If you plan to watch one film this weekend, let it be Vasan Bala’s “Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota”, a delightful film that breaks all ideas of conventional storytelling. The film was released at the MAMI 2018 where it received a warm reception and also witnessed a grand opening at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film stars Abhimanyu Dasani, Radhika Madan, Gulshan Devaiah, Jimit Trivedi, and Mahesh Manjrekar.
The film, says Bala, is a tribute to all the films that he has watched growing up and this explains much of its eccentric style. From breaking genres to almost oddball lyrics, even the songs follow an incongruous route. Don’t get confused. Listen to the soundtrack composed by Karan Kulkarni and written by Garima Obrah and you will find references to the Nirma washing powder’s jingle and to Star Wars. The avant-garde style of the music ensures that you cannot assign a genre to it or for that matter even a time period.
Coming to the film itself, the story is bizarre and keeps you on the edge of your seats in anticipation. The film is about Surya, played by Abhimanyu Dassani, an almost alien-like misfit boy who is born with a rare congenital condition that makes him insensitive to pain or in true Bollywood style, Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota. Our hero then, in true filmi style is the perfect action hero that we all are waiting for. Being free from pain, however, causes him other problems. He has to be careful of injuries, drink more water so as to not get dehydrated and wear swimming goggles (please do not look for medical explanations to at least the last two). So our hero, the Mard jisse dard nahi hota, sets out to become a superhero, well, almost. His girlfriend is, however, more relatable with the usual ambition like getting married, being financially stable and moving to a different country to look for a better life.
He spends much of his day watching a diverse range of martial arts films on VHS tapes that includes “Game of Death”(1978), “Aaj Ka Gunda Raj” (1992), “Gymkata” (1985). The scenes here are a profound dose of wistfulness, iconic dialogues, and vintage reels, all lensed through the film. For any 90s kid who grew up watching martial arts films, this is nothing short of nostalgia.
The film’s narrative also makes the audience uncomfortable for it tries to dismantle familiar Bollywood tropes. Life is after all not a film. And yet, the film uses every familiar trope be it that of bachpan ka pyaar or judwa bhai or the lost tavez. In a sense then, it borrows from popular culture but manages to create its own storyline.
The small budget film is a mix of smart dialogues, solid action sequences good comic timing pepped with black humour, the characters in all their eccentricities are believable, the only problem I think is that its avant grade style is at times difficult for an audience used to expecting a masala films given its simple title – Mard ko Dard Nahi Hota. To be honest, when I first heard about the film I thought it would be an Amitabh Bachchan style movie with the hero covered in blood trying to save the heroine from a bunch of sleazy goons.
This partially also explains its low box office collection. The film is being screened at few multiplexes and much of the publicity has been word of mouth. A content-driven film like this, once available on platforms like Netflix or Amazon prime could have reached and appreciated by a wider audience.
But if you do plan to watch it, let me tell you that despite its shortcoming, it remains a very watchable film with relatable characters which in its goofy style and stylish presentation offers one-of-a-kind cinema experience for the Hindi film audience. The characters are innocent and the way Bala has brought them alive will leave you smiling days after you have watched the movie. The movie is an overall joyful experience which teaches that even in difficult circumstances, never forget the simple pleasures of life.