As already observed, people from all segments of society are included in the inner world of Amir in the movie Ishara (1969). The video presented here offers a comparison: in the song sequence you will see the inner world of Amir's friend and neighbor Bezar Sahib (literally Mr. Fed Up), who was introduced at the beginning.
Please answer the following question as you watch the video:
- In what ways is the world of Bezar different from Amir's?
The clip is 5 minutes 11 seconds long. I have sub-titled it in English. Credits can be found on the Youtube Page. Please leave a comment below, and then proceed to the next post.
20 comments:
The difference may lies in this statement which Amir said to Bezar Sahib "...People will keep running away from your songs unless you sing to the tune of the Time "
Amir realises the importance of being with the time, being dynamic and be in tune and resonate with the same frequency at which others are.
One more difference I feel is that if I compare this song of Mr Bezar with the Amir's song in the previous video, I noticed that Amir is dancing with all and all others are dancing with him but Mr Bezar is dancing alone and singing "There is no one like me in such a big world.... I have no parallel anywhere"
In my opinion these words and the way this song is picturised reflects the high literature existence. While Amir's song reflects the popular literature which turns into the consensus literature at the end.
Well said Komel, you have put it beautifully.
The contrast in Amir’s and Bezar’s inner world is very obvious. Amir is people’s man and love the ordinary people and their life, their ways, their aspirations and their dreams. Where as Bezar loves his craft and his own voice, even in the video you see the total orchestra is played by him on all different instruments, where he is the singer , he is the musician, listener and admirer.
A real artist develops his imagination on the basis of his observations which he sees around him each and every moment. He learns from behaviors, emotions and feelings of people of his society and grows his imaginations according to the true needs of art for the time.
Mr. bezar has a world which circles his own needs and has nothing to do with the needs of the the time, he is living in. He has no interest in sweet and soft emotions of people around him. He just can visualize himself in his imagination for each role, he is singer and musician and even audience. He just satisfies himself by continuously saying himself that he has no parallel.
He isolated his art from people by considering that common people do not have a sense to understand his art.
He does not give importance to the decision of common man about him and therefore tries to get rid of sweet songs and burning of heart and love. His art has no praises for beauty, no importance for nature. He simply does not think that his art needs any reality check.
hmm...well one thing is sure...not only our HERO was briliant and smart but our co-actors were also too good...
I am totally fell in love with Mr Lehri and smiled on how handsome he looks in suit... :)
It is evident from the song the way he describe how people are going away from the real values of art and craft....there is no quality left in the peoples' eyes for ART...
Everyone wants to see it the way they want it not the way ARTIST liked it...
So now the common people are the big and major authority....as compared to the old times when KING rules and other follows....now PEOPLE rules and ART and every other forms of ART are revolving around the common men...
People have made all the KINGS and KINGDOMS and ART and ARTIST to care about their feelings...before...people have to be carefull about ARTIST's feelings...
Now you cant make people follow you...until you understand their needs and their feelings...
This whole clip gave us a lesson that we have to educate our leaders...ourselves...as they have denied the fact and not accepting it...but we have to educate them that if they want US to follow them they should know what our needs are....
hmm...only then they can have us all in their league.
It is very clear that Mr.Bezar wants to become successful in his life but has misunderstood the meaning of and path to success. He thinks that he will win if only he will climb the stairs of success, leaving all others 'behind'
By watching him dancing with "oonchi naak", no viewer will like him. Ultimately leading to the conclusion that Mr.Bezar is really bezar :p
The humor and expert exaggerations in this clip embed the subtle and not so subtle messages for the viewer. I laughed all the way through. Each of the comments here captures the genius of the film.
Again, I am interested to see how quite awhile ago such brilliant work took place and today the metaphors are as important as they ever were and everywhere in the world.
I especially liked these comments: A real artist...learns from behaviors, emotions and feelings of people of his society and grows his imaginations according to the true needs of art for the time.
