Publicity still for Do aankhen baarah haath (1957)

Do aankhen baarah haath won many awards at international film festivals, including the Silver Bear in Berlin, and it remains the only Hindi mainstream film that has been screened at the London Film Festival to date. However, it was only post-1955 and the release of Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali (1955) that ‘art cinema’ emerged in India. In the 1950s many films were produced within the mainstream that would now be regarded as ‘middle class’ or more ‘realist’ than movies produced today. The genre of DABH, the social problem film (rather than the social), emerged in the 1930s as the coming of sound encouraged the growth of a more literary cinema, with increased emphasis on the word rather than the spectacle. Shantaram’s socials at Prabhat (including Duniya na mane) were outstanding examples of this genre. It flourished in the 1950s in the hands of film-makers such as Bimal Roy (Bandini, Devdas, Do bigha zamin and Madhumati) and B. R. Chopra (Naya daur and Nikaah) and is certainly the ancestor of the 1970s’ middle-class cinema of Hrishikesh Mukherjee (Abhimaan, Anand and Gol maal) and others.

V. Shantaram was one of the founders of Poona’s Prabhat Studios, but when he left Prabhat to found his own studio, Rajkamal Kalamandir, he continued to make films in this genre along with more mainstream colour films such as Jhanak jhanak payal baje (1955).

DABH argues that prisoners, even murderers, are human beings who can be redeemed if they are well treated, and is very different from B. R. Chopra’s Kanoon (1960), which directly opposes the death penalty. Shantaram’s father was a Jain, a member of a religious group known for its strict respect for all forms of life, and the character he plays in this film, Adinath, has a Jain name. Adinath is jailer who believes that prisoners are human beings too, and he takes six prisoners to his experimental farm, Azad Nagar (Freetown), where he demonstrates he can prompt them to reform by giving them trust and respect. He becomes their father figure, or Babuji, whose two eyes (do aankhen) watch their twelve hands (baarah haath), whose prints they give him in case he should need to report their escape, and which work the land in honest labour. His compassion and self-sacrifice are the qualities for which this film has been most celebrated. However, the film is not relentlessly preachy, and Sandhya, as the toy-seller, provides many light­hearted moments, although she is also the focus for discourses about sexuality and motherhood.

The film contains several haunting songs, notably ‘Ae malik tere bande hum’ (music by Vasant Desai and lyrics by Bharat Vyas), whose rendition by Lata Mangeshkar (picturised on Sandhya) at the death of Babuji is one of her most loved songs, and the catchy ‘Tak tak dhoom dhoom’ which is repeated several times. The black-and-white cinematography in an expressionist style that had been popular in earlier Indian cinema comes is outmoded by the 1960s, but this is a fine example of its last flourish.

Cast and Production Credits

Year – 1957, Genre – Crima/Drama, Country – India, Language – Hindi, Producer – Rajkamal, Director –V. Shantaram, Music Director – Vasant Desai, Cast - V. Shantaram, Sandhya, Ulhas, B. M. Vyas, Baburao Pendharkar, Paul Sharma, K. Date, S. K. Singh

Raj Kapoor and Nargis in Shree 420 (1955)

Shree 420 was a worldwide hit on its release and even today it remains popular. Raj Kapoor reprises his Chaplinesque tramp of Awaara for this film. (The 420 of the title refers to the section of the Indian Penal Code that deals with fraud, so the film’s title means ‘Mr Fraudster’.)

Raju (Raj Kapoor) pretends to be knocked down by Seth Sonachand Dharmanand (a Rushdie-esque name to imply a rich hypocrite), whose car numberplate, 840, identifies him as a double cheat. Raju arrives in Bombay, where he meets a banana-seller (Lalita Pawar), who instantly becomes a mother figure. He then meets Vidya (‘Knowledge’; Nargis) when he pawns his honesty-medal for Rs 40, which is stolen immediately. After several setbacks he encounters Vidya again, along with her disabled father, who together run a school for poor children. Raj finds work in the Jai Bharat (‘Long-live Indian laundry and romances Vidya, but is picked up by Maya (‘Illusion’; Nadira), who realises his skill at the card table. Seth Sonachand asks him to join his business and Raju takes one of Maya’s saris from the laundry for Vidya to wear to a Diwali party at the nightclub, where he plays cards. Raju has to choose between Knowledge and Illusion. When Vidya runs away, Raju stays behind. Later he takes his winnings to her house, but she sends him away. Raju seems to have fallen into Maya’s trap as he begins to work on various scams, including ‘The Tibetan Gold Company’, but when Seth Sonachand’s housing scam proves too much for him, he is blackmailed into staying. Eventually, Vidya brings him back to the city in search of a better future.

The film, written by K. A. Abbas, the left-wing journalist, while drawing on Chaplin’s tramp, is a story of the villager’s journey to the city. Here, he quickly re-creates his networks, forming a family with the banana-seller and the pavement-dwellers, while seeking redemption in romantic love with the good woman, and eventually rejecting the temptations of the vamp and of money. The film shows how identities in the city become fluid and uses the symbols of clothing and masks to illustrate how these can be put on and cast off, typified in the song, ‘Mera joota hai japani’.

