Shehenshaah-e-Soz with a velvety voice

This old post is being reposted to commemorate the birth centenary of the legendary singer Talat Mahmood.

February 1991. I was in the final year of my C.A. and as a part of my articleship training, had been sent by my principals from Kolkata (then Calcutta) to audit the tea gardens of M/s Jayshree Tea and Industries Limited in the lower Assam region (Cachar district of Assam). After reaching there (Kalline Tea Estate), I came to know that those gardens did not have any guest house for the auditors. The practice was to arrange the stay of the auditors (young boys, either in their teens or early twenties) in the residences of the estate officers who were compensated for the boarding expenditure of the guest or the guests later on. I was made to stay in the house of a good-nature officer, Mr. Arun Chaturvedi. At night, I retired to the guest room of his residence, arranged for me. It was around 10 p.m. I was alone as my other team members were doing work in the other estates. There was nobody to talk and being a new place with a different climate and environment for me, sleep was a bit away from my eyes.

Not being able to sleep, I put the light on and my eyes fell on the small tape recorder kept on the writing table. I found that one audio cassette was already there in the system. Casually I pressed the play button, put the light off again and lay down on the bed again under the expectation that while listening to the songs, I may fall asleep as I used to in my childhood while listening to the Lori  (lullaby) of my mother.

My expectation did not come true because with the movement of the tape in the cassette, very sensitive words woven in highly melodious compositions started pouring into my ears but the maximum impact came from the voice of the male singer, taking me into a state of trance. Leave aside sleeping, I felt as I was forgetting everything – about me, about the work, about the things around, about the time, about the place. I was simply floating away with the voice which was so soft as if it were made of velvet. So tender, so soothing, so caressing ! Half an hour long A side of the cassette got over and then the B side started. It also had the same type of songs – sensitive words, high melody and the same velvet voice. Most of the songs were sad songs but I did not feel sad by listening to them as alongwith the listening of the singer’s voice, my heart vent out all my accumulated sadness, pain and frustration in the cool air outside the window, unknowingly I shed a few tears too and now I was feeling quite light in myself as if the burden of grief had flown out of me through those tears.

I stood up, put the light on again and took the cassette out of the tape recorder. The cover of the cassette was not available and being an old cassette (might have been handled several times), the letters engraved upon it had got dimmed and not very legible. With a lot of difficulty, ultimately I came to know the title of the cassette – ‘The Best of Talat Mahmood’. Talat Mahmood ! I was listening to the magical voice of Talat Mahmood. I had heard a lot about this singer and his quivering voice but this was the first occasion of listening to his voice for continuous one hour in the silence of the night, all alone. What an experience it was ! I wondered – ‘Whether this man is a singer or a magician ? He could make me feel the sadness and the grief of the protagonist through the song for real. While listening to the songs, I was able to not just sympathize but empathize with the aggrieved person for whom the singer had given his voice.’ That day and today. I have been and will always remain a very very big fan of Talat Mehmood. The songs listened by me on that night included – Aye Mere Dil Kahin Aur Chal, Shaam-e-Gham Ki Kasam, Meri Yaad Mein Tum Na Aansoo Bahaana, Aye Dil Mujhe Aisi Jagah Le Chal, Jaayen To Jaayen Kahan, Andhe Jahaan Ke Andhe Raaste, Ye Hawa Ye Raat Ye Chaandni, Mera Qaraar Le Ja, Mohabbat Hi Jo Na Samajhe, Main Dil Hoon Ek Armaan Bhara, Raat Ne Kya Kya Khwaab Dikhaye etc. All these were Talat’s solos and the last song of the cassette was a duet with Asha Bhonsle – Pyar Par Bas To Nahin Hai Mera Lekin Phir Bhi Yeh Bata De Ki Tujhe Pyar Karen Ya Na Karen . After becoming his fan, I listened to more and more of Talat songs and never was I disappointed to listen to any of his song. I came to know of the reason for lack of my disappointment later on after reading about his life and personality – he never used to sing a song which was not meaningful. Born in the City of Tehzeeb – Lucknow on 24h February, 1924, this legendary singer whose quivering velvet voice was a boon of the Almighty, never compromised upon this principle throughout his career which might have cost him dearly since he sang very less (around 750) Bollywood songs whereas his rivals sang thousands. Talat always sang songs with very high quality lyrics. His devotion to the Hindustani Tehzeeb (Indian culture) never allowed him to sing senseless or poor quality songs or the songs in which the soul of music was suppressed by high beats. For Talat, music was never his career or profession, it was Ibaadat (worship) for him.By reading about Talat, I came to know about the title – Ghazal Samraat (King of Ghazals) bestowed upon him. However it was something that remained not understandable for me for many years since I always felt that Talat was singing filmi songs which barring the exception of the songs of Mirza Ghalib (which are nothing but the Ghazals created by the immortal Shaayar himself), were Geet (non-Ghazal songs) only. Years later, I happened to listen to the non-filmi Ghazals of Talat Mahmood. I got one such album personally created for me with the help of the cassette shop owner whose first Ghazal was – Tasveer Teri Dil Mera Behla Na Sakegi. Most of these non-filmi Ghazals have been completed by the music composers within a time frame not exceeding 3 to 3.5 minutes. And in this very small time frame too, Talat is able to render a highly sensitive and soothing experience to the Ghazal listener. That’s the quality of his voice and that’s his singing talent which brought the honour of being called as Ghazal Samraat to him. A rare talent indeed. However I call him Shehenshaah-e-Soz (King of Pain) because the quality of conveying the Soz (the pain) through the words of the song enveloped in his voice is something I have never seen in any other male singer.Talat’s talent and the amazing quivering quality of his velvet voice was first recognized by the music director – Anil Biswas and the movie – Arzoo (1950) was the big break given to him by Anil Biswas only. Since then there was no looking back for Talat and he ruled the Bollywood with his velvety voice for more than a decade.Talat was an actor too and he played hero in many movies opposite top Bollywood heroines like Suraiya, Shyama, Mala Sinha, Nadira and Nutan. He played the lead roles in movies like Lala Rukh, Dil-e-Naadaan, Ek Gaon Ki Kahaani, Waris and Sone Ki Chidiya. However his passion for music did not allow him to pursue his acting career which could have been great courtesy his handsome personality.

After the timeless classic songs of Jahan Ara (1964) including Phir Wohi Shaam Wohi Gham Wohi Tanhaai Hai, Teri Aankh Ke Aansoo Pee Jaaoon and Main Teri Nazar Ka Suroor Hoon, Talat’s time started walking into sunset because now the focus shifted from melodies to beats and Talat was not built that way to change himself according to the changing times. I have already mentioned that music was his Ibaadat (worship), not his money-making profession. Interestingly my favourite Ghazal from Jahan Ara – Kisi Ki Yaad Mein Duniya Ko Hain Bhulaye Huye has not been sung by Talat but Rafi. And in my most favourite Bollywood song – Hoke Majboor Mujhe Usne Bhulaaya Hoga from the movie Haqeeqat (1964), Talat has sung one stanza out of the four stanzas sung by four different singers. Talat sang very less in the late sixties and the seventies. His last song was – Mere Shareek-e-Safar Tera Khuda Haafiz from the movie – Wali-e-Azam (1985).Talat passed away on 9th May, 1998 and now he is survived by his singer son – Khalid who has made a website for his father too containing all the information of his songs (Talat had married Bengali actress of the forties – Latika Mullick). Today we have several clones of Rafi, Mukesh and Kishore and late Gulshan Kumar had filled the Indian music market with cover version cassettes prepared by getting the songs of these singers sung by their clones. However, Gulshan Kumar could not do it with the songs of Talat because nobody can copy his voice. Talat has been and will always remain one and the only one. Even the Almighty could not produce another Talat.

While remembering him on his birth centenary (24th February), I simply say to his soul in the words taken from a Ghazal sung by him – Kaun Kehta Hai Tujhe Maine Bhula Rakha Hai, Teri Yaadon Ko Kaleje Se Laga Rakha Hai (Who says that I have forgotten you, I have kept your memories close to my heart).

