Analysis Of Manjhi The Mountain Man

MANJHI- THE MOUNTAIN MAN IN BIHAR: SOME GLARING QUESTIONS
-N. Kumar

The movie 'Manjhi- The Mountain Man' is out in the theatres. The biopic was in spotlight even before its release. The Director Ketan Mehta has received accolades for engraving on celluloid, the fascinating saga of a common labourer from Bihar. And well-deserved ones.

Bihar has seldom attracted Bollywood brains over the years. We have Prakash Jha's flicks like Gangajal and Apharan, but they have mostly focussed on crime and political corruption. Prakash Jha has always shown proclivity to sell the negative contours of the state. The epic saga of Dashrath Manjhi never caught Jha's attention. Or maybe, it never suited his brand of cinema.

However, Ketan Mehta is counted among the sensible directors of

He gave a sense of pride to the common man of Bihar. It is ironical this common man was deprived from this movie. The government owes an answer to the people of Bihar in this regard.

Meanwhile, the response for 'Manjhi-The Mountain Man' was lukewarm in Patna. Perhaps, Ketan Mehta could explain better. Nawazuddin Siddiqui was immaculate in his portrayal of Dashrath Manjhi. But jury is out in the open for Ketan Mehta's treatment of the character.

For instance, Manjhi gifts Taj Mahal to his wife in the movie. It is something very difficult for any Bihari to relate to, especially the downtrodden Musahar community of Manjhi. Little did Dashrath knew that his souvenir would one day belittle, even world's foremost monument of love.

The movie also portrays Manjhi engaging in pillow fight with Fagunia. There is hardly anyone in the Manjhi community who can identify with this kind of mushy expression of love.

Then, Naxalism enters the plot out of thin air, suddenly after Manjhi has completed breaking the mountain. One might ask where were the red ultras for 15 long years when Manjhi was still at his