The many shades of conflict
M. L. Dhawan

Lagaan was about the conflict between a spirited villager, Aaamir Khan, and a Britisher, Paul Blackthrone

Cinema has revelled in the various opportunities of drama and emotion offered by conflicts. In fact, it has thrived on it for conflict is the muse around which many stories have been woven. Where there is proximity, there arise conflicts. Most dramatic conflicts arise within the family and there is too often love underlying it all.

The saga of father-son conflict began with K. Asif’s Mughal-e-Azam. When Akbar learns about the love of heir-apparent Salim for a court dancer Anarkali, he is aghast at the prospect of a maid dreaming of becoming the queen of the great Mughal empire. Salim revolts and takes up arms against his father.

Ramesh Sippy’s Shakti was essentially a clash of personalities of father (Dilip Kumar), an irksomely righteous police officer, and his only son, Amitabh Bachchan, who is caught on the wrong side of the law. The father-son confrontations were as engaging as between Salim and Akbar in Mughal-e-Azam. The rules did not change when it came to a daughter (Aishwariya Rai) in Mohabbatein. Narayan Shankar’s (Amitabh Bachchan) disdain of his daughter’s love is the cause of her suicide. Mehboob Khan’s Mother India delineated conflict between mother, Radha (Nargis) and her son Birju (Sunil Dutt). Radha bloodies her hands by shooting Birju when he abducts a young girl.

Deewar was a story of two brothers, Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan, on different sides of the law

The conflicts between siblings have an arresting aura. Some of the most colourful conflicts in Hindi films have been between brothers. In Ganga Jamuna, the elder brother (Dilip Kumar) is trapped by the system and framed in a crime he has not committed. He turns a dacoit and is ultimately shot by his younger brother, a police officer. Deewar was a story of two brothers who are on different sides of the law. Sai Paranjpaye’s Saaz portrayed a conflict between two equally talented sisters, Shabana Azmi and Aruna Irani. The question is not just that who is a better singer but also if one sister can come in the way of the progress of the other. The film was allegedly reported to be a take off on Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle.

The gender conflict gets more complicated when ego or jealousy comes between husband and wife. In Abhiman, Sabir’s (Amitabh Bachchan) jealousy and resentment becomes the cause of marital discord when wife Uma (Jaya Bachchan) overtakes her husband professionally.

Shakti portrayed a clash of personalities between the father, Dilip Kumar, and his only son, Amitabh Bachchan

In Shekhar Kapoor’s Masoom, adultery is the only reason for marital discord. The film delved on what happens between a couple when the husband (Naseeruddin Shah) strays, albeit just once in his life. In Aap Ki Kasam, the husband’s (Rajesh Khanna) obsessive nature results in a divorce. Here a conflict arises when suspicion looms large in the mind of husband. In Gulzar’s Aandhi, the wife (Suchitra Sen) wants political power but the husband (Sanjeev Kumar) wants a wife. Nothing is wrong but their interests come into conflict. A woman scorned in love turns hostile as Madhuri Dixit in Pukar unintentionally betrays her country in order to get even with Anil Kapoor, an Air Force officer.

Interestingly the most complex and difficult conflicts to resolve are those involving the conscience. In Mahesh Manjrekar’s Vaastav, Raghu (Sanjay Dutt) gets caught in a conscience crisis. Guilt engulfs him and the only way he can escape the torture is when he gets liberated from the sinful life. His mother shoots him and relieves him from a heavy conscience. In Yahi Hai Zindagi, the materialistic Sanjeev Kumar has visitations from Lord Krishna holding a mirror to his failings. It was the most brilliant film projecting man’s dialogue with his inner self.

In Saeed Mirza’s Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho is celebrated conflict of an average person. Mohan Joshi (Bhisham Sahni), a retired clerk, sues his landlord, Kapadia (Amjad Khan), who wants to tear down an old building and build a luxury building in order to earn more. Joshi engages a lawyer (Naseeruddin Shah) who promises legal miracles. The building is ready to fall. When the judge arrives to inspect the building for himself, the Machiavellian landlord sends an army of workers to fix the building to impress the judge to rule in his favour. Joshi pulls the temporary supports put up by the workers to prop up the building and the building falls down on him. The old couple— Joshi and his wife—is symbolic of an individual’s awareness of his rights and the need to fight for them.

In cinema conflicts can indeed go beyond imagination. It is ironic that many positive factors arise out of the seemingly negative word called ‘conflict’. Lagaan was about the conflict between a spirited villager (Aaamir Khan) and a Britisher (Paul Blackthrone), which assumed the form of a cricket match. Recently in Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Lage Raho Munnabhai, even Bapu Gandhi appears before Munnabhai (Sanjay Dutt) and offers simple solutions to day-to-day conflicts—whether or not Jhanvi (Vidya Balan) should go with an arranged match or a man complaining of the neighbour spitting. With Gandhian principles, Munnabhai succeeds in getting back the bungalow usurped by a greedy builder (Boman Irani). In the new millennium, the conflict-ridden people need a leader like Gandhiji to make them introspect and alter their worldview. Only Gandhian philosophy can be a panacea for conflicts assailing people from all around.

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