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Sooraj Barjatya presents the modern Ayodhya Kaand

Now when the buzz is around for the inauguration of the newly built Ram temple in Ayodhya, I came to remember this movie which was a favorite of myself and my small family (containing wife and daughter) when released way back in 1999. This movie is Hum Saath-Saath Hain which is clearly inspired by the Ayodhya Kaand of Raamayan containing the episode of queen Kaikeyi’s asking her husband king Dasharath to coronate her son Bharat instead of Ram and send Ram on a fourteen years’ stay in forests.

Sooraj Barjatya had earned a name for himself for making lavish family dramas containing a lot of happy moments with his previous movie Hum Aapke Hain Koun?(1994) and for its major part, this movie appears to be an extension of that only. There are family gatherings, songs and dances and the portrayal of the loving relations among the family members. The real drama inspired by the Raamayan comes in the last one hour of the movie only. Prior to that there are only celebrations whether of the 25th wedding anniversary of a couple or a marriage or any engagement or birthday party. However all this entertains a lot. So no complaints.

Like the kingdom of Ayodhya in Raamayan, here is a business empire in which the post of the Managing Director is going to the eldest son. Like Raamayan, the mother of another son (Rima) feels aggrieved by it and creates trouble for her husband (Alok Nath) which finally leads the eldest son to relinquish his claim on that post and he moves with his wife (and the youngest son of the family) to their ancestral village where a new factory is being constructed by this business family. The incident to affect the mother’s mind in this way is the problem faced by her married daughter (Neelam) and son-in-law (Mahesh Thakur) in their house when the son-in-law is forced by his elder brother to leave their business and house. The mother’s melodramatic friends and a family friend-cum-relative also misguide her. Like Raamayan’s Bharat, here also the mother’s son refuses to accept the position in place of his elder brother, the rightful heir. Anyway, everything   is set right in the end and the reunion of the family takes place.

As said earlier, the film is highly entertaining and before the twist comes, it’s all eating, singing, dancing and sharing happy moments.  In the final phase, the melodrama created by the mother’s friends (who are society girls) is irksome. However the portrayal of loving relationships among most of the family members (including the would-be wives of the other two brothers) is touching and keeps the viewers connected to the happenings on the screen.

The characters of the three brothers have been developed in the most satisfactory manner and therefore, the bond between them appears to be quite natural. All the three actors playing these modern Ram, Bharat and Lakshman (Mohnish Behl, Salmaan Khan and Saif Ali Khan respectively) have done exceedingly well. The jolly performance of Saif Ali Khan as the youngest brother deserves special admiration. All the other actors playing various characters have also done full justice to their roles. The heroines (Tabu, Sonali Bendre and Karisma Kapoor) did not have much to do except romancing with the heroes but they have also done well. The melodramatic performance by Kunika, Jayshree T. and Kalpana Iyer as the three female friends of the mother is clearly the fault of the director, not theirs. In fact, there is a plethora of actors in the movie and it must have been a challenge for the director to accommodate all of them properly in the story.

The musical aspect (songs and dances) is the biggest asset of this movie. Raamlakshman has prepared melodious songs for the beautiful lyrics of Ravindra Rawal, Dev Kohli, Mitali Shashank and R. Kiran. Jay Borade’s choreography for them is also excellent. If not for anything else, this movie can be watched multiple number of times for its songs and dances only. Art direction, cinematography, background score and other technical aspects of the movie are also up to the mark.

Hum Saath-Saath Hain (we are together) is a feelgood movie and a decent watch with immense repeat value. Sooraj Barjatya has been a good director but could not think original stories for most of his movies. He should be thankful to Goswami Tulsidas (or Maharshi Valmiki) for providing him the story for this movie.

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The tale of a night

Waheeda Rehman has been bestowed upon the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award. And the pleasant surprise is that this declaration came on the 100th birthday of Dev Anand. While rejoicing the recognition of Waheeda Ji’s contribution to the Indian cinema, I am posting this old review again.

If a young and unmarried criminal lawyer falls for the charms of a beautiful female convict who is under trial on the grave charge of a cold-blooded murder, what’s he expected to do ? Quite naturally, he will leave no stone unturned in defending her in the court and get her exonerated. And that’s the story of this black and white suspense thriller starring Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman which was released in 1962.

Baat Ek Raat Ki (the tale of a night) starts quite interestingly with the murder of a stage actor, Ranjan (Chandrashekhar) at the residence of Neela (Waheeda Rehman) in the darkness of the night. Before the titles start, it is shown that just after the sound of the gunshot, someone comes out of the house and while running in the dark, he collides with a blind beggar. Anyway, Neela who is a renowned stage actress, is arrested for the murder and she confesses it too. But when she, being in police custody, tries to commit suicide, our hero, Rajesh (Dev Anand) arrives on the scene and saves her life. While registering his statement in this regard in the police station the next morning, Rajesh who is a criminal lawyer, happens to meet Neela’s wailing mother and through her comes to know of Neela’s turning into a renowned stage actress from an ordinary girl, dancing in public to earn a living for herself and her family members.

He gets Neela released from the police custody on his responsibility under the pretext of the doctor’s advice (to improve her mental condition) but actually for digging out the whole background of the murder from the horse’s mouth itself and thus helping the police in preparing a solid case against her in the court. However he falls in love with the extremely beautiful damsel. Then starts his bid to prove her innocence and get her exonerated and finally he succeeds in exposing the real murderer.Director Shankar Mukherjee has directed this movie ably and presented a good mix of romance, emotions and drama in this murder mystery. Despite its flaws, it provides a nice entertainment to the viewer. Though the viewer can guess who the murderer is, still his curiosity is not diluted and that’s the success of the screenplay writer and the director. The final court-room scene in which both the murderer as well as Dev Anand are in disguise, is highly interesting. Though normally disguises in Indian movies are so poor that the audience can easily identify the character behind the disguise, yet this movie is an exception in this regard.

Technically and cinematographically this B &W movie is all right. However editing is not up to the mark. Perhaps the length of the movie has been decided to follow the relevant norm in that period, else it could have been trimmed by 15-20 minutes.I consider Waheeda Rehman as one of the greatest actresses of the Indian silver screen. And in this movie too, she has portrayed the loneliness and stuffiness of the girl going from rags to riches, with a high degree of proficiency. She is in double role too (playing Neela’s younger sister also). Though she’s said to be very close to Guru Dutt in personal and professional life, in my opinion, her best on-screen chemistry was with Dev Anand, the stylish, dashing and mannerismic Indian Gregory Pack. He has also done satisfactorily. The supporting cast is okay. Johnny Walker has done good comedy. Asit Sen too has made the audience laugh.S.D. Burman has composed admirable music for the songs whose lyrics have been written by Majrooh Sultanpuri. The best song is inarguably – Na Tum Hamen Jaano Na Hum Tumhen Jaanein sung separately by Hemant Kumar and Suman Kalyanpur. Other songs – Akela Hoon Main Iss Duniya Mein Koi Saathi Hai To Mera Saaya (Rafi), Jo Hain Deewane Pyar Ke (Rafi-Asha), Jo Ijaazat Ho To Ek Baat Kahoon (Rafi-Asha), Sheeshe Ka Ho Ya Patthar Ka Dil (Rafi-Lata), Arre Kisne Chilman Se Mara (Manna Dey) etc. are also quite good to listen. Background score is also in line with the mystery genre of the movie.Baat Ek Raat Ki is not an excellent movie. However it is definitely a nice timepass. Whether you are a mystery fan or fond of social dramas or like romantic musicals, Baat Ek Raat Ki will live up to your expectation.

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Jeevan Ke Safar Mein Raahi . . .

This old review is posted again to commemorate the birth centenary of the evergreen hero of Indian cinema,  Dev Anand which falls today, i.e., 26th September, 2023.

