Deepti Naval's memoir is glimpse at her childhood, memories of partition with cinematic details
Deepti Naval's memoir is glimpse at her childhood, memories of partition with cinematic details
Every childhood is special in its own way. But not every special facet of life can be depicted without judgment. Here the autobiographies in India get stuck. But when childhood becomes a couplet of poetry. When childhood becomes a witness to a changing country. When childhood becomes a slow-motion movie with songs of love, despair, romance and nostalgia. Then it probably becomes celebrated actor Deepti Naval's autobiography A Country Called Childhood.
This 368-page long Royal format autobiography has five sections. The beginnings of an unlikely Punjabi family, a country called childhood, wars and rebellions, dreaming of America. These are though five key heads under which several short chapters are present. The house, which has been destroyed, was painted by Naval's mother, Himadri Naval, and it serves as the focal point of her book, A Country Called Childhood. In Amritsar, where actor Deepti Naval grew up, the arched dome of the Khairuddin Masjid stands enormous, its edifices almost touching Chandrawali House. This image can be found on the back cover of the book.
In this entire book, Deepti Naval has depicted every minute detail of her childhood. Maybe it was possible because she is an artist by heart. In India, political autobiographies mostly preach social messages whereas the autobiography is written by stars or mostly about their grandeur. But Naval’s autobiography is different. It’s all about the celebration of little things. The autobiography brings back the simplicity of Ruskin Bond‘s memoir the Lone Fox Dancing. Despite the length of the book Deepti Naval has never made the readers feel bored or dull. The cinematic depiction with minuted details has made this book a masterpiece indeed. Contrary to most celebrity autobiographies, Naval has opted to concentrate on her early years, a wonderful time when she watched clouds fall into the gully without understanding the difference between real and made-up clouds. The book vividly describes Naval's early years in Amritsar, her neighbourhood, her family, her sister, her brother, and her father.
However, if the reader wants to witness the charisma of Deepti Naval as an actor then the reciprocation of her movies is not there in this memoir. It looks like the author is very direct about sending the message that this book is all about a person Deepti Naval beyond the allure, resplendence, lights, camera, action and the mesmerisation of films. This autobiography is a place where the reader will get a unique opportunity to meet Deepti of a time many many years ago.
Growing up in the historic city of Amritsar, which was also readjusting itself after partition, would be a treasure for any artist in terms of material and experience. It was a kind of period that could turn anyone into an artist. Deepti Naval lived her life in that time and those experiences have made this book a mesmerising experience.
One cannot ignore the impact of Deepti Naval's aristocratic ancestors even if the period and location had a big impact on her development. Beautiful black-and-white photographs are used to enhance the portraits of the English-professor father, the mother, whose aesthetic sense Naval clearly inherited.
The author lost her mother in 2017. This autobiography is a love letter to Naval’s mother. This evenly matched relationship between Naval's parents is the subject of her heartbreaking writing. They were her entire universe, and the book provides a glimpse of Naval as a delicate youngster. One of the best features of this autobiography is the cinematic structure. A chronology of events stitched together. In the first section of the book, the author has described the Indo-Pak war. A real war indeed but in the memories of childhood, war is not only about fights. It’s about fear, anguish and excitement too. She was 13 then. The metal odour that permeated the air, the charred earth, and the lifeless bodies lying in the dust are all depicted by Naval. She recalls that not even the crows were chirping.
Yes, every chapter of this book is that detailed. Another example is the portrayal of Naval's first film experience. What all she remembers about the movie she has written so simply. The simplicity of this book is something special and a reason to come back again and again. “This is my memory of my first film – Durgesh Nandini. The year is 1956. I am four years old. I do not remember much about the movie; certainly not the nicer parts. All I remember is the fear that enveloped me during the fighting scenes. I hated the whole thing and felt great relief when the film finally ended. As we got out of the dark theatre that night, I promised myself – I will never see another film in my life.” These lines show how honest the author has been while describing her memory.
While talking about honesty, readers will also witness the simplicity of Deepti Naval in this book. The poetic nature of this autobiography is simple to read and the author is not hesitant to portray who she really is. Remember the films like Chashme Buddoor, Katha, Kisise Na Kehna where Naval played the female lead. Who is Deepti Naval to her audience? The girl next door, who does not want to occupy your mind with beauty, the alluring ability to dance or talk or with flamboyance. She was different from Zeenat Aman or Jaya Prada or others of that era. She was always Deepti to all. Whom you will not be able to forget years after watching the movie. This book is an example of that simplicity and honesty.
The black and white photographs have enriched the book. In some places, the book needed better editing and these mistakes could be changed further. This book is a gem. In India readers hardly get such poetic, cinematic but simple depiction of time and city through autobiographies by stars. This book is different in its aesthetics, writing style, taste and art. For every reader, Deepti Naval's A Country Called Childhood would be a poetic journey through a cinema's script depicted in words.
The author is an independent journalist and columnist based in Kolkata and a former policy research fellow at the Delhi Assembly Research Center. He tweets as @sayantan_gh. Views expressed are entirely personal.
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