Jagga Jasoos' references

Hidden somewhere in the spit-fire lyrics of a song montage from Jagga Jasoos is what I think is a clever self-reference. 

Jagga's adoptive father encases a full year's memories in a single VHS tape he sends him annually. Sometimes he sends him life lessons, other times he is busy explaining the difference between an off-spin from an on-spin ball. In one such message, we hear him drop the following words of wisdom: 'chor ki chori jab tak pakdi na jaaye, tab tak wo artist.' ('as long as a thief's thievery isn't caught, they are an artist'.)

I think Basu is subtly referencing the controversy around the originality of his own work here. His previous film, 'Barfi', had entire sequences lifted exactly from their source materials, which range from the 2004 Hollywood drama 'The Notebook', to some of the most iconic stunts of Charles Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Of course, Basu vehemently defended himself by choosing to call it an 'homage' more than anything else. 

Once again, with Jagga Jasoos, many similarities have been drawn with the comic book adventures of Herge's young Belgian 'whippersnapper', Tintin - all of which Basu has roundly rejected. After having seen the film twice, I do feel it bears a great resemblance to the Tintin comic books, both in tone and plot. The beats and gags are also greatly similar at times. In fact, the emotional bedrock of the characters of both Jagga and Tintin is the same: finding a long-lost relative. 

Herge's personal favorite Tintin adventure was 'Tintin in Tibet', in which the young investigative reporter appears to have lost an old friend in a plane crash. He embarks on a deeply personal journey to rescue him from the snowy peaks of Tibet, the crash-site, based on a dream that convinces him he is alive. Jagga has similar motivations and beliefs as Tintin in the comic book. 

Moreover, both their globe-trotting adventures bear a great degree of sameness. Both rely on a hell of a lot of luck. Both work with fumbling, faltering side-kicks. Both take place in faraway lands with made-up names. Both have the same fucking haircut. There's a scene in Jagga Jasoos where he steals an airplane and learns to fly it on the fly (pun intended!); this is the same trick Tintin applies in The Black Island. I am sure I can pick out at least half a dozen more similarities, but that is not the point here.

The point I am making is that Anurag Basu takes a much greater inspiration from a completely different source altogether. This is neither a stylistic nor a tonal inspiration, but an even greater, spiritual one. The film keeps talking about 'the red circle', one in which people who are destined to meet must end up together at one point or the other. This quote is attributed to Gautam Buddha by Jagga as he explains the theory to an unimpressed Katrina. 

In reality, there exists no such quote by Buddha. The saying was instead coined by Jean-Pierre Melville, one of my favorite filmmakers of all time. For the benefit of those who do not know, Melville re-defined the Gangster film, the Heist film and the Neo-noir genre in the 70s, making just over a dozen films in his short career. He is considered a major influence on the stalwarts of the French New Wave. Look him up if you have not. 

In the year 1970, he made one of his three major masterpieces, a film titled, 'Le Cercle Rouge'. This translates to 'The Red Circle'. It opens with the following quote, attributed to the Buddha:

A still from 'Le Cerle Rouge' (1970)

"When men, even unknowingly, are to meet one day, whatever may befall each, whatever the diverging paths, on the said day, they will inevitably come together in the red circle."

The thing with Melville was that he liked fucking with form. He made an almost-silent gangster film when the genre was known to be loquacious. He almost single-handedly defined the concept of a 'code' among gangsters and between criminals and cops, wherein both respect each other for their respective jobs. They live and die by these rules as honorable men (rarely women, unfortunately). This would go on to inspire Tarantino in some of his best films: Kill Bill, Resevoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, etc. Melville even fucking gave himself the suffix 'Melville' because Melville was his favorite author. Also because he could, that's why. 

Anurag Basu borrows the concept of the red circle from Melville, something I don't see a lot of critics talking about, let alone the audience. In fact, I find it hard to believe that Basu did not know the line was not spoken actually by Buddha at all. I think he really meant it as an homage to Melville, by keeping the fiction around the quotation alive.

Which brings me back to the line that started it all:

'As long as a thief's thievery isn't caught, they are an artist'.

With this single line from the film, I have a feeling Basu is being that cheeky kid who thumbs her nose at the substitute teacher in school. He is challenging critics to find all the references in his films. Or maybe he is mocking himself. Or maybe he is passing a secret note to the Melville fans in the audience. 

That, or maybe I'm overthinking. 

PS: I absolutely love the film, which is why I saw it twice. I feel it is a fiercely original piece of work despite its very many influences, because of the way it weaves them into a tapestry that is unique from all of its parts. Please go invest time and watch it!