Time and again it is proved to me that even the smallest thing takes places only when its due time has arrived. This review had been planned by me long back upon the sad demise of Nalini Jaywant on 20.12.2010 but its writing kept on getting postponed because I wanted to watch this movie once again (originally I had watched it in 1978 on Doordarshan) before writing the review. And neither could I get a VCD / DVD of it nor found it on internet. The hero of this movie Dev Anand also passed away on 03.12.2011. Finally I got it on internet after a long wait. And then its review took the shape in my mind. Here it comes. Munimji (1955) is an entertaining movie starring young and dashing Dev Anand and very beautiful Nalini Jaywant. It’s a social drama with entertaining romantic, comic and crime-related punches added to it. The word Munim has an African origin whose meaning is benefactor. However, in our country, the general handymen of big businessmen and landlords were called Munim who used to do all the things related to the business or money-matters (maintaining account-books, controlling cash and other assets, dealing with parties and banks and the likewise). The title of this movie is as such because the hero remains in the get-up of a Munim while working for the villain and is called Munimji (respected Munim) by the heroine.

It’s the story of Maalti (Nirupa Roy) who gives birth to the son of her wealthy lover who refuses to accept her as his wife and her son as his heir. He has married someone else and got another son through his legitimate wife. Due to his sudden demise, Maalti gets an opportunity to change his other son with her own son and she keeps on living in his house as a maid-servant, taking care of both the children. But now due to the exchange of children by her, her son is called the legitimate son and heir of the deceased person whereas she treats the other child as her own son (i.e, the son of a maid-servant who should serve the master). That son is Amar (Dev Anand) who is devoted to his (apparent) mother – Maalti being ignorant of the injustice that she has done to him and he serves as Munim in the factory of another rich man which is managed by his step-brother, Ratan (Pran). The daughter of that rich man, Rupa (Nalini Jaywant) is the betrothed of Amar since infancy but due to Maalti’s exchange of the male-children, she is considered the betrothed of Ratan. Amar and Ratan hate each other and that hatred is increased only when they become rivals for Rupa’s love. Amar meets Rupa as Raj and she starts loving him whereas he keeps on meeting her in the get-up of Munimji also saying that he is related to Raj and can act as a messenger between herself and Raj.

Ratan, on the other hand, is not only a spoiled youth who embezzles factory money for the sake of gambling but he is also a bandit who carries on his activities in the fake name of Kaala Ghoda (black horse). He wants to marry Rupa to get hold of her father’s wealth but he is already secretly married to another girl, Bela (Ameeta). In the climax, Maalti comes to know that the bandit Kaala Ghoda is none else but her son Ratan only. She tells Ratan the truth that she only is his mother and not the mother of Amar who is the actual heir of their father. Ratan imprisons her so that she is not able to tell his true identity to the world and threatens Amar to kill her. For the sake of mother’s life, Amar confesses before the police that he only is the bandit Kaala Ghoda and gets arrested. Ratan is all set to marry Rupa now when the mother gets released from his prison and reaches the matrimonial place to correct her errors and ensure that Amar gets what he deserves.Munimji at many places appears like a predecessor to the David Dhawan movies of the nineties which should be watched without applying logic in order to enjoy them. However it is much better than them because it provides healthy entertainment sans all kinds of vulgarity. Right from the start to the very finish, it is very very entertaining. The copy uploaded on internet is marred by continuity-jerks due to the omission of certain scenes. Still watching it is a good experience. It’s a total timepass movie in which the track of the bandit Kaala Ghoda has got less footage whereas the romantic and emotional tracks have got more footage. Comedy is also less but whatsoever quantum of that is available in the movie, is sufficient to make the audience laugh (or smile at least). Director Subodh Mukherjee has handled the script very well and served a delicious dish to the entertainment-hungry audience.Now-a-days real animals are not used in movies due to PETA and the hullabaloo of so-called animal-rights activists. But a few decades back, actual animals were used in many movies. Munimji is one such movie in which several wild animals have been used (in the scenes taking place in a forest) and a lot of entertainment has been generated through them. The fight of a tiger and a python in a scene is thrilling. The photography of the jungle, the caves, the fall etc. is very good.

Young and dashing Dev Anand and gorgeous Nalini Jaywant have played their parts well and their on-screen romance is pretty impressive. Though DevSaab is over the top in emotional scenes, his dashing personality makes up for the deficiency in acting. Pran as a baddy is good like always and he has generated laughs too for the audience through his performance in the song – Dil Ki Umangen Hain Jawaan. Barely 24 years old Nirupa Roy is completely miscast in the role of the mother of 32 years old Dev Anand. Despite wearing a wig of gray-hair, her youth is not hidden and from no angle does she appear to be that old as the director wanted her to look like. However she has performed well. The formula of a mother’s sacrificing her own son in the climax for the sake of truth and justice seems to be pretty old because Nirupa Roy does the same thing to Pran in this movie that she does to Amitabh Bachchan in a two decades later movie – Deewaar (1975). Mother India has found a presence in the Indian cinema of all the times. Ameeta as the clandestine wife-cum-accomplice of the villain has got less scope but has performed satisfactorily.

S.D. Burman’s music is the biggest asset of this movie. The best song is undoubtedly Kishore Kumar’s immortal song – Jeevan Ke Safar Mein Raahi, Milte Hain Bichhad Jaane Ko. Its another version in Lata’s voice is also there in the movie. Other Lata songs in the movie – Nain Khoye Khoye Mere Dil Mein Kuchh Hoye Re, Aankh Khulte Hi Tum Chhup Gaye Ho Kahaan, Ghaayal Hiraniya Main Ban Ban Doloon, Ek Nazar Bas Ek Nazar etc. are also quite melodious and impressive. Shivji Bihaane Chale (Hemant Kumar), Zindagi Hai Zinda (Geeta Dutt) and Dil Ki Umangen Hain Jawaan (Hemant Kumar-Geeta Dutt) are also good to listen. Geeta Dutt’s hilarious song – Anari Anari sung for this movie only was not found by me in the movie when watching.

While paying my tribute to Late DevSaab and Nalini Ji who left us in the December month only in consecutive years, I recommend this entertaining movie to one and all. If you are sick of watching the crap being served by several contemporary filmmakers, please watch this musical romance-cum-social drama from the black and white era of Indian cinema and let me assure you that you won’t regret after watching it.

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The overrated Acharya

A few years back, renowned authoress and poetess plus my genuine well-wisher Geetashree Chatterjee gifted me the complete set of the original trilogy authored by Ashwin Sanghi which consisted of The Rozabal Line, Chanakya’s Chant and The Krishna Key. I found the books as real page-turners and despite not being habitual of reading in English, I finished all the three (quite bulky) of them within a fortnight. I liked the first one, i.e., The Rozabal Line very much despite some blemish here and some blot there in its narrative. And I also liked the third one, i.e., The Krishna Key very much despite not agreeing to certain narrative points put forth by the author (say, his own assumptions).

And now about the second one, i.e., Chanakya’s Chant which is considered as the most popular as well as the most commercially successful book of this author, truly a bestseller. I liked it as an engrossing book because like the other two, I found it also a page-turner. However I found it difficult to admire it the same way I have always found it difficult to admire Chanakya, the historical figure, the learned Acharya who is considered a legend. Chanakya has been glorified (and is still glorified regularly) a lot but does he really deserve that ? At least one person in the world won’t answer it in the affirmative. And that one person is me, Jitendra Mathur.

I had read a lot about Chanakya in various books and also known about him through a skillfully made TV serial titled as Chanakya only (written and directed by Chandraprakash Dwivedi who also played the title role in the same). And now this book too has informed me a lot about it, albeit in a fictionalized manner. I am willing to talk about the book (whose author’s ideological tilt is now well-known) as well as that historical personality who has been admired just too much over the centuries in different ways.

