travis bickle

Afternoon,26 jan 2007 ……aadhi jagi aadhi soyi mumbai…main apne director ki badi si elantra car me baitha hoon …mere haath me ek brand new dvd hai jo abhi abhi mere director ne kharidi hai……main unke plush chamchamaate ghar me ghusta hoon to nazar khidki se baahar jaati hai…..bhagat singh nagar ki jhuggiyan…….dvd ke cover pe chamak rahe hai naam martin scorcese…. taxi driver…..aur thodi der me film shuroo hoti hai ….saamne hai king kong jacket pehne hue Robert de nero a.k.a. travis…ek officer ke sawaalon ka jawaab deta hua….

PERSONNEL OFFICER

So why do you want to be a taxi driver?

TRAVIS

I can’t sleep nights.

mera blood circulation tez ho jaata hai……ye to meri kahaani hai….main hill jaata hoon saamne roshniyon aur crowd se bhara newyork city aur ek aadmi ko raat me nind nahi aati ……travis ke eyeballs blink nahi karte, sirf ghumte hai jaise DOP ka camera pan ho raha hai….30 sec ka ek hi shot ….uf those wer d eyes…so innocent….shekhar kapoor once said ” my discovery of life is nothing but murder of the innocence…..kya ye wahi “innocence” hai …… Travis or bihadon ki raani.. kya ek hi hai…..main sar ko jhatka deta hoo credits khatm hone waale hai…….meri nazar khidki ke baahar chali jaati hai …..extreme long… top angle sab ek hi shot me….jhuggiyon ke beech ek bachha cycle ke tyre ghuma raha hai……nange paaon…..film shuroo ho jaati hai aur phir main film dekhne lagta hoon ….peene ke liye chay aur khane ke liye kuch na kuch milta raha…aur Travis bhi khata aur tv dekhta aur sirf taxi chalaata..

TRAVIS (V.O.)

I’m working a single now, which means stretch-shifts, six to six,

sometimes six to eight in the a.m., six days a week.

film aage badhti hai badhti hi rehti hai travis ke taxi meter ki terah….par travis ke bheetar kuch kam hota chala jaata hai…….travis disillusioned ho jaata hai…..wo gun shop me jaata hai….mujhe woody allen ki ek line yaad aa jaati hai

“What if everything is an illusion and nothing exists? In that case, I definitely overpaid for my carpet.”

wow main uchal jaata hoon … mujhe laga ki “Hollywood Ending ” ka “director” ka andha hona woody ki kaun si bhookh dikhaata hai …..dere is a difference of 30 yrs betwn both films lekin Travis andha nahi hota “director” andha ho jaata hai….kahin ye woody ka escapism to nahi tha …….ya ghao ki terah uske bhitar kuch pak raha tha jab woody kehte hai ki “I took a speed reading course and read War and Peace in twenty minutes. It involves Russia.” Kya aisa ho sakta hai ki jis pathbreaking novel ko five times likha gaya ho phir use fad diya gaya ho aur saalon baad ek paagal aadmi 20 mins me use padh leta hai……… Tolstoy apne autobiography me likhte hai ki unki maa bahut sunder thi unki hatheliya jab chay ke kettle se chay dalati thi to who Russian pari si makhmali lagti thi…unki maa jab muskurati to wo unke chehre ki khoobsurati das guna badh jaati thi…..ek din tolstoy ki maa ne poocha “tum ro rahe the…..”tolstoy : nahi ………maa main sach kehta hoon main sirf neend me ro raha tha….

Tolstoy ki aankhon se russia ro raha tha aur jaisa ki aksar hota aaaya hai julm aur atyaachaar ke daur me bhi “innocence” ko bachaane ki purjor koshish ki gayi…….sabse imperative literature usi samay likhe gaye jab russia revolution ke liye taiyaar ho raha tha…..koi surprise nahi ki usi samay Chekhov ki kalam bhi paida ho gayi thi….mujhe yaad hai Chekhov ki ek kahaani jisme village school ki headmistress roz ki terah ek din ghar jaa rahi hoti hai to railway crossing me train ke gujarane ke karan achaanak use rukna padta hai ….thodi der me wo kya dekhti hai ki train ke ek coach se ek aurat uski taraf dekh rahi hai….shakl surat bilkul uski maa jaisi aur who train ke saath udti jaa rahi hai ……..mistress puzzled ho jaati hai ki uski maa ko to mare hue 30 saal ho chuke hai phir wo use kaise dikhai de rahi hai….ye samay tha jab Russian revolution apne peak per tha….Chekhov apne characters ke bahane aise samay me kya dhoondh rahe the… ….ye us caculated mistress ka illusion tha ya khud chekhov ka …..kahin chekhov apni maa ko to nahi dhoond rahe the….cut to bahut saalon baad Hindustan me likha gaya ” julmaton ke daur me bhi geet gaaye jaayenge……”

