印度電影 Movie kya hai ?

Meena Kumari盛年玉容Parineeta1953

心有他屬 抑鬱難歡的Sahib Jaan( Meena Kumari三十九歲,略顯福態了)

初次獻舞.畫面以長鏡頭推近.右上角以及遠方的樓閣內皆有舞伎表演

我一向喜歡這首樂府. 打在這裡 其實跟文本無甚相干

        漢帝重阿嬌 ，貯之黃金宮。
　　咳唾落九天， 隨風生珠玉。
　　寵極愛還歇， 妒深情卻疏。
　　長門一步地， 不肯暫回車。
　　雨落不上天， 水覆難再收。
　　君情與妾意， 各自東西流。
　　昔日芙蓉花， 今成斷根草。
　　以色事他人， 能得幾時好 。                          李白<妾薄命>

Pakeezah  v.s.  Umrao Jaan

   " 悲劇的靈魂的孿生姊妹"是印度影圈對早逝的Meena Kumari(1932-1972)的誄辭. 和她同期的演員其實離今日並不遠,像是Nargis(b.1929-1981), Madhu Bala(b.1933-1969), Waheeda Rehman(b.1936-),只是四位之中就走了三位,得年短促,如古代倏乎消逝的天星,一瞬間耀目的光影,更添傳奇.這四位在舞蹈躍為電影不可或缺的元素之前,已是寶萊塢的第一公主群. Waheeda Rehman不是一開始就曼舞(Guide始舞.之前的Paper Flower她當小學教師唱教數字歌),Madhu Bala也不是一下子就成為愛殞命的官伎,Nargis賴以成名的影片群多為端莊閨秀,或不需縱舞的大地之母,Meena Kumari的賢慧女子形象縈繞勿去. e.g. Parineeta 1953.

   Meena Kumari是回教徒,擅以Urdu賦詩,青年時期的Gulzar與她酬唱應和,於她香消命殞後為她出詩集,Pakeezah電影服裝又出自其手,Meena Kumari 的成績令今日許多寶萊塢演員相形見絀.  " 命長則恥多"毋寧憤己之怠, 但天不假年對色藝雙全的寶萊塢第一公主群而言, 永留美感在人間.在我看來Pakeezah故事鬆散, 過度浪漫(Over-romanticism), 時代錯置(Anachronism).1972年首映回響微溫lukewarm,未幾女主角Meena Kumari病亡,電影居然盛況不衰.作為公主的退場謝幕式,Meena Kumari的Sahib Jaan自然成為最著名的角色,但絕不是她最好的作品.  其影片素質也萬不能同 Umrao Jaan 1981年相提並論. 然而 Pakeezah在攝影技巧和劇本方面卻遺惠後來者. 我想藉這篇小文Pakeezah v.s. Umrao Jaan 討論兩部影片詮釋的Kotha生活. 畢竟這兩部戲分享諸多相似處,以下將以時代背景,kotha風貌為主.

     Jaan為執壺賣笑女的敬稱,相比於清末書寓的先生或是台灣日治初期的大室藝旦. 從業女子有權決定對象,男子將欲取之,必先予之. Umrao Jaan & Sahib Jaan日常生活模式不脫姊妹淘閒話交換"攻略"(偶爾小賭怡情),費心裝扮,盛宴赴舞約,之後撒下她們的柔情蜜網,找中短期的金主.概括而論,金主的對象多來自養母精心策畫.她們慣看春花秋月;步入中年之後,若有己女則可承衣缽,反之收養貧女再戰江湖.五陵少年遊,平康姽嫿歌,kotha送往迎來, 女子未必無情, 男子也未必情真. 以Urdu語發音的電影Umrao Jaan和Pakaazah開場確切的告知此業生態,如 Sahid Jaan之母Nargis(Meena Kumari分飾)于歸夫家被拒,在墳場產下Sahib Jaan,還有Umrao Jaan(Rekha飾)被賣入娼門,縱然豔名遠播,終身擇婿不成.(是不是很像柳如是?十年擇婿不成,只好下嫁老人錢謙益.最後自縊身亡,錢孫愛撰墓誌)