Author Ashwin Sanghi has spread the narrative of Chanakya’s Chant by using two timelines alternatively. One timeline is set 2300 years ago and the other one is set in the 20th century A.D. (which spills over to the first decade of the 21st century A.D.). Both run in parallel chapter-by-chapter and thus you are able to read two stories running side-by-side in one book only giving you a two-in-one pleasure. The first timeline (narrating the times in the ancient India) tells the story of a Brahmin boy named as Vishnugupt (who, being son of Chanak, later came to be known as Chanakya) who vows to avenge the killing of his father by the cruel king of Magadha, Dhanananda. The second timeline narrates the story of a boy Gangasagar Mishra who is equally ambitious (and sharp-minded) as his ancient day counterpart in the 20^th century India colonized by the British. Both these boys grow-up enhancing their knowledge and wit by keeping their eyes and ears open and carefully learning the things taught to them by their Gurus. Their ultimate field of work is the same – politics (of power). In the ancient India, Chanakya decides to become the kingmaker instead of becoming the king himself and develops a disciple in the form of a boy, Chandragupt Maurya to be enthroned. In the modern India, Gangasagar decides the same and makes a girl, Chandini Gupta his protégé. Chanakya not only seeks his revenge from Dhanananda but also thrones Chandragupt in Magadha. Similarly, Gangasagar is able to propel Chandini to the chair of the prime minister of India after spending a lifetime in the (power) politics of India when the 21^st century has arrived.

Ashwin Sanghi has written a gripping book devoting more space to the modern day Chanakya, i.e., Gangasagar who not only learns accounting from the patron (Yajaman) of his father (who is a poor Brahmin earning a living by arranging ritualism for his Hindu patrons) but also the tricks of business. Coincidentally I am also an accountant by profession and I was surprised to find in the book that at one place the accountant (Munimji) of Agrawalji (Gangasagar’s father’s patron) teaches the boy that an accountant can convert two plus two into whatever he wants it to be (not just four). A couple of years back I had asserted the same thing in an interview in an organization (for the position of Director Finance) and I was not selected. Despite showing Agrawalji coming into contact with Mahatma Gandhi, neither he not his protégé Gangasagar learnt anything (genuinely) patriotic or useful for the society. Agrawalji remained as greedy for profit as he had always been. And Gangasagar learnt only one thing that power can make or break empires and he had to possess the same in his life (by his sheer willpower).

The author has penned a lucid novel with doses of humour scattered here and there which also contains an utterly indecent comment on the institution of marriage made by Chanakya while talking to Chandragupt. It contains factual errors (in the context of the history we have known hitherto) also and though the author had penned it as early as in 2010, he (may be due to a Chanakya like foresight) had sensed the change in waiting to arrive in India within a span of just a few years. And (perhaps) that’s why he has relentlessly played to the gallery, glorifying Chanakya’s extraordinary wit and wisdom which had no place for morals or ethics. His Chanakya keeps on reciting the word ‘Rashtra’ (nation) every now and then but almost all of his activities are self-serving only. And so are of Gangasagar (the modern day Chanakya created by the author) who does not even need to camouflage his greed for power in the cover of nationalism or social service.  As Vladimir Lenin had once asserted – ‘There are no morals in politics; there is only expedience. A scoundrel may be of use to us just because he is a scoundrel.’

Summing up, this well-written novel has a few admirable things but more or less, it’s no better than a pulp-fiction novel or a popcorn movie. It’s by all means a potboiler with all the ingredients of entertainment picked in optimal quantities and blended properly. Chanakya was also known as Kautilya and he had penned Arthashastra under that name only. Yes, a few canons of revenue and taxation plus the administration of affairs of the state as spelled out in the same (and reproduced in this novel) are agreeable and worthy to learn. All the same, his glorification beyond a limit is uncalled for because in the end he was a trickster only, a shrewd (and wicked) politician who had no qualms about taking innocent lives too to further his interest or achieve his chosen goal. So are the politicians of today’s India. Should we glorify them too ? Mahatma Gandhi had rightly refused to consider the electioneering politicians as pure patriots because, in his view, they termed their love for power as love for the nation and misguided the voters accordingly. Chanakya also wanted power only, albeit indirectly – by making someone else sit on the throne.

The learned Acharya, named as Chanakya, was (and is) thus overrated. And so is this bestseller novel.

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A touching saga of unexpressed love

The tragic demise of Jamuna (in the last week of January 2023) instigated me to pen a review of Milan (1967) featuring Nutan and Sunil Dutt as the lead pair with Jamuna also in a significant role.

Milan (union) is a unique movie of untold, unexpressed, innocent and selfless love. I had watched it on the big screen in the Prabhat cinema of Kolkata (then Calcutta) in March 1992. In addition to its unconventional but highly emotional story, its music appeal makes it an unforgettable experience for any viewer.

Indian cinema has presented ‘n’ number of stories of reincarnation of lovers who are not able to unite in one birth, are able to unite in their rebirth. Milan is one such story only portraying the union of unfortunate lovers Gopi (Sunil Dutt) and Radha (Nutan) in their rebirth. However it’s different from the usual reincarnation based love stories because the lovers’ truly living as a couple in their second birth shown in the beginning of the movie acts only as a propellant to take the story on its main track (shown in flash back) which is in their previous birth.

In this story, Radha is the daughter of a landlord studying in college whereas Gopi is a poor and illiterate man whose source of living is ferrying people in his boat from one shore of the river to the other one. He ferries Radha regularly as she has to attend her college on the other side of the river (the Ganges) and gives her a rose, addressing her as Beebiji as he understands her higher social status. He teaches music (singing) to Radha in the course of such journeys across the river. Radha gets impressed by his innocence and gradually develops a fondness for him (perhaps as a reciprocation of his fondness for her). Gopi has feelings for her but he keeps them to himself only, never letting them to come out. He becomes very sad when Radha is married off against her will to Rambabu (Deven Varma) and gets even sadder to see her on her return to her parental house as a widow. Now he is hell-bent upon keeping his Beebiji happy by all means. However he keeps his feelings for her to himself only (perhaps he himself was not able to properly understand the nature of those feelings). A shepherd girl Gauri (Jamuna) loves Gopi but he never responds to her advances. Radha’s lecherous (and greedy as well) maternal uncle Rajendra (Pran) has cast his evil eye on Gauri. Due to an aberration by Gauri, rumours get spread in the village regarding the relationship of Gopi and Radha, now a widow. In the climax when Radha comes to know of Gopi’s (hitherto untold) feelings towards her and suddenly realizes that she also loves him, they are left with no choice but to elope. Rajendra is the obstacle in their path whom Gauri surrenders to so that he allows the loving ones to elope. However even her great sacrifice doesn’t help Gopi and Radha and their lives end when their boat is caught in a whirlpool and drowns. They become a married couple in their rebirth and come to know of their earlier birth saga by meeting an aged Gauri who then passes away in the arms of Gopi.

This story does not appear to be as impressive on paper as when seen on the screen. It’s a mesmerizing tale of platonic love which keeps on touching the heart of any emotional viewer throughout its duration. Director A. Subba Rao has remade his hit Telugu movie Mooga Manasulu (1963) only as Milan in Hindi and he has been equally successful in presenting the Hindi version of the story on the screen.

Milan is able to convey what millions of descriptions may not be able to convey – what’s love, yes, the answer to the eternal question pertaining to a relationship between persons of opposite sexes. Love is a feeling – a particular kind of feeling that can’t be described, that can only be sensed. Practically, we have the understanding that love means to care and to share. However emotionally, it’s something more – a feeling that makes somebody as special for somebody else. It’s always a feeling even if it’s one-sided. We can care for and share with more than one person but the feeling known as love can’t be for more than one person at a given point of time. That feeling makes itself dawn upon the person on its own (or when the time arrives for that to happen). And more pleasant is the awareness that somebody harbours that feeling for you. When it becomes known, the person feels alive as if the whole world (or all the happiness scattered in the world) has come into his/her fist. Then there’s no fear of hardship or social stigma or even death (the only fear that remains thereafter is the fear of losing that love). And that’s the essence of Milan.