Mr. bezar has a world which circles his own needs...He has no interest in sweet and soft emotions of people around him...(and) tries to get rid of sweet songs and burning of heart and love. His art has no praises for beauty, no importance for nature. He simply does not think that his art needs any reality check...
From Thinking I agree that ... our co-actors were also too good...
and I'm curious, Thinking, when you said...before...people have to be careful about ARTIST's feelings...Now you cant make people follow you...until you understand their needs and their feelings...
Are you, Thinking agreeing that the artist must come down off that formerly more lofty place?
I smiled again when rIZ said...
Mr.Bezar is really bezar...
The only small addition I'd like to see is how some artists may be more capable than others of imparting something connected not only with the common people yet also something rich from common people of other times and places...this would take a read genius of course.
Such expert artists also over time develop a dialogue with their audiences and this is especially satisfying...
Going back again over this one - Time is even more central as Mr. Bezar looks at the clock mournfully - rather in despair...
And then becomes quite inventive with his gifts.
I had noticed last time that he played all these parts of musicians yet had not noted the analogies - just the humor. This time around, I did note also that the actor played the women...
And I see that this technique yes, is quite wacko yet fun but beyond this an attempt, however incomplete, at least an heroic trial of identity with others...
So although perhaps still a failure in some ways, could it be that Bezar had to go through this step before he could become more integrated as an artist - a person and someone who would eventually communicate with others and with the One Common Heart?
hmmm...Dear Connie...thanks for your concern and intrest in such lengthy subject rather difficult too...
I dont think that it is climbing down of ARTIST or ART but to consider....
The artist who is considerate may accomodate all the people in his/her art.
Now the time is to let the ARTIST decide that achievement is not producing art...the real achievement is to be meticulous.
Human being had incresed his/her intelligence with time so this is not fair to say that ART has to come down as people dont want ART anymore or they dont want to waste time on it as may be they dont understand it...
No...this is not the case...now people want to feel art only when they find self in it...
Now ARTIST need to make his ART feel...the way his admirers feel....
I think I have made my point here....hmm...?
Yes, and very well, Thinking. I am so glad I returned here. Also, I particularly like this reminder by you:
That "the real achievement is to be meticulous" and to seek to "feel" what the audience may "feel".
Thanx again for all your priceless insights!
If we compare this clip with the previous one where Amir sung a song to bring the crowd together and unite them. If we focus on the visual details, both the songs are very symbolic determining the personalities of the two men. I would agree with the comments made earlier on this post that Amir moved on with time while Mr. Bezaar was lost in his own world having no concern for the time. In addition to this, he's the only one in his lonely world. This is depicted in this clip as we see identical copies of Mr. Bezaar where he himself is the vocalist, the audience, and the other band members. This marks the thought difference of Mr. Bezaar and Amir.
With all due respect, Bezaar Sahib seems like a personification of our entire Government.
Completely contrasting personalities of Aamir and Bezaar Sahib. Aamir stands by the notion that happiness and success is increased when it is shared. He sets out a path, a system for people, a system which will be held together by everyone's involvement, where as Bezaar Sahib's shallow world starts and ends at him.
Words, be it literal or in music, are only heard when spoken in the language of the people. Mr. Bezar, though his music might be brilliant on its own, finds himself rejected in Pakistan. Mainly because of the reason that many people don't understand a word he says. Other than that, why would people of a certain region embrace a culture from another, unless the region has lost its cultural values under foreign ruler-ship, as is shown in the video where Mr. Bezar is shown to play western music that is Rock and Roll. Amir on the other hand, has an approach that has all the crowd following him like the bag-piper. The crowd can relate very well to his music as he is radiating patriotism and love for his nation with his music. So naturally he is a hit with the crowd.
So in the end it really comes down to being at the place one is, not just physically but mentally as well, thats the key to making it big and being a crowd favorite.
