played a prostitute in Mandi, agrees that it was a challenging role. "Such roles reflect a dark phase of our society. It is difficult to portray something isn't seen as normal," she says.
But what attracts actresses towards such roles? Replies Ishaa Koppikar, who's going to play a courtesan in a forthcoming film: "The role is a precious opportunity, because it's very different from the run-of-the-mill stuff. Secondly , such roles have a great recall value."
Adds Arun, "Since the profession is not ordinary, the efforts involved in performing the character are also extraordinary . For Mandi, Smita Patil and Shabana Azmi visited the kothas and met the sex workers in Hyderabad to get the real picture. The kind of language used in these roles is also different. My dialogues in Chingari for instance were repugnant!"
Neena Gupta, has also played a sex worker in Mandi but she doesn't find the role challenging. "For an actor doing justice to any and every kind of role is a challenge. Whether I play prostitute or a girl next door, my motive as an actor is to play the character well. The level of sincerity shouldn't differ."
And who else but a filmmaker could better describe the nuances involves in portraying such a character? Filmmaker Shyam Benegal, who made Mandi feels that playing a sex worker is indeed a challenge. "The success of such a character is a combination of the actor's talent and the way the director shapes it. Actresses who've done these roles whether it's Smita Patil, Shabana Azmi, Tabu or Kareena Kapoor, are all known for their acting skills. The role of a sex worker is undoubtedly very testing and an earnest endeavour is the pre-requisite."
kanpur.times@timesgroup.com
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