       Umrao Jaan 1981畢竟自古典小說的基礎發展, 同名之人 Umrao Jaan的情路歷程就如同一頁寫實青樓韻史. 長於Kotha,Umrao Jaan已非昔日Ameeran,初掛牌和皮條客Gohar Mirza調情,後來情定Nawab Sultan,再仰賴Faizi Ali Khan. 真實的環境不容許她表現絲毫小兒女忸怩情態(這也是Umrao Jaan 2006劇本過於天真之處. Aishwarya Rai演得好.劇情該糟) 縱使有情, 妖嬈如 Umrao Jaan仍不乏大度穩健,更無謂從一而終之事, 因時制宜,誰值得仰賴便從誰,一朝紅顏老,不趁此時更待何時.皮條客Gohar Mirza角色猥瑣,在亂世他待她似好,她和他. 承平時貴冑公子Nawab Sultan珍之寵之,她便跟著她.她曾心傷於Nawab Sultan狠心決絕, 亦深知無貴室妻以歌伎. 兩人於Nawab Sultan之子周歲宴再相見, 感嘆造化運命滄桑罷了.

    Pakeezah 1972早於Umrao Jaan 1981年. 故事亦定於19世紀末,從男主角forest officer服裝看來,的確是Kipling時代的英治印度,還有達達的馬車在紅燈區停下,亭堂滿是花娘表演,縱使僅遠方畫面一隅也有青樓紅袖添香,直逼帝國末葉紙醉金迷,詩逸酒狂. 可是男女主角徜徉在美式帆船遊艇,街坊的現代腳踏車鋪,還有70年代的筆挺西裝陸續洩露電影考究不力. 此情此景荒謬絕倫, 試想Nawab Sultan一邊駕馬車,一邊啟動衛星導航GPS; 抑或Devdas一邊搭火車,一邊看MP4?  Pakeezab的花魁Sahib淪落風塵,不知身世,王孫公子簇擁,心中總掛著道上相逢的不知名旅客Salim Ahmed Khan(Raj Kumar飾). 就像Salim Ahemd Khan為她化名Pakeezah 純潔的心, Sahib 身在風塵, 歌舞賴以謀生卻無能立命, 她不知火車臥舖的旅人來自何方, 在最難過的時候,遠方鐵橋的火車汽笛聲提醒她一絲希望. 王孫們尋歡,她跳舞但不刻意承歡,恩客無狀, 她無言但不束手就範. 在最迷人熱鬧的歌舞中,Sahib不時無奈惘然,在最繁華的地方娉娉嬝嬝走向無聲的所在,一擲千金的賓客被遺留在後,這是Jaan的宿命.Sahib 和 Umrao一樣, 總對未來報著希望, 可是未來不朝著Umrao的希望走去,留下了Umrao Jaan的故事. Sahib Jaan奇蹟的事事遂願,不如前者主見,茫然地身為Jaan可以綺夢不醒,鬧罷工從容離開青樓,極度幸運地讓意中人Salim兩度解救收留;再者,Sahib和Salim Khan離開家庭雙宿雙悽,她自慚來歷回到青樓,之後又悲喜交加發現兩人為中表之親,輕易破除門戶障礙.Sahib Jaan一角空洞平凡只有歌舞可觀,而Pakeezah浪漫不實.

