I was very surprised with this film - completely not what I expected. It's form of storytelling was very Rashomon like. I'm still curious how the title was created...and many of the characters are Bollywood and famous art film actors who play very interesting parts you would never predict them in - like the woman from the opening sequence of Dil Se plays a great tribal woman in the film. It's very interesting to see her in the role. Can anyone think of other Indian films that use storytelling - literally a group of men sitting around telling stories - like this film does?
There was a tamil film some time ago called Virumaandi (Kamalahaasan) that had a rashomon like narrative structure. Indian literature and film is replete with the viginette form of storytelling. (mahabharata, Panchatantra, Shrimad Bhagavada) but none of them,as far as I know, are about truth and story, like this Dharamveer bharati Novel filmed as suraj ka saathvaan ghoda. Agni varsha has the cursive narrative structure similar to SKSG although it is derivative of the MAhabharata.
In fact Most religious films(Jai Santoshi MAA...et al) use the viginette structure as the stock storytelling device.
That's true, almost all of the religious and mythical work uses non-narrative storytelling. How did you feel seventh horse was about truth and story? I felt that it was primarily about social issues in India as well as marriage - the conflict between love and what the family wants. I don't know if one story came off as the "truth" to me, so I'm interested in hearing if anyone else felt that way.
Oh i was only commenting on the narrative structure, of shifting POVs. Truth and story is not the point to Suraj ka sathvaan ghoda the way it is to rashamon..
But I do believe POV is very much a part of indian storytelling in terms of the larger epics. I also think it's often used in a political context toget a certain party's point across.
Did you ever figure out why it was the seventh horse from the sun?
nope... dont remember if i did...maybe i should watch the film again sometime...I have it...right here...somewhere....
or maybe someone that has seen the film recently can participate here...
As regars political parties, the only political parties that were seriously into film were the communists, even there , I don't remember/ know of any POV narratives that were used to get a point across...did you have any particular films/political parties in mind when you made that comment?
I just saw it and i don't think it really tells you in the film!
Thank god for the internet, here's what I found out.
Each of the stories that the narrator tells is (at least in the original book) is told in six afternoons representing the six horses.The seventh horse represents hopes and dreams.
According to Pauranic theology, Surya, the sun god, has his chariot drawn by seven horses, each symbolizing a definite ray.
I just saw this film again, and yes they tell you what the seventh horse is...they even have a beautiful seventh horse sort of galloping like a unicorn...