Review: “Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love”

What do we know about Indian cinema? Some touching love story, some action movies that usually accompanied by songs and dance. I never thought that I will love Indian movie. All this songs and dance… It’s all very nice and interesting, but not for me. Until I saw “Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love”. I think this movie become a new hypostasis of Indian movie at least for myself. It can’t be attributed to the traditional and familiar to us works of Bollywood. No dance, no songs but this is such a qualitative symbiosis of a truthful, heartbreaking Indian fairy tale and visual generosity of Hollywood. It’s impressive! Fascinating beauty of woman face and body, bright tissues of clothes, palace interiors, Indian nature – all of this made attention of the audience converged on the screen till the last minute of the film.

The plot is logical, believable – two girls grow up in two women: one princess Tara, the second – servant Maya.

When Tara first meets the prince, her future husband, then his gaze stops at Maya and the princess, catching this look – spits at Maya's face 'cos of anger and jealousy. Maya was proud and quick to take offense, she never behaved like a commoner, but she wore the old dresses of her mistress and always accepted when Tara “throwing a bone” to her. So, she could not forgive the humiliation and takes revenge rather peculiarly - the night before the wedding of princess, she comes to Tara's future husband and passionately gives himself to him, first receiving what should not belong to her. For this her banish as a whore from the palace.

“ – Oh Tara... all my life I have been wearing your used things. Now... something I have used, will be yours forever.”

And one day, in the temple, she is met by the royal sculptor Jai Kumar (he was son of the royal courtesan). He makes her not only his muse, but also takes her to the Kama Sutra school. But, made a sculpture, he rejects the love of his muse, for he strives for freedom, for without freedom he cannot creating.

“ – I loved being with him. I would have done anything just to be with him.
– What kind of love are you talking about? Real love? If you're looking for real love, you've chosen the hardest task of all, the work for which all other work is but preparation.
– But I was ready. I wanted to give myself to him.
– Love does not mean surrendering, "losing yourself". It is a call to ripen. Don't look for straight lines, Maya. Life is never like that.”

She’s go and become the courtesan thinking that this will release from her pain… But it’s not. She’s tired from the King, from of what she’s become. Maya start to feel herself caged. Once she said, that will live with someone whom she not loving instead loneliness. That she want to learn about the rules of love and how to apply them. And if she can’t use them on the one she love – she’ll use them on the ones she don’t. She was wrong. Maya is need to love and be loved.

“ – Tell me, are you happy now?
– Tara… I was young. I had no idea, that what I did that night would change your life forever. And mine too.
– You got what you wanted. He desires you. At least one of us is happy.
– Do you think, that just because the King desires me, it makes me happy?
– Does it not?
– No, Tara, it does not. Sometimes, when I catch a glimpse of the world outside: trees, sky… I wish we were free like when we were children. ”

The King want to someone make a sculpture of his beloved courtesan and bring royal sculptor to do that. Maya and Jai Kumar meet again. After king go, Jai try to apologize saying that he’s regret for what he done, for he let her go. He is asking for only one thing: take him back. Jai really love her and want to be with Maya forever. It's a quite emotional and heartrending: she's still angry with him, hit him, Jai almost standing on his knees and tender an apology.

“ – I made a mistake. Take me back. I marry you… you marry me.”

She forgives him. And they are make a decision to run off from the castle together. But as it always happens, unfortunately, the King accidentally finds out about it. He orders to execute Jai Kumar…

(So, I wrote even more than I think I would. I don’t want to tell what comes next – you must see it.)

Those people who think that this movie have sex, erotic but not love and spiritual intimacy between lovers – might have seen “Kama Sutra…” between kitchen and bathroom. Every inch of that film full of love. But one love – domineering, cruel and selfish, the other one – pure, poetic, sacrificial and selfless, and because of that it becomes more passionate than so called “love” of ruthless tyrant-king.

The complexity of the erotic genre is to show not only the merging of the partners' bodies, but also the merging of their souls. Show something more than sex, namely – love. The director of this movie, Mira Nair, did even more than that. Her film conveyed all the subtlety of human feelings and emotions.

Actors work also great and impressive. I believed every move, every gesture, every word and emotion. Especially in scene where Maya asking Jai to cut her hair with a peace of stone.

“ – Bind me to you with this hair forever.
– I am yours. Take me. Cut this hair. It’s yours.
– My flower…
– Jai, you have my heart. I love you.”

She want to stay beautiful only for him. And left peace of herself as a goodbye. That was powerful and also touching scene. At least for me. While watching this scene I was really terrified of what comes next?

I hope you (anyone who will read it) will like my review. This movie become, some kind an amazing opening to myself.

P.S. Sorry for my english. If you'll find mistakes in sentenses - tell me, please.