Motherjane ' Broken' Video:Brilliance on Camera

Motherjane's much awaited video of the song 'broken' was released yesterday in their official site. Thematically, this is one of the best Indian rock videos I've seen in recent times. It chronicles the relationship between a father and son. The father, a Kathakali exponent is so immersed in the art that he doesn't have time for his motherless child. This is best shown in the scene where the man is shown sleeping on his bed with the kathakali makeup on. The son comes near and tries to wipe away the makeup to see his father's face, but the angry man drives him away. Time passes and the lonely son grows up to become a rebel communist, as illustrated by the portrait of Che Guevera hung on his room's wall. The old father now craves for his son's love and attention. Now, the roles are reversed. The son doesn't have time for his father. We see a role reversed repeat of the earlier scene where the father comes to the son's bedroom and is driven away. The man contemplates committing suicide and is shown staring at the noose hanging from the roof. But at the last minute, he decides against it. Now, he dons the Kathakali makeup once again, for a special show for his son. But, this time, only half his face is painted, the other half revealing his human side. Thus the father and son find peace.





When I saw the first scenes of this video, of the father sitting with a plateful of meal in front, I was thinking 'What the hell is this?'. But by the end of the video, I was telling myself 'This is one bloody brilliant video'. All the band members appear with their trademark half painted faces. I don't think I've to talk about the musical side of the song, about which reams have been written before. Baiju chettan's killer carnatic solo, John chettan's precise drumwork, Deepu chettan's thumping rhythm section, Clyde chettan's awesome bass and Suraj chettan's brilliant vocals make this a must listen song. This is the song for which Suraj Mani got the best rock vocalist nominations at the famed AVIMA awards. The lyrics are as follows-


***Broken***
We’ve all, We've all been broken
Shattered, left mute with regrets unspoken
We’ve all loved and lost
Been forsaken, repented our deepest trust

We’ve all wondered why
Destiny picked us to cry
Why faith has to be tested,
And life doesn’t turn out the way intended

We’re mended to be broken
Yet human clay believes itself golden
Stunning in its courage to be happy
As wild elations tempered with black melancholy

Additional info on the video- The kathakali performance that is shown in the video is the famous
'Balivadham'(Killing of bali by Lord Rama). When God himself turns against a man, he is helpless. Thats what happened with Bali, who was killed by Rama as a return favour for Sugriva who helped him to fight ravana. Thanks to Suraj Chettan for patiently explaining the small small things related to the video.

your crusader Praveen