Is Black a(nother) Miracle Worker?

Within a couple of days of watching BLACK, a whole new issue has arisen. Though people have appreciated the movie, the fact that it is a re-make of the Academy Award Winner "The Miracle Worker" has raised more than a few eyebrows. Does Black really deserve all the accolades that it has received? Should Black never have been made? Well there's been enough discussion going on this thread among my friends' circles, and people have opinions on all sides of the circle. I for myself, would hate to be confrontational, and controversial, and prescribe anybody to love or hate the movie (or am I already prescribing people to love the movie...? Well, that's why I've itin my personal page than in any forum).
I for one, loved the movie. I was moved by the movie. It touched my heartstrings, and played it's own melody within me. It has raised some questions within me, and am still suffering from the answers that I 've got and the answers that I've not. The movie may not be a hit, it might not even be an average, it spite of the stunning visual and emotional depth. But beyond doubt, it'll serve as a wake up call for everyone to notice good (world class???) Indian cinema. No wonder if Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukerjee, Ayesha Kapur will walk away with all the awards in India. No wonder if SLB will be hailed as the messiah of the mainstream Bollywood. But wait a minute, Black does deserve all it's credit, but does SLB?
The day after we were touched profoundly by Black and were more than feeling confident for the first Oscar award for an Indian movie, Kesava broke the news that the story behind Black has already been Academy awarded in 1961. The movie was based on Anne Sullivan's attempts with Helen Keller, which is also the basis for SLB's movie. It was called The Miracle Worker then, and after going through the trailers, Srinivas pointed out that some of the most touching scenes were sadly, a direct rip off of TMW.
The effect that these two facts had on the reactions of people would have been a great thesis for an aspiring behavioral scientist. For there were people who had been outraged at this deception of novelty from an otherwise acclaimed director. There were people who were prepared to overlook this "adaptation" and inspiration and bestow accolades just for the idea behind and on the celluloid for Black. And there were people who vacillated between these emotions, knowing not what the right thing was between principles of heart and mind. As Kesav put it (with a satirical undertone), "Feel Good about it, for it's all about feeling Good".
And so here I'm. Should I feel good, and hail Black and SLB as path breaking movie-director duo. Or Should I denounce and renounce Black and SLB and feel pained at not acknowkedging one of the most touching movies I had seen?
The bottomline for me is that I was touched by Black. Black is a brilliant movie. And even after I watch "The Miracle Worker", Black will remain brilliant. I can only expect The Miracle Worker will be better than Black. I had watched HDDCS, and Devdas, but Black is way ahead of it. But I think I'll reserve my judgement on SLB till I watch The Miracle Worker. May be he is not as great a director as Black showed him to be. Gotto watch The Miracle Worker to judge that.

B L A C K watched Feb 5

Close your eyes,
Cover your ears,
Shut your mouth
Try that for life...

Another movie, post Shwaas that explores the world of Physically Challenged, "Specially privileged" lives. Ayesha Kapur (young Michelle McNally), Rani Mukherjee (Michelle McNally) Amitabh Bachchan (Mr.Saini, I forget his first name... oops) star in this "minimalist" and "most honest communication with audience" opus from Sanjay Leela Bhansali, about spirit, hope and courage.
I want to say that I have watched a good film after a long time. I am deprived of this pleasure cos I had just watched Swades the earlier day. But I guess I can very well say that I have watched two good films from India after a long time.
So what is Black all about? It's about the spirit of living. The spirit of loving life. The spirit of fighting for life. It's about recognising that physical handicap doesn't have translate to a complex. Its about love that transcends all the apparent physical beauty and becomes an association with some one who touches your world only to change it, only to complete it. Its about a teacher and a pupil, their war, their love, their dream, and their ambition, and their spirit.
AB plays an alchoholic teacher who is given the responsibility of breaking into the world of the 8 year old, wild, juvinile, blind, deaf, dumb Michelle. Michelle is been over protected by her over protective parents, who are too frightened to give their daughter a chance to live. They love her too much to see her get hurt, they are too afraid if the light in her black world. They can't break into the silence of her world, and the only sense they allow her is the hug and the food. Over protected, under nurtured, Michelle grows in a world where she doesn't trip over, roams freely, eats freely, without remorse, without discipline, without a sense, without a purpose, with a danger of being branded as mentally retarted and ending up in an asylum.

Into her world, Mr.Saini, the alchoholic teacher enters, without a warning, and attempts to reach her, barge into her black world, and literally drag her into light. She resists, she fights, but slowly she finds the coolness of water, the flutter of the rain, the touch of the words and the sense in their meaning. And she doesn't stop there. With Mr.Saini's guidance, she takes up arts and poetry and enrols in the university after an "interview" where instead of plain answering, she expresses her answers instead. But this is no easy journey for her and she repeatedly fails, much to her teachers dismay and frustration. The turning point comes when Michelle realises that her teacher means her more than the teacher.

The movie culminates with Michelle realising her dream of graduating with a black robe and paying her teacher the highest respect - teach him again, and filling his life with forgotten memories again - after he is attacked by Alzeimers disease.

There are quite a few moving moments in the movie, and the acting of everyone has been high class. I do not know if the movie was flawless, but it was touching nevertheless, especially Ayesha's acting as the young Michelle was just top class.

The movie lingered with me for quite sometime, asking me questions on what I had done with my faculties and what I have done to touch somebody's life so far. The answers are embarassing. But atleast there's hope, and there's an inspiration. Somehow I had decided that I had enough of the movies that made no sense. I could use that money for some place that needs funding. Thanks to the team of BLACK for showing me the Black and white of life.