Dor (2006)

डोर

As an engaging film about the bonds between in women in which the women are sharply drawn and neither archtypical nor sterotypical, Dor (thread) reminds me a little of some of Shyam Benegal's films.  But it is sweeter and gentler than Benegal's gritty tales, and that sweetness endures long after the film is over.

Though Zeenat (Gul Panag) and Meera (Ayesha Takia) live half a nation apart and have never met, their lives are destined to intertwine.  Zeenat's husband Amir (Rushad Rana) and Meera's, Shankar (Anirudh Jaykar), both join a crew of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia, leaving their wives behind.  One night, in a heated argument, Amir (perhaps accidentally) kills Shankar.   Amir is convicted of murder, and under Saudi law, will be executed unless Shankar's widow Meera signs papers pardoning him.  And so Zeenat, desperate to save Amir, treks across hundreds of miles of Rajasthani desert to find Meera. Spurned by Shankar's family, Zeenat befriends the melancholy Meera directly.  But the bond that forms between them is shattered when Meera learns the true motive behind Zeenat's warmth.

Dor is a lovely, delicate, engaging film, and is most unusual in its presentation of the transformative power of friendship between women.  Meera, prior to Shankar's death, is so young and full of life that seeing her broken under the strictures of traditional Rajasthani widowhood is heartbreaking; where before she sang and danced to film songs, afterwards, wrapped in an unadorned cotton sari, she is tentative, afraid to move or speak, even to voice her grief.  Zeenat prods Meera to take control of her own destiny (to a degree) and helps reintroduce color into her life.  Zeenat, in contrast, is strong and practical almost to a fault - when we first meet her she is working on a construction project, and when Amir distracts her from her work and tries to kiss her she produces a nail from between her lips.  Meera teaches her an empathy for the emotions of others that she never had previously. 

There are men in Dor too but the story - refreshingly - is not about them, though it does demonstrate the action-at-a-distance force that the actions of men can have on the lives of women, as Meera and Zeenat would not have been brought together at all but for Shankar and Amir's cataclysmic burst of testosterone that fateful night in Saudi Arabia.  Some of the men in the film are piggish and cruel, like Meera's father and his wealthy tenant, who attempt to arrange a business transaction in which Meera is the barter.  Others, though, bolster the women's strength and spirit with their love and support, like Amir and Shankar, each of whom loves his wife exactly for the woman she is and would not dream of trying to mold her into something else. 

The standout among the film's men is Behroopiya (Shreyas Tapalde), an actor and a trickster who first cons Zeenat, then befriends her and helps her in her quest to find Meera, and finally falls in love with her - though his love is not the demanding kind, and he never intrudes on her marriage or her love for her husband. Behroopiya's friendship is a kind of anchor for Zeenat's passion, and the aid he provides is both practical and spiritual.

Dor is well-wrought and memorable, delicate and sweet, and achieves that rare feat of being both real and touching at the same time.  It achieves a very fine balance, making its bittersweet point with a gentle touch.

Comments

[Amit]

Glad you liked the movie. It is IMO the best movie by Nagesh Kukunoor, though I yet have to see 'Hyderabad Blues'. Any thoughts on how this compares to 'Water' - since both of them do have some parallels? :)

[Vikrant]

I liked the understated cinematography. There were few shots of beautiful scenery but they were all conveyed through character's view point and mood at that instant. There was ample scope for capturing breath taking beauty of Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan...I am glade that Kukunoor resisted the temptation and stayed with his characters. Nagesh made a clear statement: he is telling us that yes I know Rajasthan is beautiful and I can capture it but thats not why I made the film...I want to tell a story and I am gonna stick to it.

I have no idea why he acted in this movie and his character was the weakest link. Some day I would like to ask him, why did he do that? Why he created a stereotypical bad situation that forced Meera to run away?

I wanted Meera to run away... for her rebellion against the rigid widow customs and the way they were treated and for her renewed zeal (due to Zeenat) for life. Isn't this motivation enough? Alas, Kukunoor had to bring in the true filmi climax.

PS: I recommend Kukunoor's Iqbal (excellent film) and Teen Deewarein (nice plot, pace was a bit slower but a good effort nonetheless).

[maxqnz]

"There are men in Dor too but the story - refreshingly - is not about them" - bullseye!

It is exactly this which made this movie stand out for me. A strong, interesting, female-driven story, with the supporting male characters well-drawn. I rented this while on holiday late last year, and spent the weekend raving about it to all who were unable to escape me. The main point of my praise was exactly that you made above.

