Picture : Raj Kapoor
Today on
May 3rd Bollywood completes 100 years.
The 1st film was made by Dadasaheb Phalke on May 3rd 1913. I am compiling a list of films here which reflected the social reality of society ,irrespective of whether melodrama was used or the message was conveyed in the subtlest of manners.
The 1st film was made by Dadasaheb Phalke on May 3rd 1913. I am compiling a list of films here which reflected the social reality of society ,irrespective of whether melodrama was used or the message was conveyed in the subtlest of manners.
To me these films even if not
ideological, brilliantly portrayed the evils of feudalism and capitalism. Films
like ‘Awaara ‘,’Shri 420’ and ‘Do Bhiga Zameen’ gained major acclaim by the
people of U.S.S.R and China which has significance.
Socialist themes won
over the hearts of people. Today and in the past we have had a genre of films
representing the imperialist or capitalist values. The majority of acclaimed
film represent the decadent values ,promoting liberalization and
globalization.
This selection is a tribute to the inherent genius of the artists
who had deep knowledge of the Social situation. Without the study of the broad
masses these films would not have been made.
1.Do Bhiga Zameen
championed
the cause of the oppressed peasant.(made by Bimal Roy)relevant even today when
landless peasants commit suicide unable to repay debts and lands are seized
from them.Brilliantly portrays feudalism and the socio-economic plight of apoor
peasant.
The story
revolves around a farmer Shambu Mahato (Balraj
Sahni), who lives with his wife Parvati `Paro’ (Nirupa
Roy) and son Kanhaiya (Rattan Kumar) in a small village that has
been hit badly by a famine. After years of drought, the region finally gets rain,
leading to the farmers to rejoice. Shambu owns two bighas (a unit of land
measurement where 3 bighas is 1 acre) of land, which is the only means of
livelihood for the whole family.
The local zamindar (landlord) Thakur Harnam
Singh (Murad) partners with some city business men to
construct a mill on his large parcel of land, which in return would profit them
and bring prosperity to the village. The only problem is that in the middle of
Harnam singh's land lay Shambu's meager two bighas of land.
Harnam
Singh is very confident that he could buy Shambu's land. Shambu has borrowed
money from Harnam Singh several times in the past and has not paid back his
debt. Harnam Singh calls for Shambu and proposes Shambu to sell his land to him
in exchange for his debt. Shambu disagrees to sell his only livelihood and
Harnam Singh gets upset. Harnam Singh orders him to pay back his debt by the
next day or risk auctioning his land.
Shambu
comes back home to discuss the issue with his father, and with the help of his
son, they figure out that the debt amounts to 65 rupees. Shambu wants to save
his land by all means and sells all his household items including his wife's
gold earrings. When Shambu meets Harman Singh's accountant to pay back his debt
of 65 rupees, he's shocked to know that he actually owes 235 rupees. The
accountant had forged the accounts and now refuses to consider the labor
provided by Shambu's father Gangu as portion of debt payoff. The case goes to
court and Shambu being an illiterate, has a tough time explaining to the judge
how the accountant forged the numbers and how he took accountant's word of
mouth and did not demand any receipt. Shambu loses the case, however the judge
orders Shambu to pay back 235 rupees to Harnam Singh in three months. If Shambu
is not able to pay back his debt, then his land would be auctioned off and the
proceeds would go to pay off his debts.
Shambu
now struggles to get the money and he is unable to get a loan because he has no
collaterals. One of his village friends gives him an idea to go to Calcutta
(now Kolkata)
and try to get a job to earn enough money to pay off his debt. Shambu likes
this idea, but faces resistance from his wife as she's pregnant and does not
want to live away from him. Shambu persuades her that he'll be gone for three
months only and it would benefit his family and the new born baby. Kanhaiya
wants to join his father too, but Shambu refuses and scolds him. On the train
to Calcutta, Shambu finds Kanhaiya hiding and hitchhiking with him and after a
brief confrontation agrees to take Kanhaiya with him.
In
Calcutta, Shambu and Kanhaiya face a harsh welcome. Nobody is willing to talk
with them, let alone help them. Kanhaiya befriends a street side shoe shiner
named Lalu `Ustad’ (Jagdeep). They hope for no prospective and
even loose their last possessions while they are asleep on the street sides.
Kanhaiya falls ill, and Shambu ends up renting a small room in the slums with
the help of a tea vendor and the landlady's adopted grandchild rani. In order
to pay the rent, Shambu works a coolie. Shambu befriends an old rickshaw-puller
(Nasir
Hussain), who helps him to get a license as a rickshaw-puller.