The treatment of the touching story for the screen is equally touching and the climax (happening in flash back) is heart-wrenching. But the union of the lovers in their reincarnation renders a soothing feeling to the viewers when the movie ends. There’s no boredom in the movie and once the viewer finds himself/herself as invested in the story running on the screen, it takes him/her to the climax like a swift water-stream. The dialogues especially those taking place between Radha and Gopi in the climax scene are highly admirable. No emotional person can regret after watching Milan.

Of course, there are blemishes on the movie despite its overall superior quality. The teasing occurrences between Gopi and Gauri are entertaining but too many and too much which become irritating after a point. The character of Rajendra, the villain is caricaturish. And so is the character of a greedy boatman Jaggu (Mukri). The relationship of Naani (Leela Mishra) with Gopi is nowhere clear in the movie. And the pre-climax scene taking place between Radha’s stepmom (Shyama) and her brother, i.e., Rajendra is so melodramatic that it’s difficult to endure.

The extraordinary music composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal for the  lyrics of Anand Bakshi makes Milan all the more special. All the songs have been sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh. Saawan Ka Maheena Pawan Kare Sor, Hum Tum Yug Yug Se Ye Geet Milan Ke Gaate Rahenge, Aaj Dil Pe Koi Zor Chalta Nahin, Bol Gori Bol Tera Kaun Piya, Ram Kare Aisa Ho Jaaye, Tohe Saanwariya Nahin Khabariya etc. can be listened to (and have been being listened to since 1967) by the music lovers numerous times. The song from the album of Milan which I have always found very close to my heart is – Mubaarak Ho Sabko Sama Ye Suhaana (sung by Mukesh).

Set in a rural milieu, technically the movie is more or less perfect. The art director and the cinematographer have done a praiseworthy job. Beauty of the nature is scattered throughout the movie. The last scene in the original birth of the lovers, i.e., their losing life by getting caught in the whirl (in the river) is simply sensational (laced with their emotional dialogues which act as the cherry on the cake).

And now for performances. Both Nutan and Sunil Dutt have given their best to the unconventional roles of Radha and Gopi and the movie is a treat for their fans. Pran is theatrical in his villainous avatar. Deven Varma is okay in his cameo. Surendra as Radha’s loving father has done well and so has Shyama as her stepmom (except for her scenes coming post the widowhood of Radha). Since I am penning this review as a tribute to Jamuna, let me assert that she has got a meaty role and she does not disappoint. The real meat in her role reveals itself in the climax when she makes a great sacrifice for the lovers. And her death (as an old woman waiting for decades for the return of the lovers) and then the lovers’ paying tribute to her only is the concluding point of the movie which moves the audience deep within.

Society has never been kind to the lovers (it’s not kind even today, the so-called modern era). Still love takes place – in every time and at every place. Why ? Because it just happens. The union of lovers can be prevented but not the sprouting of love in the heart. Everyone who believes in love, has loved someone and/or got someone’s love at any point of time in his/her life should not miss this classic, a tale of immortal love.

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Aaj Dil Pe Koi Zor Chalta Nahin, Anand Bakshi, Bol Gori Bol Tera Kaun Piya, Deven Varma, Hum Tum Yug Yug Se Ye Geet Milan Ke Gaate Rahenge, Jamuna, Lata Mangeshkar, Laxmikant Pyarelaal, Movie Review – Milan (1967), Mukesh, Mukri, Nutan, Pran, Ram Kare Aisa Ho Jaaye, Saawan Ka Maheena Pawan Kare Sor, Shyama, Sunil Dutt, Tohe Saanwariya Nahin Khabariya

Aaj Dil Pe Koi Zor Chalta Nahin, Anand Bakshi, Bol Gori Bol Tera Kaun Piya, Deven Varma, Hum Tum Yug Yug Se Ye Geet Milan Ke Gaate Rahenge, Jamuna, Lata Mangeshkar, Laxmikant Pyarelaal, Movie Review – Milan (1967), Mukesh, Mukri, Nutan, Pran, Ram Kare Aisa Ho Jaaye, Saawan Ka Maheena Pawan Kare Sor, Shyama, Sunil Dutt, Tohe Saanwariya Nahin Khabariya

Aaj Dil Pe Koi Zor Chalta Nahin, Anand Bakshi, Bol Gori Bol Tera Kaun Piya, Deven Varma, Hum Tum Yug Yug Se Ye Geet Milan Ke Gaate Rahenge, Jamuna, Lata Mangeshkar, Laxmikant Pyarelaal, Movie Review – Milan (1967), Mukesh, Mukri, Nutan, Pran, Ram Kare Aisa Ho Jaaye, Saawan Ka Maheena Pawan Kare Sor, Shyama, Sunil Dutt, Tohe Saanwariya Nahin Khabariya

Aaj Dil Pe Koi Zor Chalta Nahin, Anand Bakshi, Bol Gori Bol Tera Kaun Piya, Deven Varma, Hum Tum Yug Yug Se Ye Geet Milan Ke Gaate Rahenge, Jamuna, Lata Mangeshkar, Laxmikant Pyarelaal, Movie Review – Milan (1967), Mukesh, Mukri, Nutan, Pran, Ram Kare Aisa Ho Jaaye, Saawan Ka Maheena Pawan Kare Sor, Shyama, Sunil Dutt, Tohe Saanwariya Nahin Khabariya

Mujhko Apne Gale Laga Lo Aye Mere Hamrahi

This old review is republished as a tribute to veteran actress and heartthrob of millions in her heyday – Jamuna who left for her heavenly abode on 27th January, 2023. Originally a South Indian actress, she left her mark in certain Hindi films too. Black and white movie Hamrahi (1963) is one of them.

In my reviews of old Bollywood movies like Dooj Ka Chand (1964), Duniya (1968), Aya Sawan Jhoom Ke (1969) etc.; I have underscored this fact related to the Hindi movies made during the sixties that the script-writers used to insert a suspense element (with or without a courtroom drama) in the final part of the screenplay for the story which was based on romance or social drama. This act of them added spice to the narrative flowing on the screen before the audience and enhanced the entertainment value of the movie. Sometimes, that suspense was an intriguing one and it was pretty difficult to guess the culprit (the murderer as in almost all such cases, the twist in the tale came due to happening of some murder only) and sometimes, it was quite an easy one and the audience could guess the identity of the real culprit very easily (which had to be somebody other than the hero or the heroine). The movies mentioned by me in the beginning line of this review fall into the first category whereas Hamrahi (1963) falls into the second one, i.e., it’s anybody’s guess as to who might be the murderer. Nonetheless, it’s a pretty good movie whose premise is not that murder but the emotional bond between the lead pair which took a long time (a sizable part of the movie) in developing.

Hamrahi (fellow-traveller) is the story of Shekhar (Rajendra Kumar) who is the son of the much respected public prosecutor Dharamdaas (Nazir Hussain) but being a playboy by nature, instead of doing any meaningful work, he keeps on philandering with many girls. Now our casanova hero stumbles upon two entirely different girls. One is a gold-digger – Hemlata (Shashikala) who considers herself as very clever and quite proficient in befooling men. The other one is a school teacher – Shaarada (Jamuna) who comes from a modest family but maintains and is proud of her high moral character. Shekhar, as usual, ditches Hemlata (after spending some good time with her) and despite her well thought-out and well executed machination, Hemlata is not able to stick to him. The way, a sensible traveller settles for a passenger train after missing a mail train, she catches Hanuman (Rajendra Nath) after losing Shekhar.

Shekhar, on the other hand, is smitten by the charms of Shaarada and genuinely falls in love with that simple girl. It does not prove to be difficult for him to get married to Shaarada who is motherless and lives with her father (Agha) and step-mother (Indira) and after losing her school teacher’s job due to her name having been associated with that of Shekhar, has few options left with her. However just like Shekhar’s father, she has also developed a very bad image of Shekhar in her heart and she does not mince words in conveying it to him on their first conjugal night itself. Shekhar, who has by now a change of heart and wants to win Shaarada’s love, shows better sense and does not force himself upon her as her husband. They continue to live under one roof without behaving with each other like a couple but don’t allow this fact to be known to the other members of that joint family consisting of Shekhar’s mother (Lalita Pawar), his elder brother Mahesh (Mehmood), Mahesh’s wife Shanti (Shubha Khote) and the children.