    我不能理為什麼Pakeezah歷年評價之高,簡直到了匪夷所思的地步了. 歌舞的確出色,就算拿出來和今日的寶萊塢作品比較,甚至更勝一籌. 拍攝手法上, Pakeezah當年開創奢靡浪漫先河,近期寶萊塢電影仍可見其遺惠. 像是Devdas 2002中, Devdas(SRK飾)歸國返家,馬車繞著噴水池一周,在Pakeezah已先出現了. Mangal Pandey 的Heera(Rani小姐)必須豔冠群芳跳舞攬客,在六角形地磚慢慢婀娜扭身,其運鏡舞姿一如Sahid Jaan.Veer-Zaara的Zaara Hayaat Khan(Preity Zinta演)潔身沐髮,一身白衣擦著長髮傾吐著少女綺夢. 一身白衣的Sahib Jaan直接在床邊擺著金魚噴水池,將髮絲浮在水面,慢慢地想著偶遇的旅人Salim. 以上所列當然是Pakeezah的成就, 唯劇情角色完全無法說服我. Sahib Jaan前期惘然,後期茫然, 仰賴的只有美色,故事也大悖當時的社會常態. Salim不是太喜歡她的腳而色慾薰心(電影中就是因為她的腳露在SARI外,Salim盯著忘神.寫信讚美),就是憐憫Sahib Jaan罹患少女公主癌症末期.她每天等著王子來,只是她幸運些,王子真的來了,而且還是她失散多年的表哥.若非欣賞夢幻浪漫,Lata年輕的歌聲, Meena Kumari的歌舞,不建議再看第三次.

 p.s.印度據官方資料, Pakeezah 1971年拍竣,此十幾年前Meena Kumari和導演夫婿 Kamal Amrohi 便籌畫. 期間 Meena Kumari病發命危,因此拍攝某些歌舞場面不得不請Padma Khanna替身,避開臉部特寫.現存的電影畫面驗證此說.有時Meena Kumari的Sahib Jaan神采燁人,有時憔悴容顏損.

謝謝Shakthi提供資訊, 轉貼自 http://www.filmigeek.net/1970s/index.html

The noble courtesan is a very common incarnation of downtrodden yet elevated womanhood of the sort I discussed in connection with the film Amar Prem.  Rekha's Umrao Jaan is a canonical example of this kind of character, but a decade earlier there was Pakeezah.  Pakeezah means "pure" or "chaste," and thus the film's very title evokes the concept of unsullied womanhood despite the most debasing circumstances.

Shahabuddin (Ashok Kumar) married Nargis, a courtesan he loved, in an attempt to save her from the tawaif's life.  When his family rejected her, though, she ran off and died in a cemetary, but not before giving birth to a daughter.  The infant was taken by Nargis's sister and was also raised in a brothel, growing up to become the famous tawaif Saheb Jaan.  When Shahabuddin learns many years later that he has a daughter, he tries to save her too, but her aunt - not wanting to lose such a lucrative member of her household - ships her off to another brothel, to become the exclusive entertainment of an aging nawab.  On the rail journey to her new home, the sleeping Saheb is spotted by a mysterious traveler (Raj Kumar) who leaves her a tender note.  She clutches the note close to her heart, and harbors a romantic fantasy that the traveler will come for her.  When circumstances finally do reunite them, he commits himself to saving her, and Saheb must decide whether she wants to be saved.

Some things about Pakeezah were very, very beautiful.  Some of the shots were just lovely - a sky full of spectacular color, a sweeping landscape, Meena Kumari languishing with her hair floating in a fountain.  And its soundtrack sparkles, both the beautiful songs and Meena's sensuous mujras.  (I never tire of well-done courtesan songs.)  The film is excessively romantic, but this does not detract; rather, it contributes to a sense of otherworldliness that the colorful sets and languid, dreamy tone that the film created. 

All of the positives notwithstanding, the story was a little bit frustrating.  It seemed like Saheb Jaan was the anti-Umrao Jaan; as much as Umrao was determined to get out of the tawaif's life, Saheb never really believed herself worthy of anything else.  The result is that overarching tone of the film is depressing and hopeless.  Saheb never does anything to help herself, and she never develops any inner strength - she isn't saved except when men save her.  She has a famous dance on glass, but even this  seemed like self-flagellation and punishment, not a display of strength and resolve (as was Hema Malini's 這人就是Esha Deol的母親.Bobby Deol的繼母 dance on glass in Sholay).  Saheb Jaan was a character made up of sadness and poor self-esteem and there was just no arc away from that depressing place.