Kanhaiya tries to help his family by taking up shoe shining with the help of
old rickshaw-puller and Lalu `Ustad’. Back in the village, Parvati and Gangu
survive on eating water chestnuts picked up from the local river. She's seeks
help from Bahu (Meena Kumari) to write letters to Shambu and stay in touch.
As the
three months end date nears by, Shambu becomes aggressive about earning and
saving more money. One day, a man asks Shambu to chase another rickshaw that is
carrying his girlfriend. Shambu is insisted to pull the rickshaw very fast for more
money. The rickshaw loses a wheel and Shambu meets with an accident. Looking at
the condition of his father, Kanhaiya joins a pick pocketer in order to earn
quick money. Shambu gets mad and beats Kanhaiya when he comes to know about his
dirty earnings.
Meanwhile, Parvati gets worried since she receives no letters
or money from Shambu and the Zamindar's accountant accuses Shambu that he has
forgotten his family. She ends up working on a local construction site and gets
devastated when she receives the news that Shambu has met with an accident.
Finally, Parvati decides to visit Shambu in the city even though Gangu is on
bed rest suffering of high fever.
Parvati
arrives in Calcutta, and is taken by a strange man, who claims he knows Shambu
and will take her to him. He takes her to his shed and tries to steal and force
her. She flees from him, but comes under a car. The crowd gathers around her
and they call for a rickshaw to take her to the hospital. Shambu who was
passing by offers a ride, and is shocked to see his injured wife. Meanwhile,
Kanhaiya not able to withstand his father's condition steals money from a lady
and runs back to the slum. He comes to know about his mother's condition and
rushes to the hospital. He cries after seeing his injured mother and claims
that God has punished them because he started stealing money. He rips the money
into pieces. The doctors tell Shambu that he has to spend money on medicine and
blood in order to save his wife. Poor Shambu has no choice but so spend all his
earnings to save his wife.
Back in
the village the land is auctioned because Shambu fails to pay back the debt and
Gangu develops a mental disorder. The land is now owned by Harman Singh and the
mill construction has begun. Shambu and his family come back to the village
only to see their land sold and a factory being constructed over it. He then
tries to get a handful of dirt from his land, but is stopped and forced to
throw away by a security guard. The film ends as Shambu and his family walks
away from their land.
2.Awaara- (Raj Kapoor)
Although
a fiction story superbly depicts the evils of a capitalist society and
the impact of environment.The movie reflects a Charlie Chaplinesque theme and
the story reminds you of a Charles Dickens Novel.The life of a vagabond tramp
is superbly portrayed by Raj Kapoor as ‘Raju’.Without doubt even if not
ideological ,brilliantly bases itself on social reality.Raj Kapoor displays
materiality in creating fiction based on the theme of the evils of an
oppressive society.
Judge
Raghunath is a wealthy district judge who convicts Jagga, a man whose father
was a criminal, of rape on little evidence. The judge believes that "good
people are born to good people, and criminals are born to criminals."
Jagga later escapes and kidnaps the judge's wife Leela for revenge. When he
finds out that she has just become pregnant, he releases her after four days
and plans a different kind of revenge. The judge suspects that Leela was
unfaithful to him with Jagga, and throws her out of the house.
She has a
son, Raj, and they live in poverty as a result of being estranged from the
father. As a child, Raj befriends Rita(played by Nargis) in school, but he is
removed from the school rolls while trying to maintain a job, and Rita moves to
another city. Even though they are separated, Rita remains in Raj's thoughts.
On the streets, Raj turns to a life of petty crime and finds a father-figure in
Jagga, who helps him to become a talented criminal.
While
planning a bank robbery with his friends, Raj realizes they need an automobile.
He snatches a woman's purse after she steps out of the car, but finds no keys,
and pretends to pursue the thief to release suspicion from himself. After his
elaborate act, he returns the purse to the woman, who is soon revealed to be
Rita. Rita is now the warden of the Judge, who suspects that Raj is no good and
eventually restricts Rita from seeing him. Raj and Rita, who is becoming a
lawyer, eventually realize that they are the same childhood friends, and they
fall in love. Raj tries to quit his life of crime, but his employers fire him
when they find out that he was a thief.
Becoming
desperate he goes back to Jagga for a money loan, but Jagga wants him to commit
more crimes. Raj refuses, but steals a necklace from a man he meets on the
street, not knowing it was the judge. When he gives the necklace to Rita for
her birthday, she discover that he is indeed a thief. Rita goes to Raj's mother
and finds out the whole truth about his life.
