Bol

Saw “Bol” some time back..the hard hitting film comes from Shoaib Mansoor– the same director who had directed the impactful “Khuda ke liye” (which I have reviewed earlier http://mansee-pov.blogspot.com/2008/11/khuda-ke-liye-for-sake-of-god.html) . Bol was equally impressive, if not more. The movie is about a migrated Muslim family in Lahore, headed by the father – an impoverished Hakim who in his desire for a son has raised a big line of daughters. His limited means of income being a major hindrance to feed the endless mouths. At last, his wife gives birth to a son who unfortunately turns out to be a “hermaphrodite.” Though the film initially starts with the injustice of the father towards this “so called son”, it ends up addressing more issues than that. I left the multiplex with questions simmering within me…
Apart from the important yet commonly showcased issues like the intense craving for a male heir, regressive attitude towards women in Pakistan’s patriarchal society and various prejudices perpetuated in the name of religion, the film raised some disturbing questions…
Is murdering someone always a crime? If the murder is committed to remove oppression/ bring justice/ defend or prevent a wrong doing – is it not justified? I am not trying to imply that we should start murdering all the people who are in the wrong / have committed a crime. You can’t do that- after all you cannot take the law in your hands but sometimes the situation demands so. If you don’t take that step, you are allowing a greater crime to commit place- thus leaving you with no option but to commit the crime.
The biggest question which the movie ends with is – if killing is a crime, then isn’t giving birth also a crime? Especially when you are aware that you don’t have the financial means to take care of the child. Forget giving a decent education and up-bringing – if you cannot even provide the basic necessities of food, clothing and shelter, then what right do you have, to give birth to one kid after another? There are enough miserable/ malnourished children already in the world- why do you have to add to that?
In the movie, the father had to commit one crime/mistake after another to hide his first crime. All this in his false sense of “right hood.” There has to be a stop somewhere, where one has to own up to his crimes or the crimes will start owning you. That’s what happened – the father forgot the sense of “right” and “wrong” and got caught up in his web of crimes.
Though there are quite a few shortcomings in the movie, there's an inherent sincerity in ‘Bol’ that compels you to look beyond its shortcomings.
This movie is for a serious audience. If you want to watch a mindless entertainer with mindless violence or romance, watch “Bodyguard” instead.