Postcolonial studies- Film screening of the movies: "Midnight's Children", "The Black Prince"

Midnight's Children:
Indian-Canadian director Deepa Mehta has made a film "Midnight's Children" based on the novel "Midnight's Children" by Indian-British author Salman Rushdie.

           "Midnight's Children" is a story about two boys Saleem and shiva who born at 12 at midnight when India got its independence.

           This movie is all about Postcolonial aspects and there is also depiction of emergency by Indira Gandhi.

 Story involves four generation from grand father of Saleem to the son of Saleem. Both Saleem and Shiva has telepathy power to call other children who born at that same night in that one hour. They called themselves midnight's children. It also talks about emergency by Indira Gandhi. This movie has postcolonial aspects. Here we are trying to see some postcolonial aspects which movie has.

The birth of Saleem and Shiva at same time, it also shows the birth of two nations India and Pakistan. And with growth of both these boys the growth of two nations are also shown.

There is strong voice of Marxism. Poor become rich, rich become poor. And because of this Marry, the midwife at hospital changes the babies for her personal reason, which cause very big harm to both boys and family also.

The India which is shown is after independence. Normally shown as poor, because British has left India in to the ashes. In school where Saleem is studying there is picture of Lord Macaulay, and it is written that, "This man brought civilization to savages." Here savage means Indians and the quote wants to say that British brought us civilization. India is shown as the nation of snake charmers in this movie, which has used British lenses to see India.

When it talks about Indira Gandhi and her Emergency. Camera works very effectively and frame the narrative which says, "Zero years of independence." Which simply means the colony of Brits are over but after that our own people started making colonies. Movie also has one line like, "India is prime minister and prime minister is India." Which refers to dictatorship.

There is spittoon used as symbol, symbol of memory and how that memory becomes amnesia. All wants to have that memory and wants to tell their own story accordingly.

Chutneyfication of identities is very well presented here. Which shows India is a mixture of so many things like chutney. There is mixed identities. Our protagonist also don't know who is his real biological parents and he find it out the situation becomes worst. At the end Saleem tame Marry as her mother.

 Magic Realism is something which is shown as part of India. Parvati who knows magic called by people as witch. Because they think magic is craft of illusion. Parvati used to believe in her magic. She has one disappear box also which she used to save Saleem and her child. There is every time absurdity in marriage. Science and superstition has simultaneously shown in the movie.

These are some points, which film tries to show. But all art is at basic level for entertain. The movie is quit boring. May be it is good tool for study but not for entertainment.

The Black Prince:

The story of “The Black Prince” revolves around the young prince as he attempts both to regain his throne and reconcile himself with the two cultures of his Indian birth and British education.

After the death of his father, Maharajah Ranjit Singh, the previous ruler of the Sikh empire, Maharaja Duleep Singh is placed on the throne at the age of five. In 1849, when Punjab is annexed to British India the young prince is removed from the throne and separated from his mother. He is put under the guardianship of British surgeon Dr. John Login. At the age of 15, Duleep Singh is sent to England where he meets Queen Victoria. A relationship between the two develops.

Duleep Singh is eventually able to reestablish contact with his mother and as a result begins to reconnect with the culture of his birth. Duleep attempts to return to India to reclaim his kingdom, but is continually thwarted by British colonial politics.