When Raj
realizes that Jagga is responsible for his mother's misery, he kills Jagga in a
fit of rage. At his trial the judge in the case is Raghunath. Rita persuades
him that Raj acted in self-defense. However, when Raj learns that the judge is
his father, he escapes and attempts to kill him. Due to these actions, Raj is
brought to another court, and is defended by Rita. In the end, Raj is sentenced
to 3 years in prison for his crime, but Rita promises to wait for him.
3.Shri
420
Depicts
the evils of the capitalist system more intricately than even ‘Awara’,with a
brilliant portrayal of interplaying characters. Again Raj Kapoor creates
entertainment from the base of social reality.
Shree 420
is the tale of a country boy, Raj (Raj
Kapoor), from Allahabad, who travels to the big city, Bombay, by
walking, to earn a living.
He falls in love with the poor but virtuous Vidya (Nargis), but is soon seduced by the riches of a freewheeling and unethical lifestyle presented to him by an unscrupulous and dishonest businessman, Seth Sonachand Dharmanand (Nemo) and the sultry temptress Maya (Nadira). He eventually becomes a confidence trickster, or "420," who even cheats in card gambling. Vidya tries hard to make Raj a good man but fails.
Meanwhile, Sonachand comes up with another scheme to exploit poor people, whereby he promises permanent homes to them at just Rs. 100. The scheme pays off, as people start hoarding money for a home, even at the cost of other important things. Vidya's contempt for Raj increases even more. Raj becomes wealthy, but soon realizes that he paid a very high price for it. When Raj discovers that Sonachand has no plans to fulfill his promises, he decides to make wrongs right.
He falls in love with the poor but virtuous Vidya (Nargis), but is soon seduced by the riches of a freewheeling and unethical lifestyle presented to him by an unscrupulous and dishonest businessman, Seth Sonachand Dharmanand (Nemo) and the sultry temptress Maya (Nadira). He eventually becomes a confidence trickster, or "420," who even cheats in card gambling. Vidya tries hard to make Raj a good man but fails.
Meanwhile, Sonachand comes up with another scheme to exploit poor people, whereby he promises permanent homes to them at just Rs. 100. The scheme pays off, as people start hoarding money for a home, even at the cost of other important things. Vidya's contempt for Raj increases even more. Raj becomes wealthy, but soon realizes that he paid a very high price for it. When Raj discovers that Sonachand has no plans to fulfill his promises, he decides to make wrongs right.
Raj takes
all the bond papers of the people's homes and tries to flee Sonachand's home,
only to be caught by Sonachand and his cronies. In a scuffle that occurs,
Sonachand shoots Raj dead. When people hear the shooting, they come and see Raj
dead. Sonachand tells police that Raj was trying to flee after stealing money
from his safe, hence Sonachand shot him.
Upon
this, the 'dead' Raj springs back to life and using pure logic, proves
Sonachand's guilt. Sonachand and his partners are arrested, while Vidya happily
forgives Raj. The film ends with Raj saying "Yeh 420 nahin, shree 420
hain"(These are not just con men, they are respectable con men).
4. Jagte Raho
A film
which reflects the injustice of society and its contradictions in asubtle
manner.,without a complex plot.(Raj Kapoor)
A poor
peasant (RajKapoor) from the village, who comes to the city in search of work,
is looking for some water to quench his thirst. He unwittingly enters an
apartment building, whose residents take him for a thief and chase him. He runs
from one flat to the other trying to escape his predicament. Along the way, he
witnesses many shady undertakings in the flats where he hides. Ironically,
these crimes are being committed by the so-called "respectable"
citizens of the city, who by day, lead a life totally in contrast to their
nighttime deeds behind closed doors.
He is
shocked by these events, and tries to escape by evading the search parties,
that are patrolling the apartment building in search of the elusive thief. He
is unfortunately seen, and people chase him to the roof of the building. He
puts up a brave resistance, and then descends by the water pipes onto the porch
of a flat. He goes in to find a young girl (Daisy Irani). She talks to him and
kindles a self belief in the peasant, who determinedly tries to face the
adversity waiting outside. But when he ventures out of the flat, he is
surprised to find that nobody takes notice of him. He eventually leaves the
apartment building, his thirst still unquenched. He hears a beautiful song and
searching for its source arrives at the doorstep of a woman (Nargis) drawing
water from a well. His thirst is finally assuaged.