Days and months pass. Shekhar is not able to win Shaarada’s heart due to one reason or another and Shaarada keeps on loathing him. The emotional tension between them keeps on intensifying. However, finally the day arrives when Shaarada realizes that Shekhar has really mended his ways and truly loves her. Now with the evaporation of the tension and misunderstanding between the two, our hero and heroine have become a couple in the true sense and are about to start a happy life hereafter but the twist in the tale comes with the murder of Hemlata for which Shekhar is booked and tried in the court. Who will fight for Shekhar since his father himself is the public prosecutor and firmly believes that he only is the guilty ?

The murder, its investigation and the ensuing courtroom drama has been given very less footage in the movie which is the correct thing as the audience can very well guess (correctly) as to who is the murderer of Hemlata. The obvious suspect only turns out to be the murderer. The script-writer and the director could have handled this part of the movie in a better way and made it a little longer and more interesting. Perhaps they thought (like myself) that the other, major, part of the story only is really important and this twist serves merely as a tool to generate a (small) unhappy phase in the narrative before it is carried to its desired happy ending.

There is a very well-known and popular Hindi maxim – Subah Ka Bhoola Shaam Ko Ghar Aa Jaaye To Use Bhoola Nahin Kehte (if someone loses his way in the morning but is able to reach his home in the evening, he is not to be termed as a strayed one). I could not find any proper equivalent for it in English but in simple words, it means that if an errant person has mended or shows inclination to mend his ways, he should not be treated too harshly and should be given a chance in this regard because it is never too late to make amends. This is the message which the movie tries to convey to the audience. The undertrial hero asserts the same thing in the court too, asking the society, the court and his father – Can an aberrant not mend his ways and become a better person ? I appreciate this thought but in a patriarchal society, this liberty could be given to the males only. Women were supposed to forgive their husbands for their earlier sins once they were back on the right path. They were not supposed to expect the same kind of consideration for themselves if they happened to be in a similar position.

All things said and done, Hamrahi is a fairly good movie which entertains throughout its duration without any yawning moment for the audience. It starts off well, moves on nicely and reaches its denouement properly. Despite using stereotypes for many characters, the story does not seem to be out of place at any point though the track of gold-digger Hemlata and her husband Hanuman which attaches their landlord Gopi Nath (O.P. Ralhan) also later on is not a convincing one and mostly over the top.

The comedy side track of Agha, his wife Indira and his father-in-law Dhumal is entertaining but I praise the director for linking it to the murder and its investigation also. In fact, the comedy side track is pleasant only when it is not totally independent from the main plot but interwoven with it. The same cannot be said for the comedy presented by Mehmood and his wife Shubha Khote but their chemistry was always admirable and they entertain the audience very well.

Rajendra Kumar was not fit for the role of a playboy but he was natural like always in the role of a sincere lover in later reels. Jamuna could not completely hide her South Indian accent while speaking in Hindi but her looks and acting, both are pretty admirable. Shashikala is over the top as it was the demand of her role but her performance is flawless. It’s always a pleasure for me to see Lalita Pawar in a positive role. Others are routine. However Mehmood has startled by his impressive performance in the ending reels while playing the defense lawyer for his younger brother Shekhar (in real life, he was younger to Rajendra Kumar) and proved that he was not just a comedian, his talent was versatile. While seeing him and Rajendra Kumar in those courtroom scenes, I could not help recalling Kanoon (1960) in which Rajendra Kumar played the efficient and impressive defense lawyer and Mehmood played the playboy who generated laughs for the audience in the tense courtroom drama.

Certain scenes of the movie appear to be predecessors for similar scenes in later movies. The scene in which Shekhar has to face more than one girl at the same time and then has to hide both of them (from his uncle who approaches him all of a sudden) reminisces similar scene(s) in Boeing Boeing (1965) and Hanuman’s pretending to go out of the town but staying in the city only by renting a hotel room in order to spy on his wife reminisces of Sunil Dutt’s doing the same in Hamraaz (1967).

Technically this black and white movie is okay. Dialogues, art direction, cinematography, background score etc. are satisfactory. In addition to the dialogue of Shekhar in the courtroom (mentioned supra), the dialogue of Shaarada to the principal of her school while submitting her resignation from service is also praiseworthy when she underscores the significance of her character.

Shankar Jaikishan have done an excellent job in composing the music of Hamrahi using the beautiful lyrics of Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri. My personal favourite from the album of Hamrahi is Mohammed Rafi’s Ye Aansoo Mere Dil Ki Zubaan Hain. However Lata Mangeshkar’s  classic solo – Mann Re Tu Hi Bata Kya Gaaoon, Lata-Rafi duet – Karke Jiska Intezaar and above all, the title track by Mubarak Begum and Rafi – Mujhko Apne Gale Laga Lo Aye Mere Hamrahi have also been heart-conquerors for the music lovers for the past six decades. Other songs Wo Din Yaad Karo, Wo Chale Jhatak Ke Daaman, Main Albela and Dil Tu Bhi Gaa are also melodious and ear-soothing.

Summing up, director T. Prakash Rao has done a fair job in directing Hamrahi which is a decent movie for sure. The lovers of golden oldies will definitely like it.

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A classic which is the predecessor to Lagaan

Thespian Dilip Kumar had passed away last year. Had he been alive, he would have completed 100 years of age on 11th December 2022, namely, yesterday. On the occasion of his birth centenary, this old review is being republished as my tribute to the great artist.

I had got inspiration to write this review without further delay from the views of esteemed blogger and reviewer Sait Nair on my blog  regarding plagiarism. He had written – ‘General public excuse “biggies” even when they indulge in plagiarism’. I endorse this view with my observation that “biggies” sometimes consider it their birth-right to plagiarize. Much acclaimed movie of Aamir Khan – Lagaan (2001) which missed winning the Academy Award in the foreign film category by just a whisker is a classic example of shameless plagiarizing by the “biggies”. I have come to know that the movies based on original stories are only considered for any award at the Oscars. However our masterminds managed to carry this plagiarized movie to the last stage of Oscars without giving the minimum thanks to the original moviemakers, i.e., the B.R. Films who had made the all time classic movie Naya Daur (1957). Lagaan is a scene to scene (if not frame to frame) copy of this movie. Only the backdrop and set-up have been changed. Not only the basic idea but even the treatment and the characterizations is ditto that of Naya Daur. Had Lagaan won the Oscar, it would have been a classic example of a plagiarized story winning this prestigious and coveted award.

Naya Daur (new era) is originally a black and white movie whose coloured version was released a few years back. It deals with the issue of unemployment because of mechanization in the Indian villages which was very much relevant and burning in that time. Tonga (horse-carriage) driver Shankar (Dilip Kumar) opposes the introduction of bus in the village because of the prospective unemployment of the tonga-drivers. The owner of the bus – Kundan (Jeevan) who is a wealthy businessman of the village enters into a bet with him that if he is able to defeat the bus by his tonga in a race, the bus will be withdrawn. How Shankar prepares for the race and finally defeats the bus by driving his tonga, forms the rest of the story which involves the factor of rivalry in getting the love of Rajni (Vyjayantimala) leading to betrayal of Shankar’s friend, Krishna (Ajit) also.Naya Daur is thoroughly engrossing and very impressive. Legendary director B.R. Chopra has directed the story of Akhtar Mirza quite nicely and maintained the momentum of the narrative throughout the duration of the movie which is a little less than three hours. The sets, costume designing, editing etc. are all praiseworthy. Production value is high, matching the great B.R. Films tradition.Performances are great and leagues ahead of their counterparts in Lagaan. While giving full marks to Aamir Khan and co. in Lagaan, I can safely say that the performances of Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh and Yashpal Sharma are no match for the respective performances of Dilip Kumar, Vyjayantimala and Ajit in Naya Daur. Only Paul Blackthorne, the villain has surpassed the performance of Jeevan in Naya Daur by his in Lagaan.The timeless music of Naya Daur composed by O.P. Nayyar (lyrics by Saahir Ludhiyanvi), boasting of immortal songs like Udein Jab Jab Zulfen Teri, Ye Desh Hai Veer Jawano Ka, Reshmi Salwar Kurta Jaali Ka, Saathi Haath Badhana, Maang Ke Saath Tumhara Maine Maang Liya Sansar and Main Bambai Ka Babu Naam Mera Anjana cannot be compared to the music of any other movie. leave aside Lagaan. Even  today listening to these songs in the enchanting voices of Asha and Rafi is a great experience.

