thanks for details like page-o-minute etc

Ananthu: “Thank you for directing me towards this direction”.

Oh ! Was this in the Hindi version ? In the Tamil version there is a small,beautiful couplet in Kamal’s voice which combines his atheism, homage to Ananthu and respect for the profession of screenwriting.

One example is the Raja putting the mad / useless horse to death, with the rest of the horses in the stable being blind-folded.

As he puts it to death the Raja says:
This Kathiawari horse was once a useful animal. Now its suffers, and we suffer too. To kill it would amount to mercy

A doubly beautiful line. Firstly is a reference to the famous Gandhian exception to ahimsa: euthanasia. Secondly it is a reference to Gandhi himself who was a kathiawari. Porbandar is in Kathiawar State. Gandhi’s father was once the prime minister of Kathiawar.

At another juncture, when Abhyankar asks Saket to promise that he will perform the assigned task unmindful of his relations

Beautiful scene.
It is the culmination of Abhyankar’s jealousy and belief that idealogical commitment and celibacy are interrelated. His reaction when Saket says he has remarried is one example. During pollaadha madhana baaNam song we see his envious anger at Saket and Mythili’s antics. But the director cleverly enough doesn’t tell us who he is envious of. Saket or Mythili ? He drops enough hints that it is actually Mythili he sees as his competitor. This is because Abhyankar, the topi clad Maratha, is himself a reference to Savarkar - who was rumoured to be a homosexual.

In the vow scene, you see a palpable relief in Abhyankar’s face. Is it just because his tasks are now being undertaken by Saket. Or is it more ? Perhaps according to him it is the same. That Saket will now have undivided attention to carry on the task.

The parcel is kept at the foot of a Hanuman picture in the bedside table. Hanuman is tearing his chest out to reveal the Rama-Sita in his heart. Similarly the parcel is placed on Abhyankar’s heaving chest and ripped open to get the gun. Fantastic.

About the religious-caste dimensions and Saket’s changes in the movie one can have a separate elaborate discussion.

PR: Your comments were almost a mini-post!

1) The shots of Mohenjo-daro was a good glimse to the glorious past of the Indian civilization and the undivided India

2)That Saket blames Gandhi for the communal violence, is a refreshing revisit as this story is under-, nay almost never told in Indian history books or popular media which portray Gandhi as a perfect man for all his natural fallibilities.

3) The way Abyankar resorts to the ‘Abi vadhaye’ to introduce himself to the gun wielding Saket is a brilliant shot to introduce the character inspired by Savarkar (pun intended)

4) As noted above, the reference to the “once useful but now dangerous Kathiwari” was another brilliant shot

5) Shot in Pakistan and the four corners of India with characters speaking many languages, this is a celebration of India’s diversity.

6) That Saket is surprised and frustrated with the crowd behavior after he puts Gandhi and the Calcutta governor in a corner is another powerful scene

The movie is not perfect. But for me, this the best Indian movie. And who else could portray the tensions of a multi-communal secular country better than Kamal hassan!

theres is one other shot that particularly caught my attention.It plays out on abyankars death bed.Saket visits him and abyankar asks him to place the package containing the gun on his chest and open it seeking a promise that saket would carry out his mission.wats interesting is a picture placed on the table on which the package lies.it shows hanuman tearing his chest open to reveal the ram of his heart.The way saket tears open the package on abyankars chest,the way hanuman opens his chest ; the parallel is unmistakable.The movie amongst other things dwells on the interpretations of Ram, this scene suggests the “ram” abyankar has in his heart and is played out in subtle but intense manner.