Life writing is one genre of literature which has the longest shelf-life. Precisely because man is never going to stop being curious about other people's lives!

The lockdown made us feel, at least, sporadically, that we are in lockups, didn't it? The confinement, the viral attack, the brain fog that followed - all of it revived my interest in Life Narratives. And a friend forced me into 'fire-sticking'- an act I had resisted all along.

As though the AI therein read my mind, documentaries and biopics popped up every time I pressed the remote button. And I happened upon 'Saina'.

 Released barely 2 months ago, Saina caught my attention for various reasons.

One, as a girl of ten, mortally afraid of outdoor games, I converted plastic hand fans into bats, and crumbled paper into a shuttle cock, and forced my then 50-year old Uncle to play shuttle badminton of sorts in the drawing room of our house every day of my summer vacation. I pretended I was a great badminton follower whenever I was trapped in a conversation on sports of which I knew little. And today at around 50, the only fitness regime I am happy to follow is a game of badminton every evening, and have done that more diligently the last one year.

Two, Ace shuttler Saina was World No. 1 and has won about two dozen international titles, which I believe is a commendable feat for a girl of Indian roots, where sports women have been few and far between.

Third, my latent literary interest in Life Narratives, in its sub-genre biopics, was triggered by the movie.  For a while I debated between treating the pic as belonging to Life writing or to Popular Culture Studies. I finally concluded the two could overlap! Strangely, the film does not make any reference to SN's memoir "Playing to Win" published nearly a decade ago. So Adaptation Studies do not find a place in the discussion, I decided.

To begin with, the way the movie poster has fixed the name of Saina as feathers to the shuttle is symbolic and attractive. Below it, the wrist band with the tri colour makes the message clear - the shuttler's efforts to hold up the dignity of a nation through her game! And that's where sports persons rise above personal glory!

Part of the credits intrigued me - the role of MLAs and the likes of Mayors in the production of the movie! However, the strong feminist motive behind the biopic overshadows the rest. The movie comes full circle beginning with verses on the fate of an average Indian girl fated to pots and pans, and ending with Saina's pride in being a daughter of the nation. The woman power is embodied in the mother character. Clarity, thy name is Usha Rani Nehwal! One thing she is 'cocksure' of is that her daughter is born to be a badminton champ. Often times through the movie, one is tempted to believe that Saina had no choice but to sweat it out to fulfil the dreams of her unrelenting mother. The way Mrs. Usha Rani goes all out to make her daughter a champ - right from how she plays badminton even while Saina was in her womb, to the unforgettable response she gives (a tight slap!) to Saina's second place in a tournament - borders a little bit on tyranny, one could assume.  A go-getter by all measures, it is her indefatigable spirit that rubs off on Saina to reach where she reached. And hearteningly, when the movie ends, Saina hands over her medals to whom they truly belong – her parents.

Are the few male characters in Saina's life removed to an insignificant distance because of the overpowering feminine power? Rather disproportionately, her Father's quiet contributions are recalled. The balance is in the metaphor – Mother like the fire and Father like water balancing each other to help the young lady grow. The coaches are there, but a bit on the periphery, until Mr. Rajan ousts her from his academy! Kashyap is on a roller coaster, sometimes indulged with, other times done away with! But I do believe Saina saved as World No. 1 in his contact list was a big booster to Saina!

The bat in the Haryanvis hand gets associated, not irrelevantly, with a 'talwar', more than once in the movie. The metaphor portends the battle ahead for the young shuttler, 'the warrior princess' and her determination to win. Saina's objective in a game is clear: To not be distracted by who is in front of her, but to demolish the opponent whoever it is! Parineeti is successful in exuding the passion (that I believe I see when Kohli swerves the bat to hit his sixes!) and the grit.  Of course, Parineeti Chopra does her best, but I wondered if the initial choice of Shraddha Kapoor would have been more close (for jaw lines, especially!)

The movie is loaded with subtle but profound messages, seamlessly woven into the plot. The LBS Academy is like 'a sacred pilgrim centre of badminton'. The coach gives the mantra of the 5 S's as an important foundational message for all and any success: Stamina, Speed, Strength, Skill and Spirit. The refrain 'Why remain a page, when an epic, I can be' is thoroughly lyrical & enduring. Rajan's advice on avoiding youthful distractions has a clincher line: "What is important is not what you do, but what you sacrifice to achieve what you want!" Saina considers 'Guru's blessings as a protective shield', especially when she loses good will with him, and faces defeats consecutively in the same phase. The typical flavour of Indian thought percolates the entire movie, in one or the other way.

The moment that stood out for me, more than any other, in the whole movie is a poignant one. Saina also chooses that moment to convey her core philosophy: Mother is critical in the hospital from an accident, the alarm beside her bed rings at 3 am, the usual time for Saina’s practice. She makes up her mind to do what gladdens her Mother; Father says ‘This is the time for prayer, not practice’. Without batting an eye lid she confirms she is off to her prayers. She considers every smash a temple bell rung evoking the Gods to save her Mother’s life.

Suspense is best when at Prague she wins the title, and then receives a call from home about Mother’s health. Her burst into sobs, in no way, signals to the audience what kind of news she has received. Back home, it is the happy recovery of her dear mother!

The movie, in all, has a smattering of all that you need in an educative entertainment: a bit of romance, a little suspense, a lot of thrill, much expectation, and a whole mega dose of inspiration.

 

Dr. Rani P. L. Is an academic with three decades of teaching experience in Higher Education sector. She is an avid reader and an engaging writer of short opinion pieces. As an inspiring orator, she has delivered many spiritual talks based on her experiences with her Personal God and Master, Sri Sathya Sai Baba. A natural logophile, she is amidst the top 15% of Scrabblers in the world. A person with varied interests, she is a sought-after English language teacher.

Image Credits: flickr.com

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