Along with the meaningful and well-constructed story, the film’s strength lies in the luminous presence of Nargis. Said to be Raj Kapoor’s lover, she worked with him on some of his greatest films before their relationship ended and she left him to return to her mentor, Mehboob, for her swansong, Mother India. Raj Kapoor, son of the great Prithviraj (star of India’s first talkie, Alam ara [1931], and of many others, including Phool and Sikander, though best remembered now for his portrayal of Akbar in Mughal-e Azam), had now established himself as one of Indian cinema’s leading directors, producers and actors, dominating Hindi film for four decades. He set up a team that was very similar to the old studio system where he began (in Bombay Talkies — see Achhut kanya and Kismet), with Nargis as his star and the Shankar—Jaikishen team as his music directors, along with a stable of personnel.

One of the glories of Raj Kapoor’s films is the music, and every song in this film has a great tune and lyrics (by Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri), and is well picturised and integrated into the narratives. ‘Mera joota hai japani’ sets the theme for the whole film, while ‘Ramaiya vastavaiya’ highlights the good nature of the pavement-people and their capacity for joy. Then there is ‘Mud mud ke na dekh’, revealing to Raju the temptations of money, and Vidya’s lament, where her image divides to stay behind and to run after him, ‘Jaane wale mudke zara dekh ke jaana’, as well as one of the all-time favouritelove songs of the Hindi film, ‘Pyaar hua, ikraar hua’.

Cast and Production Credits

Year – 1955, Genre – Crime, Drama, Country – India, Language – Hindi, Producer – R. K. Films, Director – Raj Kapoor, Music Director – Shanker Jaikishan, Cast - Raj Kapoor, Nargis, Rashid Khan, Pesi Patel, Hari Shivdasani, Iftekhar, Nana Palsikar, Shailendra, M. Kumar, Sheela Vaz, Nemo, Ramesh Sinha, Bhdudo Advani

Amitabh Bachan, Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar and Amjad Khan during the shooting of film Sholay (1975)

Generally accepted to be the greatest Hindi film of all time, this film appeals to everyone and is always a good choice to show to people who have never seen a Hindi film before, as it needs no cultural explanations (even though they can add to the meaning).

Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) and Veeru (Dharmendra) are petty crooks, hired by Thakur Baldev Singh (Sanjeev Kumar), a former police officer. He has lost his whole family to the evil Gabber Singh (Amjad Khan) in revenge for being sent to jail. Convinced that the law is inadequate, he is determined to take his own revenge, but Gabbar cuts off his arms. Veeru falls in love with the tonga-driver, Basanti (Hema Malini), while Jai is attracted to the Thakur’s widowed daughter-in-law (Jaya Bhaduri). But they have to fight Gabbar and his gang …

The film’s great foundation is its script and dialogue. Unforgettable scenes include the dismembering of Thakur, Jai’s meeting with Basanti’s aunt (Leela Mishra), and, of course, the episodes in Gabbar’s camp. It is not unusual for people still to quote the dialogues today (especially Gabbar’s ‘Kitne aadmi the?’ speech or his ‘Tera kya hoga Kaaliya? ‘and ‘Arre o Sambha’, but also Basanti’s ‘Chal Basanti!’ and her address to her horse, ‘Chal Dhanno, aaj teri Basanti ki izzat ka sawaal hai’, all of which were released on disk and now can be found on numerous websites).

The film also stands on the performances of the four major stars. Dharmendra as Veeru is the tough man with the soft heart, best remembered for his performance in the drunken scene. Jai is cool, quiet and composed but has a great sense of humour, as demonstrated in his meeting with Basanti’s aunt. Hema Malini shines as the chatterbox of a tonga-driver who is forced to dance for Gabbar’s sadistic enjoyment, while Jaya is silent apart from the flashback to the family’s Holi party. This film shows why Sanjeev Kumar is considered to be one of Indian cinema’s best actors. However, Amjad Khan as the evil Gabbar Singh has the best lines and is the baddie everyone loves to hate. The more evil he is, the more we are entertained.

The R. D. Burman songs include the hugely popular ‘Yeh dosti’, with its crazy sound effects and silly picturisation; the Holi song, ‘Holi ke din’, Basanti’s tortured dance, ‘Jab tak hai jean’, and the dance song performed by Helen, ‘Mehbooba’.

Sholay has been called a ‘curry Western’ (rather than a spaghetti Western), no doubt in part because of its stylish baddies (Jai’s resemblance to Clint Eastwood’s characters has been noted), its bleak locations and the characteristics it shares with films like The Magnificent Seven (1960). While it has features that are unusual in a Hindi film, such as the absence of family ties (apart from those of the Thakur, which have been destroyed) and the presence of evil rather than just a villain, it is still very much a typical Hindi film, with songs, comedy and romance, as is clear from a comparison with its antecedents, in particular Mera gaon mere desh.

Cast and Production Credits

Year – 1975, Genre – Crime, Action, Drama, Romance, Country – India, Language – Hindi, Producer – G. P. Sippy, Director – Ramesh Sippy, Music Director – R. D. Burman, Basu Manohari, Maruti Rao, Cast – Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini, Jaya Bachchan, Leela Misra, Sachin, Arani, Jalal Agha, Raj Kishore, Amjad Khan, A. K. Hangal, Satyen Kappu, Iftekhar, Vikas Anand, Mac Mohan, Geeta, Om, Rajan Kapoor, Birbal, Bhanumati, Habib