Words, be it literal or in music, are only heard when spoken in the language of the people. Mr. Bezar, though his music might be brilliant on its own, finds himself rejected in Pakistan. Mainly because of the reason that many people don't understand a word he says. Other than that, why would people of a certain region embrace a culture from another, unless the region has lost its cultural values under foreign ruler-ship, as is shown in the video where Mr. Bezar is shown to play western music that is Rock and Roll. Amir on the other hand, has an approach that has all the crowd following him like the bag-piper. The crowd can relate very well to his music as he is radiating patriotism and love for his nation with his music. So naturally he is a hit with the crowd.
So in the end it really comes down to being at the place one is, not just physically but mentally as well, thats the key to making it big and being a crowd favorite.
this amazing scene reminds me of the scene from "Being John Malkovich" when malkovich goes inside his own head and lands in a restaurant where everyone is him, and all they say is malkovich. surprised, and proud, to see waheed murad do a charlie kauffman before kauffman was even born!
on to the scene. based on the last clip, WM's art was less about the form and more about the substance. he was using his song to get people together. in contrast, bezar is lost in the world of the form of his art. he doesn't find any one able to connect or appreciate his talents. so the only audience where he can hope to find appreciation is one comprised of his own self. is it a statement on the inherent insecurity faced by the artist?
in any case, its a departure from Amir's approach, which is not concerned with the appreciation of the work, but rather its message.
people might find bezar as self-obsessed, insecure and frustrated. i think instead that he is personified as the predicament faced by the true artist - one who is forced to see society demand a compromise of his craft, one who is forced to be humiliated by the lack of taste shown by money men. and ultimately, as amir seems to hint, his eventual answer lies in himself. he knows instinctively, that he has the talent to move from the less popular to the more popular form of music without compromising his ideals, as it would still be high quality music.
in that sense, amir is a renaissance man of sorts in the sense that the art is merely a medium for his ideas. in contrast, bezar is the artist, a slave to his art and form.
i've just gone through the comments, and i do admire and appreciate them, much as i have through out these posts.
but i do feel that we are doing injustice to bezar here.
while art is about consensus, it is not the only function of art. art is not purely or solely about what the masses deem it to be. it can not be judged on whether it becomes popular or whether it is a commercial failure.
someone mentioned that bezar was not connecting with the masses, because he went rock and roll. however, if you take a look at the situation of classical musicians in pakistan, you will see that they had no choice but to abandon the wealth of knowledge and talent they had and follow the rock and roll path, because that is what the masses went for.
i think amir's role is important, but bezar forms the flip side of what it means to be an artist. it is an extremely insecure, self debilitating and excruciating process. many artists are ahead of their time, out of sync with popular culture, appreciated after their deaths. and to compensate for a society which does not get them, they have to fulfill that void with their own egos.
now to be egoistical and self obsessed normally is wrong and uncalled for. but i would give an artist that license, because he is doing the task of interpreting our times and our society for us. he is opening himself up to get that message across. and he is being spurned and ridiculed by his society. his situation deserves sympathy and understanding.
as much as art has a role to play in society, society has a role to play in art. in our country, it is fashionable to ridicule and harass artists, especially those who push the limits. only after they die, or the rest of the world notices them, we give them their due.
the irony is that waheed murad himself had to live with this ignominy, as his own people turned on him, and condemned him, until death, legend and nostalgia revived him. same with so many others.
so once more, being recognized or appreciated by society is not an indicator of how worthwhile your art is. society is notoriously fickle about art, and often berates and undermines even the greatest artists.
i've just gone through the comments, and i do admire and appreciate them, much as i have through out these posts.
but i do feel that we are doing injustice to bezar here.
while art is about consensus, it is not the only function of art. art is not purely or solely about what the masses deem it to be. it can not be judged on whether it becomes popular or whether it is a commercial failure.
