Making a religious biopic in India is a losing battle; there are too many rules, too many perspectives on religion to let the visual medium depict history with creative licenses. Nanak Shah Fakir, a vast, sweeping representation of Guru Nanak’s life narrated by loyal disciple and Rubab player Bhai Mardani (Zakaria), isn’t the first passionate celebration of His philosophy, and won’t be the last. As we speak, this is ironically being banned somewhere in our democratic country for the ‘human-like CGI depiction’ of Guru Nanak.
The jury is out on the quality of animation within extensive live action imagery, but the filmmakers haven’t fallen into the faith-overcraft trap. This can perhaps be put down to the involvement of AR Rahman (presenter) and Resul Pookutty (sound design; immaculate). Tuomas Kantelinen’s string heavy score lifts most episodes of Guru’s journey, and provides lilting operatic sounds-a definite nod to The Passion Of the Christ-to India’s darkest phase (Mughal rule, plundering, wars). Zakaria’s turn as the Muslim fakir-covering a lifetime of unerring trust in his Guru’s footsteps- is quite the physical achievement.
The team deserves credit for pulling off a 140+ minute saga with only glowing back and faceless side profiles of the Guru to work with. They deserve credit for working within a million constraints to create a well-photographed film that assigns perfectly acceptable imagery to the Guru’s phases-His birth in Talwandi, work in Sultanpur, and 25-year Udasis (travels) in all four directions.
I’m not big on overdramatized divinity, but this movie partially works for being just that-an ambitious biblical moving picture, for the diehard faithful as well as young adults.
Source : Mumbaimirror
