Love in the Time of Malaria

A spectre is haunting the kingdom of Khojpuri. As mosquitoes spread their dissident influence over the realm of constipated King Bhadrabhoop, infecting people’s morals and instigating revolt, he calls for their elimination by any means necessary. Meanwhile, starry-eyed scientist Hunshilal, a committed soldier of the crown, joins the Moral Science Institute to research the most effective means of eradicating these parasites. But when he falls for fellow researcher Parveen, he is forced to question his loyalties.

Filled wall-to-wall with cheeky references to contemporary personalities and events, Sanjiv Shah’s classic musical comedy Love in the Time of Malaria is nevertheless a timeless work of biting political satire. The current-day resonance of the story, in which artists, scientists and journalists rally behind their beloved king and his mission to quell all dissent, painfully illustrates the eternal law governing the state of India: the more things change, the more they remain the same.

Shah’s unique work interweaves a host of narrative modes, liberally drawing from fairy tales, musicals, newsreels, the Tamasha tradition of the stage and even television commercials. The satire is anything but subtle, and the bluntness is matched by the film’s acuity and constant invention. If Louis Althusser had made a Bollywood farce, it would have perhaps looked like this.

– Srikanth Srinivasan

This film has been preserved and provided by Film Heritage Foundation.

Trailer

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