Deewar Response

Deewaar Response

            Throughout the film Deewaar, director Yash Chopra artfully depicts the life of a Bombay family in the midst of the social and political turmoil of India circa the 1970s. Chopra’s motivation for the film is clear: he is exploring the delicate nature of familial bonds—both how they are strengthened as well as tested during times of conflict. Chopra examines how a “deewaar” (wall) can be formed within a family itself, and how these family bonds are both intricate as well as fragile. To do so, Chopra takes inspiration from several of the thematic elements of another classic film: Mother India. In my response, I will do a comparative analysis of the two films and discuss how the films’ thematic similarities are used to send different messages. I will further consider the metaphorical “deewaar” that is created several times throughout the film, and analyze how Chopra uses this motif to examine the delicate nature of familial bonds in India at the time.

            The similarities between Deewaar and Mother India are abundant; indeed, throughout the film, it becomes increasingly clear that Chopra was inspired by Khan’s Mother India when creating the foundation for Deewar. First and foremost, both films center on the role of a strong, independent maternal character who is forced to take on an extra burden when the father of the house is shamed into running away. It is important, however, to note some key differences. In Mother India, this transformation of the mother from a meek subservient housewife to the primary breadwinner of the family and leader of the village is absolutely integral for the film; amongst many other reasons, it is used by Khan to argue for greater autonomy and independence of women in India. In Deewaar, however, this is not the case. The transformation of Sumitra is far less pronounced, and Chopra is certainly not arguing for the elevated social status of women in India. Instead, Chopra borrows this thematic similarity from Khan to add the first of several wrinkles in the family dynamics, a theme which Chopra explores in great detail throughout the film.

By casting Sumitra as the sole parental figure in the film, Chopra is better able to accentuate the effect of the “deewaar” that is created between members of the family later on in the film. Indeed, in one key scene in the film, we see Ravi and Vijay taking different paths to work as their mother stands in the middle of them at the foot of the temple. This is the symbolic representation of the different paths in life that each boy takes, as their mother stands in the middle of them, torn between each but still maintaining her faith in God (incidentally, God is another recurring motif shared between the two films). By portraying Sumitra as a single parent, Chopra is better able to amplify the negative effect that the conflicting brothers have on the dynamics of the family. Indeed, in both films, the “bad” brother dies in the arms of the mother—in Mother India, this is used to solidify Radha’s strength and conviction as the leader of the village; in Deewaar, it is used to show how deep rooted family issues can result in disaster.

Yet another striking similarity between the two films is seen in the personalities of the two children. In Mother India, there is a sharp contrast between Birju, the hotheaded troublemaker, and Ramu, the cool and collected foil to Birju. Similarly, in Deewaar, there is a central conflict between Vijay, the feisty outlaw, and Ravi, the mild-mannered moralistic police officer. Yet, in Mother India, the contrast between the two boys only exists to further Radha’s role as the final arbitrator. The boys are primarily defined based on their relation to their mother—most of their actions are examined in light of how Radha responds to them. In Mother India, the theme of family dynamics is not being explored nearly as much as the theme of women empowerment (through Radha) is. Yet, in Deewar, this contrast between the two brothers is necessary for the plot of the film; it acts as the impetus for the central conflict in the film. The fundamental differences between the two brothers is the basis for the “deewaar” in the family, and Chopra exploits these differences to test the delicate nature of familial bonds.

Mother India and Deewaar are complementary films in nature due to both the thematic similarities as well as the larger social questions that each attempts to answer. Mother India broaches the topic of family bonds; Deewaar explores that topic in great detail. Mother India introduces the idealized concept of a strong, independent maternal figure in film; Deewar answers the question of just how far such a figure can be pushed before finally cracking.