PRANALI - The Tradition
by Vishal Verma

Rating:

BEEN THERE SEEEING WHAT?
An exclusive interview with Hassena Mastani – the oomph quotient of yesterday turned social activist of today & the women power house neta of tomorrow. She was recently in news for supporting the cheerleaders & bar girls. Here she talks exclusively about the film Pranali – the tradition, which is said to be a film on the generations old devdasi system practiced in some southern and eastern parts of India.

Q: What was ‘Pranali’ all about? Tell us something about the devdasi system?  
A: (making faces like bindu and shashikala in their sasumaa roles) Heh Bhagwan! Sab kiye karye peh pani pher diya.!

Q: What does it mean?
A: I will explain, see I was hearing all the news about a movie called Pranali being made on the devdasi tradition which has a khatak dance choreographed by Birju Maharaj. That was enough for a good actor and a very good kathak dancer like me who has now turned her attention towards the upliftment of women after making and breaking many producers house with her ooze and oomph.

So before watching the movie, I devoted some time in collecting facts and figures about the generations to generations old devdasi system, were it is prevalent and what is the myth and the fact behind it. And after watching the film, I felt so foolish of myself that I wasted my valuable time in all such things and the movie nowhere deals with the devdasi tradition.

I could have use that time in convincing our CM for allowing cheerleaders for the IPL matches other wise he would not have taken so long to give the green signal to the gori mem’s to perform.

Q: Thanks, we all didn’t know that it was you influence, tell us then what does the film ‘Pranali’ deals with?
A: You know, it deals with the legalization of the world’s oldest profession – prostitutution.
It’s a story of a girl born in a small village on the border of Karnataka & Maharashtra, a girl whose childhood inadvertently becomes an object of desire – the one with whom the so-called highly respected and well-known people of the society could suffice their hunger for lust. She falls prey to one of the unconventional and downtrodden systems of our society; a stigma of being a "Devdasi".

She is then condemned to prostitution, her destiny takes a much-awaited turn, when she decides to give birth to a new life which in turn gives her hope and adds zest to her life. This further redefines her morbid life with a new meaning, liberating her off all the shackles.

Q: Sounds interesting, so does it get conveyed in the end?
A: (gets furious) conveyed in the end… it was because of the performances of Deepshikha, Sudha Chandran, & Upyendra Limaye in the end which kept me quite and controlled otherwise instead of the main protagonist I would have jumped on the stage with my gungroos, you see I always carry them (shows here gungroos) & have done the ‘tandav’ that would have made even lord Shiva proud.

I anyway thank the maker for the thought but at the same time no thanks to him for such a weak execution.

Q: What you have to say about the newcomer Nargis in and as ‘Parnali’
A: The girl showed glimpses of her spark but the incompetent script & narration the writer & the director didn’t gave her much scope. In this woman oriented film, Upyendra Limaye gets the maximum scope as if he is the hero.

Anyway, it is the director’s first attempt so I admire his innocence. He will gain some knowledge from this in future.

Q: What’s your future plan?
A: My future plans…….  (Thinks for a while with her famous traffic stopping smile and then suddenly with a wink & much broader smile) says I have already gone through lot of materials regarding the devdasi tradition before experiencing ‘Pranali’. So, why don’t I give it a shot? Yes why not.

Q: Your final words then?
A: Watch your favourite ‘Hassena Mastani’ in ‘Ek Devdasi- A story of a woman’s sacrifice’ coming soon.