Well the title does not need anything else. The names, Laila and Majnu, is enough for people of this region to understand the love and pain behind the story. But for the people unaware of it, let me break it down with the legend first.
The Legend.
The story acctually came from Arabia in 7th century, and it reolves around Qais ibn al-Mulawwah and Laila. But as they say about the travellers and their stories, it did not just stick to Arabia only. It traveled like any other story, and also reached South Asian literary traditions. The Persian poet "Nizami Ganjavi" tranformed the scattered Arabic anecdotes into his famous "Layli o Majnu" in 1188, and later poets including: Amir Khusrau, Jami and Fuzuli created their own versions.
And this way the legend followed, and it became as a symbol of pure and unconditional love. Well, there are conditions attached; but not of normal world.
The reason I gave the little bit of history is because: it is not a mere story. Though it may sound fictional, but being a love-bird, I can assure you. There is always possibility. Possibility such a beautiful word isn't it? There is always a chance to get away with stuff like that.
A note before I continue with the review x analysis. I was not going to write about a movie tonight. But, I saw the Youtube clip of the last 10 minutes, and man, believe me when I first saw it. I was so amazed! The actor really nailed it; it was pure cinema.
Anyways let us move forward with the story first.
The Story and Main Lead.
The movie takes place in modern-day Kashmir. Kashmir is already a declared heaven on Earth. So you can imagine the beauty it beholds. The character of Laila is played by Triptii Dimri; while Qais - the Majnu - is played by Avinash Tiwary. Qais comes from a wealthy and politically connexted family, while Laila belongs to another influential family. And unfortunately, their families are already caught up in a bitter dispute, which makes their love complicated even from the start.
In the beginning, Laila treats Qais almost like any other boy. She teases him and flirt with him. Qais, however, becomes genuinely fascinated by her. We can call it a "crush" thing, but slowly and surely, it turns into something deeper. And remember this, we are talking about Laila and Majnu, so there is no possibility of happiness in it.
Their families discover the relationship, and through formal ways, Qais father pay a visit to Laila's house. But it turned out to be the worst thing. And Laila is forced to marry with Ibban. Man I hate his character. It means he really lived to it. So Qais and Laila are seperated, and a misunderstanding makes the situation even more painful. From this point, the story shifts from being a usual romance to something beyond humanly understanding.
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Now is the time for my analysis.
Laila was always Laila. It was Qais who became Majnu.
Majnu literally means someone who is madly in love. Because of this reason, the term Majnu is used for metaphorical purposes. It is a sort of obsession. And as the heading say: Majnu really had to go through something inexplainable. From being a charming person, he is known and remembered as a madman. I am not saying that Laila did not love, or did not sacrifize because she did. And it will be unjustice for both to compare their suffering. They both did; just in their own ways.
The culture and ego.
Being a living creature of this culture, I can assure you almost every girl is a Laila in herself. Because they are not allowed to love, and turn that love into husband-wife relationship. The ego of patriarchy always come in between. This way a life is wasted, and person is merely a living being who is living on oxygen - nothing else.
Love has no boundary, but surely, there is society to hurt it. Wish it had some ego and some care of the worldly affairs. Maybe, no one would dare to love anymore. Because this whole unconditional thing makes it worse.
This is why at one point Qais says: "Do you know the best part about forest? There are no humans."
Humans are actually notorious beings. Yes, there are good people as well. But we are talking about the binary of good here.
The lust for property.
As Qais was in London, and people around Laila used to say that: he is partying there. But life humbled this understanding. As Qais's father dies, and he has to come back, which he did. Her mourning sister is there, and guess what? She is there for the property. Because Qais has to sign as he is one of the signatory in it. Lust is a good thing right? I mean this is a capitalist society. The dead person is gone, but let the living one enjoy it. This is a man worth. And we live here like we literally own everything. But just like life, there is always death standing in our way just to humble us lastly.
When Qais realises this lust, he uttered: "Log kia kahhain g; property kia kaha g (what will the society say; what will the property say." Yes he is mocking.
Laila = La-ilaha.
Now these are not Qais's words. Because he is a Majnu now. He is beyond our understanding. He is seeing Laila in everything, and everyone is scared and shouting at Qais. But little did they know that he is a Majnu. But wait, Laila is there to understand him.
Now pay special heed at this point: La-Illaha. It literally means "there is no diety except God." And, in his Majnu state, Qais uses this term for Laila. He has reached a state where nothing else matters to him - except Laila. And for him, Laila is a God.
This si the best I can tell about the phrase. But those who are aware of this literature and term will surely understand the depth this term has. Language, sometimes, really act as a boundary. Dah!
"He is just gone a little ahead." - Laila.
Little ahead? Sister, she is gone into another dimension. And when I said Laila understood, these words proved it. She understood the state Qais is in, and she says next is her turn. She kept her promise and died. Yes Laila died first. Leaving Majnu to follow her lead, and the madman did. Majnu died by accidentally tripping on her grave sign.
In the end, Nizami Ganjavi in his Persian couplet writes:
"لیلی بودم ولیکن اکنون
مجنونترم از هزار مجنون"
"I was Laila, but now I am more mad than a thousand Majnuns."
My favorite scene:
By the way, every song of this movie is just pure love for me.
| Rating Source | Rating |
|---|---|
| IMDb | 7.6/10 |
| Rotten Tomatoes | 60% |
| Personal Rating | 95/100 |
Peace 🕊️
Rating: 95/100