"Zanjeer" affixes itself to my memory. The film is filled
with haunting images that reverberate long after the film has ended. The
supremely sad face of Amitabh Bachchan embroiled with quiet turmoil that
erupts in uncontrolled violence as he attempts to level a balance to his
conflicting inner scales of unconscious justice is searing. He is an inarticulate
hero, blindfolded himself, full of rage, acting out in vengeance to a nightmare
whose meaning he is uncertain of. A recurrent nightmare, shrouded in mystery
that becomes a harbinger of unmitigated fear, of a hooded rider in black
atop a white horse, that propels itself out of the mist of the unconscious
to haunt Amit's waking life.
'Nature' and 'Nurture' are here in this world. On nature's side
there is a man who is the enemy, a villain who is pure evil, unrepentant
and relentless. There is the friend whose loyalty is without question
and full of goodness. On the side of nurture there is the woman
raised an orphan, a wild street child who with love and education
learns about integrity. Amit the hero is in part a product of nurture.
An orphan brought up by a surrogate family who fill him with love
and integrity.
Yet beyond this world of simple dichotomies lies an inner psychology
based on trauma, separation, and revenge that even this black and
white plan for the world cannot contain or control. It is the volcano
of human feelings, its memories, and it's thirst for resolution.
Like Jaya says in the film, "Sometimes maybe the volcano must
erupt and explode, before the calm sweetwater lake can form in its
place."
This need for revenge in order to receive psychic reconciliation are
the driving force of "Zanjeer". It's about a man who meets his
frustrations head on and fights them with a frightening rage. Here is a
man careened by destiny to meet and confront his deepest inner most fears
and pain. A pain so intense it becomes a repressed memory. And is
allowed by fate to enact revenge on that evil and ultimately gain redemption
in the process.