someone mentioned that bezar was not connecting with the masses, because he went rock and roll. however, if you take a look at the situation of classical musicians in pakistan, you will see that they had no choice but to abandon the wealth of knowledge and talent they had and follow the rock and roll path, because that is what the masses went for.
i think amir's role is important, but bezar forms the flip side of what it means to be an artist. it is an extremely insecure, self debilitating and excruciating process. many artists are ahead of their time, out of sync with popular culture, appreciated after their deaths. and to compensate for a society which does not get them, they have to fulfill that void with their own egos.
now to be egoistical and self obsessed normally is wrong and uncalled for. but i would give an artist that license, because he is doing the task of interpreting our times and our society for us. he is opening himself up to get that message across. and he is being spurned and ridiculed by his society. his situation deserves sympathy and understanding.
as much as art has a role to play in society, society has a role to play in art. in our country, it is fashionable to ridicule and harass artists, especially those who push the limits. only after they die, or the rest of the world notices them, we give them their due.
the irony is that waheed murad himself had to live with this ignominy, as his own people turned on him, and condemned him, until death, legend and nostalgia revived him. same with so many others.
so once more, being recognized or appreciated by society is not an indicator of how worthwhile your art is. society is notoriously fickle about art, and often berates and undermines even the greatest artists.
i've just gone through the comments, and i do admire and appreciate them, much as i have through out these posts.
but i do feel that we are doing injustice to bezar here.
while art is about consensus, it is not the only function of art. art is not purely or solely about what the masses deem it to be. it can not be judged on whether it becomes popular or whether it is a commercial failure.
someone mentioned that bezar was not connecting with the masses, because he went rock and roll. however, if you take a look at the situation of classical musicians in pakistan, you will see that they had no choice but to abandon the wealth of knowledge and talent they had and follow the rock and roll path, because that is what the masses went for.
i think amir's role is important, but bezar forms the flip side of what it means to be an artist. it is an extremely insecure, self debilitating and excruciating process. many artists are ahead of their time, out of sync with popular culture, appreciated after their deaths. and to compensate for a society which does not get them, they have to fulfill that void with their own egos.
now to be egoistical and self obsessed normally is wrong and uncalled for. but i would give an artist that license, because he is doing the task of interpreting our times and our society for us. he is opening himself up to get that message across. and he is being spurned and ridiculed by his society. his situation deserves sympathy and understanding.
as much as art has a role to play in society, society has a role to play in art. in our country, it is fashionable to ridicule and harass artists, especially those who push the limits. only after they die, or the rest of the world notices them, we give them their due.
the irony is that waheed murad himself had to live with this ignominy, as his own people turned on him, and condemned him, until death, legend and nostalgia revived him. same with so many others.
so once more, being recognized or appreciated by society is not an indicator of how worthwhile your art is. society is notoriously fickle about art, and often berates and undermines even the greatest artists.
i think amir's role is important, but bezar forms the flip side of what it means to be an artist. it is an extremely insecure, self debilitating and excruciating process. many artists are ahead of their time, out of sync with popular culture, appreciated after their deaths. and to compensate for a society which does not get them, they have to fulfill that void with their own egos.
now to be egoistical and self obsessed normally is wrong and uncalled for. but i would give an artist that license, because he is doing the task of interpreting our times and our society for us. he is opening himself up to get that message across. and he is being spurned and ridiculed by his society. his situation deserves sympathy and understanding.
as much as art has a role to play in society, society has a role to play in art. in our country, it is fashionable to ridicule and harass artists, especially those who push the limits. only after they die, or the rest of the world notices them, we give them their due.
the irony is that waheed murad himself had to live with this ignominy, as his own people turned on him, and condemned him, until death, legend and nostalgia revived him. same with so many others.
so once more, being recognized or appreciated by society is not an indicator of how worthwhile your art is. society is notoriously fickle about art, and often berates and undermines even the greatest artists.
The difference is Aamir has seen success whereas Bezar is still singing the old redundant tune that has no more charm.Success therefore has turned its back on him.
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