incrediblehulk

This monster is a yogi

How do you control and destroy the monster inside you? That is the problem the young scientist Dr. Bruce Banner faces. He has been part of a secret experiment conducted by the US Military establishment that has subjected him to Gamma ray radiation. An overzealous general named Thunderbolt Ross, who is in search of a substance that could turn a man into a great fighting machine, supervised this horrific experiment. It has led to terrible consequences. Bruce’s blood is contaminated and has developed a dangerous characteristic: Too much of excitement and anger transforms Bruce into a green hulk, a mighty monster, who cannot be killed or controlled by conventional weapons and has a kind of unbridled power that can crush a whole army.

Bruce is a conscientious man and he does not want his country’s military to use such a dangerous power. So, he runs away from his erstwhile masters, and tries to detoxify his system and destroy the evil that is mixed in his blood while seeking the expert help of a biochemist through the Internet. He hides in a Brazilian slum and follows a humble lifestyle that helps him keep his anger and excitement under control. And his best bet seems to be Yogic methods like pranayama and meditation. It is a capital idea, a conflict between a man’s will and his metabolism. Bravo, hats off to the guys who thought of it.

Bruce’s mentor General Thunderbolt is constantly on the lookout for the prized catch that contains the secret of invincibility in his blood. One day he finds out Bruce’s location by sheer chance and dispatches a select group of crack commandos to capture the fugitive. Bruce gets away, but one of the commandos, a Russian, discovers the truth as he has a glimpse of Bruce’s altered personality. He develops a pathological hatred towards Bruce and readily agrees to be injected with substances developed by the General to impart him the prowess to fight the monster.

The character of Bruce shines through all this. His constant and sincere struggle with himself to fight the monster within wins the sympathy of the audience. There is something very humble, likeable, and romantic about him. He has the power, but does not want it, and as his body expands and his torn clothes hang on to his sinewy frame in tatters, he looks like a poor and tormented oversized urchin, being pilloried by the corrupt and power-hungry establishment that refuses to leave him alone. This eternal conflict sustains your interest and then comes the sweetener that makes the brew still more effective. Bruce was and still is in love with Thunderbolt’s daughter Betty Ross. Bruce meets Betty and finds out that her love for him has not diminished. She stands by him as the General turns the heat on Bruce.

Bruce has another problem, a touching and sweet one. When you are in love with a beautiful, sexy, and sensuous woman, you want to kiss her and then get inside her following the long established Hollywood tradition.

Poor Bruce cannot make love to Betty because the heat of the passion generates a level of excitement that may lead to his horrendous transformation into a hulk. So, he has to struggle hard to keep his sperms from getting too restive while he gets cozy with her love. What a classical dilemma! To screw or not to screw and if you do, the monster will consume your whole being. Thankfully, Betty does not make an issue of it, and both handle the matter with maturity and understanding. It is yet another unique, and awesome invention.

While the gentle Bruce is going through this existential crisis, the ambitious Russian readies himself to take Bruce on, fortified and super-charged with still heavier doses of serums and toxins. And then comes the final encounter at a point when Bruce succeeds in meeting this Tarantinoisque biochemist who may help him decontaminate his hemoglobin and they are almost on the verge of finding the solution. The General arrives on the scene at this critical juncture with the entire US military in his tow, including the Russian who is all pumped up with a cocktail of chemicals.

Bruce is captured this time, and as he is taken away, the Russian coerces the biochemist to transfuse Bruce’s blood in him. He wants to become a hulk like Bruce but lands up becoming an ugly and heartless monster with greater powers than the Bruce’s hulk. This repulsive abomination starts creating havoc and then Bruce decides to do a favor to humanity. He transforms himself into the hulk yet again and fights the ugly monster, for his love and a sense of compassion for fellow beings. Does he succeed in overpowering the vicious monster? What do you think?

The Incredible Hulk is a good story. It keeps you interested. Its romance is a little more mature than what you come across in other films of the genre. The computer-generated monster moves smoothly with no jerks. He is a handsomer avatar of Kingkong, and as likeable. The film is appropriately cast and follows a simple and comprehendible narrative structure. Even if you know nothing about the comic book hero or the preceding versions of the Hulk saga, you will not feel lost.

There is a subtext to the story - interesting and meaningful, and will make you feel good and exalted about being an Indian. Turn to the East and learn the art and science of Yoga, to control your destructive animalistic urges. That is what Dr. Bruce does. He masters his monster through yogic practices, and through constant Sadhana in a jungle. The human will wins over his muddled metabolism. This adds the much needed gravity and lovability to an otherwise commonplace tale.

But the real winner is the central character itself. You will love the unassuming Dr. Bruce Banner played by Edward Norton, as well as his transformed self the hovering Hulk. Liv Tyler plays Betty Ross and William Hurt plays General Thunderbolt Ross. Tim Roth plays the Russian commando who turns into the ugly hulk. Screen Story and Screenplay is by Zak Penn and the film is directed by Louis Leterrier.

Look at it in another way. While Rakesh Roshan seeks inspiration from ET and Superman, Hollywood writers and directors look to India’s spiritual heritage to give that special touch to their usual designer stories.

Are jaieeye, Baba Ramdeo ke charano me hi baith ke kuch prerana lijiye maharaj. Aur Shekhar Kapoor kya kar rahein hain? Saanp bichuon ki kahaniyon par comic book chaap rahein hain, phir film bhi banayenge. Jab ki Dr. Bruce Banner aasan, pranayam, dhyan, dhrana, aur samadhi seekh rahein hain apne andar ke daityon aur daanavon se ladne ke liye.

Insipid Dasavathaaram

Kamal Hassan, the phenomenon, has turned senile. What happened to Dev Saab at the ripe age of 80, has happened to Mr. Hassan at fifty-eight. Or is he older? It does not matter. He should be declared clinically senile anyway, Dasavathaaram being a definite evidence of the malady.

Abhay was a terribly bad film. Dasavathaaram is hundred times worse in comparison, and an unbearable idiocy. And all those horribly made-up characters played by this megalomaniacal thespian are so pathetic and ghastly that they scared the life out of little kids in the cinema hall. They were crying all through the film. Mr. Hassan, please don’t torture and scare the kids. That is a sin brother.

I am writing about this big joke of a film because I find it strange that those who claim to be atheists go hammer and tongs against Hindu icons and traditions alone. Why? Is it because Hinduism welcomes such criticism? Kamal Hassan is quite charitable towards Islam and Christianity in his film, the two ‘book and blind faith’ based religious ideas that cannot stand an elementary rational scrutiny. He credits a mosque for saving the lives of people during a Tsunami, while the stone sculpture of a Hindu god could not save his ardent disciple. He also looks up to the Church as a symbol of a casteless society. He almost bats for the Christian clergy and their proselytization work. Is he really so ignorant and ill informed? Does he not know that many Muslims and Christians have been fighting against caste, and skin color based discrimination in their respective denominations? Is he not aware that the black Christians still have separate churches in the so-called progressive and developed Christian nations?

And why is it that our censor board gets too liberal with filmmakers who deride and debase Hindu icons?