Movie Review : Midnight's Children

Movie Review : Midnight's Children - directed by Deepa mehta

This blog is a part of my classroom activity of Postcolonial Studies: Film Screening: Midnight's Children

                                        The great book of 20thcentury ‘Midnight’s children’ written by Salman Rushdie. It’s about the independence and partition of India. It’s a post-colonial book/film. To convert in movie is difficult and it directed by Deepa Mehta with same title.

                         Saleem Sinai is hero and roll of his played by British actor Satya Bhaba. This movie is start with Indian city and end with same.

The movie itself starts with post- colonial idea that once upon a time. It is an old idea. Saleem Sinai born on 14th August midnight, at a same time another child was born in hospital. The nurse of that Christian hospital exchanged children. It is a revolutionary idea. Saleem Sinai actually belongs to lower class but he comes in upper class.

                         Another side Shiva is opposite to Saleem. Saleem’s father, Ahmad Sinai was not considering as Saleem is his son so he was sent to Pakistan during the struggle of freedom.

                           The born of two child indicates the born of two religion and two class and two nation. Class doesn’t make any sense because Saleem living in upper class though nothing remain for him at last and on the other side Shiva gets everything though he belong to lower class like power, status etc. Post colonialism is a positive and also negative term so Deepa Mehta and Salman Rushdie gives justice and injustice to both country and both religion.

                    In Agra his mother worried about Saleem. It suggests the reality of India in 1947. Everybody people were worried about their family members. After he returned, he goes to meet his father at that time his father paying attention to daughter instead of Saleem. Saleem calls twice or thrice to his father but his father did not give attention.

 He says

“Where am I on his face”? It means he is not Saleem’s Father.

He becomes an orphan at young age. Throughout the movie we found magic realism whenever Saleem found himself in trouble he calls his friends by magic. All friends belong to same age. Saleem and Shiva always start fighting. It’s about class inflict and the race of class system.

 Once Shiva said

“Independence only for rich”

It seems mentality of poor towards rich.

During the war he was roaming in Pakistan, meanwhile he meets with Parvati. He comes to India through Parvati’s basket.

Saleem said “I have many families and no family”

If he thinks we all are human beings that it will be one family and If we think differently as all have their own religion culture and everything than we don’t have family.

                       Saleem is an innocent but he suffered a lot due to others actions it means we all were one but in spite of pastness or past action we all depart. Saeem said to Parvati that we will get married it will be ours. It suggests that if we forget everything then we can be one. She was also an orphan girl. It indicates that they loss their parents in struggle of freedom. Saleem’s child also born on 14th August 1977.First he was disabling but starts speaking from his first birthday. he was also born with magic .

We can also find the political controversy of Indira Gandhi during her time the court case was removed (emergency).

                 If we see this film according to Salman Rushdie’s ‘imaginary homeland’ then we can say that it is all about construction. He believes that globalization itself democratic. It is a lack of border. The Figure or image of nation is timeless and endless. We can’t find perfection in everything because of displacement. He is trying to recapture the image of Independence. Several things find in the movie like heritage is borrowed, diaspora make authenticity and shifted images.

               It’s a deconstruction of history and historical fiction felt by somebody. The born of two child on same night during Independence it indicates the future of India.

thank you