In 2005, Sanjy Leela Bhansali made a film that change the narrative of Indian cinema. It pushed the creative envelope for its lead actors and gave them their career best performances. Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukerji’s Black is a classic that will never go out of fashion. Now, 19 years later, Black is streaming on Netflix for the very first time and here are 5 reasons you need to catch it :
– Bold as Black
The story of a deaf and blind girl (Rani Mukerji) and her teacher (Amitabh Bachchan) who grapples with his own issues was a very bold subject to explore. At a time when film makers were playing safe and making commercial mainstream cinema, SLB made the bold move to cast Rani and Bachchan in roles that many had developed cold feet to accept.
– An extraordinary story
Like every SLB film at the core of Black is the extraordinary story of the human spirit. We watch Michelle (Mukerji) create a world of her own with her other senses with the help of Debraj (Bachchan). But who is helping who ? Is the teacher helping the student or is it the other way around. This is the beauty of Black where Bhansali dives deep into the depth of human tragedy and emotions and finds light and sparks of joy even in the darkest of corners.
– Replete with heart touching moments
Black has the iconic bench park scene where Rani’s character experiences snow fall for the very first time. Every scene between Debraj and Michelle has been written with so much emotion and detail. Black is an emotional experience that will leave you wanting more. For those who haven’t had the opportunity to catch it in theatres when it came out, Netflix is the perfect place to watch this cult classic.
– Powerful performance
Sanjay Bhansali is not only a master storyteller but also a visionary director. In Black he’s able to beautifully direct two power house performers – Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukerji. Black created history by winning all 4 major awards at Filmfare – Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress. Black won an all time high 11 awards at Filmfare setting a record of sorts. It also went on to win the National Award of Best film (Hindi) and Best Actor.
– A celebration of undying human spirit
You have to watch Black because it pays a beautiful tribute to the undying spirit. It is a celebration of life and shows us that even under the most adverse of situations the human spirit can shine. Sanjay Bhansali’s ability to make you weep, laugh at the same time is a craft not many directors can boast of. If you haven’t watched Black then make it a plan to catch it streaming on Netflix at the earliest.