Of the relatively few Hindi movies I've seen the only one I recall having equally well-drawn and rounded-out characters is Pitaah, in which Sanju's character goes through a development arc in a similar way to Shreya's in Dor, though in a different direction. The female leads in Dor were great, Ayesha surprisingly so, and Tapalde's character was interesting, especially the way in which there was no clichéd "love story" bakvaas tacked on. I really want to see more of Gul Panag, who I'd never heard of prior to Dor. I love this movie because it restored my faith in modern mainstream Hindi cinema, proving that in an age of KJo's kitsch and pretty much everybody else's pointless sleaze, it is still possible to have a broadly appealing and intelligent movie, even one with Bollywood's forgotten gender front and centre. More, please!

[maxqnz]

Sorry, that should be "well-drawn and rounded out MALE characters".

[maajhi]

maxqnz, KJo's "kitsch" and sleaze have their place too - though I'm not a particular fan of either. The last thing I'd want is for all movies to be the same :). The more variety, the merrier. Makes things more fun.

[maxqnz]

"maxqnz, KJo's "kitsch" and sleaze have their place too - though I'm not a particular fan of either. The last thing I'd want is for all movies to be the same :). The more variety, the merrier. Makes things more fun."

I agree entirely. It's just my opinion that if your taste does NOT run to KJO, David Dhawan, or skin flick/pseudo soft-porn, there isn't much variety for you to choose from. That's why I like Dor, because it's a mainstream movie, so it's brighter and cheerier in tone than anything Nandita would do, but it is still intelligent and well-acted. That makes it part of a very small number of movies, and that's why I finished with "more please".

[carla]

Thanks for the comments, all. One thing I didn't say in the post is that *Dor* is most remarkable for how it stayed with me after I saw it - I usually write reviews when films are relatively fresh in my mind but this one got delayed, and the film got sweeter in my mind the more I savored it. Will definitely watch it again.

I will add *Iqbal* and *3 Deewaarein* to the list to see some time; am interested in Kukunoor's delicate style of storytelling.

Comparison to *Water* - I don't know; the films are so different in style and focus. *Dor* is certainly more delicate and also more enjoyable; but it's designed to convey the warm fuzzies where *Water* is not. Interesting that one of the (many) reasons *Water* is reviled was because of the sexual exploitation of the widows, which of course was an element here as well - perhaps an unneeded one, as Vikrant's comment notes. Interesting too that both films end with the widow in question fleeing on a train with her savior/protector. :P I don't know, I'll have to think about it a bit more.

[Sanket]

Just read your post on 'Dor' and that along with 'Water' were my two favorite Indian movies of last year. I have lent out 'Dor' to friends who are Bollywood fans and those who have never seen a Bollywood movie - and the reaction is always the same - that this is one of the most incredible movies they have ever seen. I was inspired to do a review myself and put the song up on my blog as well...

[Shweta]

I gave up futile resistance, and added your blog to my blog roll cos I love reading it!

[carla]

Thank you so much Shweta, that really means a lot! :D

[maajhi]

Interesting parallels between Dor and Water. The impression I'm left with when comparing these two movies is that Dor was made with love - for Indian society and people while quietly showing the things that need correcting - while Water feels exploitative and feels as if it was made with hate for these same things. It also seems as if Dor was made for an Indian audience while Water was made for a foreign one. But then, both of these are problems in all of Mehta's movies.

[Meera]

You are spot on Maajhi!

[Vinay]

One important piece of the movie was the music score. I wonder how come no one has talked about it so far :). Although I liked almost every song, "ye hausalaa kaise jhuke" particularly shines. It is one of the better songs of recent times and was used very effectively in the movie as well.

One point about Shreyas. He sure stands out and some of his spoofs of movie starts were really impressive. But being a Rajasthani myself, his accent in the movie actually turned me off a little. I don't want to blame him or anyone else, but in cases like this (when it is very difficult for the actor to get the right accent) I would prefer that they speak in normal Hindi instead of trying to match the character's tongue. It almost always ends up caricaturish or parodical.

[carla]

Vinay - I think Sanket talked about the music here. http://www.docbollywood.com/2007/03/dor-my-favorite-movie-of-2006.html

To be truthful the music didn't make a huge impression on me - I'll have to go back and listen again. I think sometimes it takes more than one listen, especially for me as someone who won't appreciate the lyrics without some work.

[Himanshu]

I find this review most balanced of all reviews about Dor.Congratulation.
This movie is really a mirror on our traditional society of India.The path of women is obstructed everywhere in the name of tradition.This movie takes a serious matter a positive and light way.An incident is generated(Saudia Arabia) and its consequences on all especially woman characters is depicted.
I rate this movie highly and it is true representative of Indian Cinema

[--Sunrise--]

You are right - Dor truly is a delicate, sweet movie... :)

The two female protagonists complement each other, and their personalities give us so much food for thought... it seems almost as though the two women are there just as metaphors... to show thoughts and attitudes towards life...

Am I making sense here? lol... :)