Except the character of Rachel Shelley (the Englishwoman who is the sister of the villain but helping the hero), Lagaan is a ditto of Naya Daur. However neither Aamir Khan nor the writer-director of Lagaan – Ashutosh Gowarikar gave any credit (or even thanks) to the makers of Naya Daur. They left no stone unturned in blowing their trumpet and calling their movie as based upon an original idea. The truth is, they have just changed the bus-tonga race in the village to the Cricket match between the Indian villagers and the English team. Rest the complete story framework, characters, their mutual relationships, situations and climax, everything has been copied outright from Naya Daur.Though Ravi Chopra (son of B.R. Chopra) had said lightly at the time of release of the coloured version of Naya Daur that Lagaan was inspired by Naya Daur, no such accusation has ever been made by B.R. Films upon Aamir Khan Productions perhaps because the makers of Naya Daur were also glad that Lagaan represented India at the Oscars and went very close to winning the Academy Award in the foreign film category. However it was the duty of Aamir Khan and Ashutosh Gowarikar to admit the inspiration (if not plagiarization) and give thanks to the writer and the makers of Naya Daur which they have not done and shamelessly enjoyed the credit of making an ‘original’ movie. However truth cannot be hidden forever. Anybody reading this review can watch these two movies consecutively and he will reach the same conclusion that I reached when I had watched Lagaan for the first time.

While recommending this classic wholeheartedly to the movie buffs, I give just one message to Aamir plus Ashutosh – You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time but you cannot fool all the people all the time.

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The flight of courage and conviction

• Veteran film, TV and theatre actor Vikram Gokhle passed away yesterday. This old review of Udaan is republished as a tribute to him. He had played the role of the idealist father of the protagonist whose guidance, motivation and moral support shaped her personality.

The era of TV serials (initially called soap operas) started in India during the eighties with the telecast of ‘Hum Log’ on Doordarshan. Since Doordarshan was the only TV channel in India during that period, many other serials were also telecast on Doordarshan only following the popularity and success of Hum Log viz. ‘Buniyaad’, ‘Khaandaan’, ‘Nukkad’, ‘Raamayan’, ‘Mahabhaarat’ etc. alongwith sitcoms like ‘Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi’ and character-based serials like ‘Rajni’. 

However, none of these serials could win my heart which was as sensitive those days as it is today. However suddenly a serial started being aired on Doordarshan titled as Udaan (flight) and it’s this serial with only 32 episodes in total which silently stepped deep into the heart of Jitendra Mathur, a struggling youth; rendering a lot of positive energy and hope to him and strengthening his faith in the high values of life. Still the memories of that serial are fresh in my heart and it’s this serial only which played a major role in my attempting for the Indian Civil Services after completing my C.A.

‘Udaan’ is the inspiring and touching story of Kalyani Singh (Kavita Chaudhary) living with her father (Vikram Gokhle) and mother (Uttara Baokar). Life becomes pretty hard for herself and her family when her father loses his landed property due to deceit of certain greedy and unscrupulous ones. She feels that her younger brother is given more attention and significance than her in the family because of the gender-based discrimination.

However her unbiased, clean-heart and noble father with a deep-seated faith in ethics and abilities of a human-being who follows the right path helps her in keeping her morale high. Gaining a faith from her extra-ordinary father that she is no less than a boy and can achieve any goal, she concentrates on her studies, aiming for the Indian Police Service to help those aggrieved who seek justice but do not get any cooperation from the police in that regard because the police is not sincere towards its duties. Her determination takes her to her decided goal but is it the end or the peak for her ? No! Kalyani is still a long way to go in the male-dominated society with a patriarchal mindset.

She comes across the problems of not only the old-fashioned, lazy, negligent and insensitive cops whom she has to work with but also the seniors who look upon her as a sex-object only. Rot is there in the complete system and for someone like Kalyani, it is a Herculean task to make a worthwhile effort to clean it as well as tone it up to serve the masses in the correct way. But the way Kalyani had not given up during her childhood and adolescence and made to the IPS despite financial and allied hardships, the same way she does not give up while being a part of the system.

A corrupt, inefficient and indifferent system cannot be eliminated but someone with pious intentions can try to improve it while being a part and parcel of it. Kalyani does the same. Her patience, courage, self-confidence and strong willpower show their colour in due course of time. However she is not just a dutiful and sincere cop, she is a woman also. And the woman in her falls in love with a like-minded IAS officer (Shekhar Kapoor) who starts liking her during the course of their official interaction and proposes to her after some time. However leading her life with a mission, Kalyani has to evaluate her womanly sentiments against her high ideals before taking the key decision of her life.

The serial which was not dragged like many other soap operas telecast on different TV channels in later years and was concluded after 32 episodes only. It was not made clear whether Kalyani married the love of her life. After showing Kalyani’s tryst with her destiny and her encounters with not only injustices being faced by the commonfolk due to the insensitive and unjust system but also the hardships of the poor which she could not do anything about despite all the sensitivity in her heart, the serial-maker ended it with Kalyani’s Udaan (flight) for her place of posting with the sound coming from the background underscoring the Udaan of herself in her life and career.

The serial shows the insensitive, indifferent and oppressive police, administrative and judicial system prevailing in India which is rule-bound for the underdog and the commoners but highly flexible to the benefit of the wealthy and the mighty on one hand and the struggling ahead of a lady from a modest background and with modest resources in this system solely on the basis of the teachings and motivation of her father as well as her own courage and conviction on the other. She does not want to make it big in the service just for the sake of her own career but she wants to move ahead so that she can do something meaningful for those who crave for justice, who crave for relief from their plight and who feel completely hapless and helpless in the given scenario, expecting some messiah to come to their rescue. Kalyani’s unshakable faith in her ideals and the rightness of her chosen path provides fortitude and vitality to her when almost all the odds are against her.

Kavita Chaudhary who had become famous during the eighties for her Surf advertisement by playing Lalitaji in the same and asserting -‘Surf Ki Kharidaari Mein Hi Samajhdaari Hai‘,  has produced and directed this serial with herself playing the lead role of Kalyani Singh. She has done an outstanding job both as a director and as an actor. This serial is unbelievably realistic, touching, inspiring and impressive. She got the inspiration to make this serial from the real life story of her elder sister Kanchan Chaudhary who became an IPS officer after undergoing a lot of struggle in her life (she became the first woman DGP of India in 2012). However being ignorant of the story of Kanchan Chaudhary, I used to contrast the story of this serial with the life of Mrs. Kiran Bedi, the first woman IPS officer of India.

In addition to Kavita, all the other actors (including those actresses who have played the roles of child Kalyani and adolescent Kalyani) have also done splendidly. All the technical aspects of the serial are well in order and nowhere is there an air of artificiality. Right from the beginning of the story which is set in a village to the peak of it which is set in the corridors of the Indian bureaucracy, everything is real and believable. Almost every frame of this serial seems to have arrived straight out of the real life.

This serial motivated me to aim for becoming an IAS officer in my life and when I was preparing for the my first attempt in 1994, I had developed a desire to meet two persons after becoming an IAS officer – first Mrs. Kiran Bedi who had won the Raman Magsaysay Award those days for her exemplary work as the in-charge of the Tihaar jail and second Kavita Chaudhary whom I used to adore those days. The serial had finished on TV long back but its memories used to haunt me every now and then, especially when I visualized the fulfillment of my cherished dream.