Albert kamu ka novel “the outsider” ki shuruaati lines hai….Mom is dead….tommorow ? or today ? wow…. maa saamne mari par pata nahi chala kab mari….Pritish Nandi ne apni maa ke marne par likh tha ” unhe bhi kuch aisa hi ehsaas hua tha jab unki maa safed Bengali sarree me jameen par lash bankar padi hui thi aur baahar duniya tezi se bhaag rahi thi…..wo jaante hai we kal phir se kaam me jana shuroo kar denge kyonki mumbai ke liye to it’s just another day hai…… “..aaj maa kahan hai…..aanchal me lipta innocence humaari sensitivity me hai bhi ya nahi…..

Maa to Steven Spielberg ki film “Schindler’s List ” ke har reel me baahen failaaye …..apne bachho ke liye ro rahi hai ………….ye kaun se “innocence” ki pukar thi jisne Spielberg ko history ke tehkhane per le jaane ko majboor kar diya…? hindi ke ek writer hai Swadesh Deepak jinka play “court martial” ka aaj tak record manchan hua hai ……darjano kitabein likhi hai…..ambaala college me English ke lecturer hai ….desh videsh me apne writing ke liye mashhoor….achaanak ek din subeh morning walk ke liye nikale aur laut kar waapus hi nahi aaye….aaj teen mahine ho gaye na koi news channel unko follow kerta hai na koi newspaper follow up kerta hai…..kahan hai itna bada writer….agar mar gaye hai to unki laash kahan hai……andheri oshiwara fun cinema fame jaisi jagahon per jo cinema discuss karte hai …..fresh chamakte laptop haathon me liye screenwriters ke liye best imagery ….Sawdesh Deepak naam ka ek aadmi gas cylinder ke pipe ko stove se alag kar apne body se laga leta hai aur fufkaarti hui gas me maachis maar deta hai…….body ka ek hissa jalta jaa raha hai ..aur right hand me cigarette pete hue Deepak hans rahe hai …….acchha jise maut kehta hai kya yehi hai wo……..par shayad safai waale ne bacha liya….ek aur attempt…..nas kaat kar balkani me baith gaye aur ciggerette peete rahe….khoon doosre haath se tapak raha hai aur kabhi bhi maut aa sakti hai……chill…..wow kya scene hai …umr bhar yaad rehne waala scene….gurudutt kahan the…..”ye mehlon ye takhton ki duniya…ye duniya agar mil bhi jaaye to kya hai” Anurag basu ki film “Metro” ka scene jisme konkona khule chhat par chillati hai aur roti hai……kyun roti hai shruti…itne bade shaher me……mere hisaab se who film ka last scene hona chahiye tha…lekin nahi….last ke fuckall 20 mins dikhana shayad UTV waalon ko kaaffi achha laga hoga…khair….

Travis tv dekh raha hai aur tv ko ek dhakka marta hai….Tv table sahit neeche gir jaata hai…..maine bhi ek baar saas bahu serial ko aisa dekha tha poore five mins tak..par mere paas ek hi tv thi…humare bhitar koi aag hai ya hum jalte hue aag me baithe hai……us din Bandra ke ache school ka ek brilliant student ko naxal hone ke aarop me arrest kiya gaya…..film khatma hone waali hai aur ab hum paan khane jaayege….. hum nahi sirf sir…..hum sab chupchaap baithe hue hai apne apne gharon me humare innocence ko koi cheenta jaa raha hai aur hum kuch nahi kar paa rahe hain….us din orrissa ke ek majboor baap ne Prime minister ko letter likhker apne jawaan betiyon sahit suicide karne ki ijajat maangi hai……kyunki uske paas kamaane aur ghar chalaane ka koi jariya nahi bacha…….intresting….café coffe day or barista waalon ke discussion ke liye thodi der me bhool jaane waala topic..aur us din elantra me baithe hue hum bhi kuch aisa hi discuss kar rahe the…Kya hum yng breed us “innocence” ko bacha paayenge ya atleast sangharsh karenge aur agar agar itna bhi nahi kar sakte hai to laanat hai humaari jawaani ko…..hume yaad rakhna hoga… “lamho ne khata kee aur sadiyon ne sajaa paayi” ………mistakes were done by seconds and felt by centuries….

courtesy---dipankar giri

http://passionforcinema.com/category/projekt-iview