Sekhar Kammula had initially considered calling his recent film ‘Musuru’ (drizzle) before opting for Fidaa for a wider appeal. ‘Musuru’ would have been a poetic title befitting portions of the film that unravel during rains. The rain-washed green fields offsetting the deep black soil add a joyous edge to the romance. At home, we see Sai Pallavi criss-crossing the path around the courtyard as it rains, getting anything from pachadi to dosa from the kitchen to the dining area.
Take monsoon out of the story and nothing will change. But having it as part of the narrative makes the film all the more pleasing to the eye. The drizzle is prevalent through the wedding ceremonies of the older sister. In fact, rains have figured prominently in Sekhar Kammula’s films, since Anand and Godavari .
Rain has been a tool of joy and romance for decades now. One of the best moments instantly recalled when rain and romance are mentioned in the same breath has to be that of Raj Kapoor and Nargis from Shree 420 ’s song Pyaar hua ikraar hua , accompanied by a bunch of kids in raincoats.
Sign of hope
A downpour signals change of fortunes and becomes a metaphor for victory in the closing scenes of Ashutosh Gowarikar’s Lagaan as it ends the dry spell in the parched region and celebrates the victory of the motley team in cricket and a proposed, oppressive tax scheme.
Torrential rain can also be ominous and mysterious like it was in Ram Gopal Varma’s psychological thriller Kaun .
Mani Ratnam used rain to accentuate the childlike, free-spirited nature of his leading women in several films — from Mouna Ragam to Geetanjali and Guru . Where there was no rain, there was a waterfall. Remember Roja ?
In Okay Bangaram (dubbed from Okay Kanmani in Tamil ) , the play of light and shadow during Mumbai’s monsoon stood for both happiness and the pain of inevitable separation in the song ‘ teera ulaa ’ (‘ neeto ala’ in Telugu) as Nithya Menon and Dulquer Salmaan spend the last few days before they’re bound to go different ways. The rain, much later, is the backdrop through which they rediscover the strength of their bond as they search for their dear Bhavani aunty (Leela Samson) as a distraught Ganapathy (Prakash Raj) waits with hope.
Several instances can be recalled where Mani Ratnam uses rain for conflict and fury. Rajinikanth’s introduction in Dalapathi ( Thalapathy ) happens in pouring rain as he takes on a goon; the first big face-off between Surya (Rajinikanth) and Deva (Mammootty) also happens when it pours.
Love and longing
In Geetanjali , as Prakash (Nagarjuna) helps his mother on to the train leaving the platform in Ooty railway station, he has to face the wrath of Geeta (Girija) for not having disclosed his health condition to her. The rain that once symbolised the girl’s playfulness ( Jallanta Kavvintha song) is now witness to her anger and helplessness of finding her loved one counting his days to live.
Trisha and Prabhas’ blockbuster Varsham had a regular boy-meets-girl story that takes on a gangster villain trope, with the rain adding to the romance.
Teja’s Hora Hori (shot extensively in Agumbe, one of the wettest places in the country) and Rama Raju’s Oka Manasu have also romanced the rains in beautifully captured frames, but don’t have much recall value.
Hindi cinema, meanwhile, never tires of Mumbai monsoons and finds newer ways to capture it. Ayan Mukherji’s Wake up Sid weaves monsoon into Sid (Ranbir Kapoor) and Aisha’s (Konkana Sen Sharma) blooming romance when the city gets its first showers with the onset of monsoon.
Monsoon music in Bollywood
Pyaar hua ikraar hua – Shri 420
Ek ladki bheegi baaghi si – Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi
Barso re megha megha - Guru
Rim jhim rim jhim – 1942: A Love Story
Chak dhoom dhoom - Dil To Pagal Hai