Now this serial is available in DVD form and any youth who wants to do something worthwhile for the country through the central or the state services with a faith in the moral values and high ideals, must watch this serial which is an ocean of inspiration. Scarcity of resources doesn’t matter when your mission is noble. And where there is a will, there is always a way – asserts this Udaan (flight) of Kalyani Singh, IPS.

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Too far-fetched, yet entertaining

After seven long years, the story of Drishyam starts off from exactly where its first part had concluded. The family of a middle class person who has a penchant for movies is again in trouble for whatever had happened seven years ago courtesy an accidental eye-witness and some chess like clandestine moves made by the cops who have not closed the case by labelling it as unresolved. The case file of killing of a teenager is still open in the police headquarters. This middle class (and low educated) man may still be categorized in the middle class but now his class is the upper middle class. He has earned enough money to graduate from a cable operator to a theatre-owner. And he has been planning to make a movie himself, discussing his story with a well-known screenplay writer for cinematic adaptation. He has got the story published also in the form of a book (apparently) for copyright protection. What are his real intentions ? Is he still concerned for the safety of his family (from the claws of the law of the land) ?

Well, to understand the things in the right perspective, we have to go in flash back, i.e., the story of the original (first) movie titled as Drishyam (scene) which had been released in Malayalam in 2013 and its various remakes in different languages were released in later years (all the versions filled the coffers of their makers like anything). Jeethu Joseph who had taken the credit of the story (calling it as his ‘original’) had only directed the Malayalam version. The truth of his so-called originality is that this story had been lifted by him from the novel of Keigo Higashino – ‘The Devotion of Suspect X’ which was first published in 2005. Anyway.

The Hindi version, i.e., Drishyam (2015) was directed by (Late) Nishikant Kamat in which the protagonist’s role was played by Ajay Devgan whose teenager daughter accidentally kills a spoiled teenager who was trying to blackmail her on the basis of a video of hers clandestinely shot by him. The dead boy was the son of a supercop Meera Deshmukh (Tabu) who is the Inspector General of Police of Goa (where the story is set, in Pondolem to be exact). Her businessman husband Mahesh (Rajat Kapoor) is a sensitive person but Meera is a ruthless cop as well as an aggrieved mother hell-bent upon seeking revenge from the killer. Now our hero named as Vijay Salgaonkar who is a less-educated person and fond of watching movies on small screen (as well as learning various things from them) has to dispose off the dead body in such a way and create such an alibi that himself alongwith his wife Nandini (Shriya Saran), elder daughter Anju (Ishita Dutta) who is actually the killer and younger daughter Anu (Mrunal Jadhav) remain uncaught by the scanner of the law-enforcers. And he successfully does it, checkmating the cops including the mother of the dead boy. Meera Deshmukh resigns from her job and the parents of the boy migrate to London, rendering a sigh of relief to Vijay.

Since this well-made movie was hugely successful on the box office, making its sequel made sense. Now a story was required to put Vijay and his family again in trouble due to the killing that had taken place years back and showing the protagonist emerging as triumphant in the end once again (because that kind of end only is desirable for the Indian audience who cannot withstand their hero to lose to anyone including the law of the land). Since Jeethu Joseph only has claimed the credit of the story directing the original Malayalam version himself only once again, the question that propped up in my mind whether he has lifted the basic grains for the story of this sequel also from somewhere. Well, neither I have been able to figure that out nor any known film reviewer (at least till now). Hence let’s give Jeethu Joseph the credit of the story which is more intriguing but less curious than its previous part because the novelty factor is missing. We don’t know the plan of Vijay to safeguard his family members from the law in this reopened murder case (which as we have been told somewhere in the movie, had never been fully closed by the police), however we are always aware that something is going on underneath his various activities apparently unrelated to this ‘case’ and in all probability, he is going to outwit the cops this time also. In the prequel, everything done by the protagonist (leading his family members also in that) was before the audience alongwith his purpose, still the curiosity factor was bigger. In this sequel, everything done by him has a hidden purpose which is revealed much later (in the ending reels only), still the audience is not very curious. That does not mean that the narrator has failed in entertaining the viewers. The movie is entertaining, no doubt. The thing is that a lot of time has been taken for the build-up and the real tension which keeps the audience hooked appears in the post-interval session of the movie only. The protagonist is relaxed (at least he appears to be so). And so do we.

The revived cat and mouse game between the cops and the hero picks up speed after interval with the cat having many faces including a new I.G. of Police (Akshaye Khanna), the ex I.G. of Police and the mother of the killed boy (I won’t term him as the victim because it was he who was victimizing the daughter of the protagonist) plus the suspended corrupt cop who has a score to settle with the hero with a few others whether in uniform or civil dress (i.e., undercover cops). The father of the dead boy is a sensitive (and sensible) person who wants to move on in life alongwith his wife and that’s why he requests Vijay for the remains of the dead body of his son for proper cremation. However the mother wants to find them out on her own (with the help of the police, of course) so as to throw Vijay and his family behind the bars and in the legal trap thereafter. How Vijay saves himself and his family forms the remaining part of the story whose climax tells us that everything done by him in the narrative (prior to the climax) had the same purpose because he was always expecting the case to be reopened with a new box of troubles for them. In the same vein, it tells us that even the bit characters those had appeared in the narrative at various places were linked to his complex scheme. I found his scheme (fully revealed in the end) as amusing but too far-fetched. Popular Hindi pulp fiction writer (Late) Ved Prakash Sharma used to present such too much complicated schemes formulated by the criminals in his novels. Vijay’s scheme reminded me of them.

New director Abhishek Pathak (as the director of the prequel Nishikant Kamat had passed away in 2020) has done his job well. However his job was not very difficult because he had to remake a Malayalam movie as it is without any kind of adaptation on the story aspect. He has changed only the milieu just like the prequel (changing the location from Kerala to Goa). However he has kept the length of this Hindi version shorter than the original which appears to be right considering the fact that now the Hindi movie audience of this era does not like too long movies. The fact that the hero and his family are able to live a posh life within a span of just a few years appears odd. Cinematographer Sudhir K. Chaudhary has captured the beauty of countryside Goa (not the happening areas) very well. Other technical aspects are also in order. Devi Sri Prasad has composed two good songs for the movie. All the same, it would have been better had the rap song which tells the essence of the story been kept in the movie and not played with the end credits rolling on the screen when the movie is over.

Since the cast of the prequel has been carried over to the sequel, the actors have only replayed their parts which was not very difficult for them. Ajay Devgan is no match for Mohanlal (the great Malayalam actor who has played the protagonist in the original version) but no doubt, he has excelled in his role (just like the prequel). His eyes speak and indicate the churning going on in the interiors of his outer cool and calm personality. Tabu is effective in her low footage role also as she appears to be like a lioness waiting to prey upon the killer (or the killers) of her progeny. Akshaye Khanna presents nothing new in his cop avatar. He appears to be the same cop played by him in some earlier films.

An esteemed film reviewer has rightly asserted that the story of Drishyam (including both the parts) has been liked by the audience so much because it’s been woven around Indian middle class morality which advocates protecting own family at all costs and which glamorizes the underdog and vilifies the privileged. Another esteemed reviewer has also rightly asserted that the success story of Drishyam underscores this fact that we prefer what we feel right to what is right. Well, I have to agree to these views in the absolute sense. The killing which forms the basis of the Drishyam story had (inadvertently) taken place in self-defense. However the protagonist does not consider the option of coming clean before the law and get his daughter acquitted from the murder charge on the basis of the self-defense plea. Instead he decides to play a hide and seek game with the law-enforcers. May be because the law enforcement agencies of Mera Bhaarat Mahaan, more often than not, indulge in harassing (and extorting) the underprivileged instead of ensuring justice to them.

The lesson of the movie is very clear – the question is not what is in front of your eyes but what you are seeing (that’s the real Drishyam or scene for you).

I agree to it.

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