The year was 1954, and it was the first Filmfare Awards function. As the Best Picture and Best Director awards were announced, a simple man in dhoti, kurta and chappals, went up to stage to collect it. In an industry noted for it’s opulence and flamboyance, this simple unassuming nature, was a shocker. Yet this simple man went on to win 8 Filmfare Awards and two times did he achieve a hat trick of Best Director. The movies this man made were like him simple, minimal and unassuming, yet his movies have been classics and also commercially successful. He was one of the few directors who managed to walk the line between critical acclaim and commercial success. This man was Bimal Roy, one of the greatest directors of Indian cinema, and the movie I was referring to was Do Bigha Zameen. And this is a very humble tribute of mine to him. I call it humble, because nothing is adequate to encapsulate the sheer genius of this man. Its like trying to hold the waters of the ocean in one’s palm.
Bimal Da, started his career as a cameraman, for many Bengali movies like Devdas(1935) and Mukti(1937). With the collapse of New Theaters in Kolkata, he had to migrate to Mumbai. And along with him came a vast array of talent, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Salil Choudhury, Asit Sen, Kamal Bose who formed his regular team. His first two movies Maa(1952) and Parineeta(1953), were typical Bollywood fare, though somewhat refined. But it was this 1953 movie that would forever mark Bimal Da as a genius of the first order. Bimal Da had earlier watched the 1949 Italian neo realist cinema, The Bicycle Thieves and was heavily influenced by it. Combining the neo realist tradition with Indian narrative of using songs, he came up with a movie of a peasant disposed from his land. Shot on a very tight budget and having no major stars, Do Bigha Zameen, would forever be a masterpiece in the history of Indian cinema. The movie is the story of a peasant Shambu Mahato( Balraj Sahni), who has to fight the village landlord, for his two acres of land. He migrates to the city along with his son **Kanhaiya( Rattan Kumar) and his wife( Nirupa Roy) also joins him later. The movie explored the lives of the poor in a searing, realist way, as we see the difficulties faced by Shambu and his son, to make a living. And of course leading to a very tragic climax. One of the most poignant scenes, is when Shambu, and another rickshaw puller, are egged on to run a race by a pair of lovers having a tiff. The way rich people use the poor for their fun pursuits is wonderfully shown in this scene. The movie did moderately well and also won a clutch of awards. Notable it is for Balraj Sahni’s brilliant performance as Shambu. The way he portrays the illiterate poor rickshaw puller, who fights for his land, makes for one of the greatest performances in Indian cinema. In real life Balraj Sahni, was a very sophisticated and highly educated person, but you see him here in a totally different role.
He then made Devdas in 1955 starring Dilip Kumar in title role, Suchitra Sen as Paro and Vjyayanthimala as Chandramukhi. The movie did have some interesting moments, but was not a commercial success. Bimal Da’s next two movies in 1958 were a break from his tragic, neo realistic stuff. Yahudi starring Dilip Kumar and Meena Kumari was a period drama set in ancient Rome, but it was the other movie Madhumati, that would be a commercial blockbuster. Written by Ritwik Ghatak, edited by Hrishida with a memorable music score by Salil Choudhury, it was the most commercial movie directed by Bimal Da. The movie starring Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala in the lead roles, mixed elements of reincarnation and the ghost story, with a Gothic noir feel to it. It was marked by excellent cinematography and for the first time, a Hindi movie was shot extensively outdoors. The camerawork is exemplary whether its capturing the lush outdoors or the sinister shades of the haveli. The movie also walked away with a clutch of awards including Best Picture and Best Director. But what would be most memorable, was Salil Da’s unforgettable score. Whether it’s the folksy Bichua song, the road song Suhana Safar, the wonderful duet Dil Tadap Tadap Ke or the dance number Ghadi Ghadi Mera Dil Dhadke or the poignant Toote Hue Khwabon Ne or the comical Jungle Mein Mor Nacha, this is an album which is a collector’s delight. And of course can any forget Lata’s Aaja Re Pardesi, this is a song, which haunts you literally with it’s mesmerizing score.
The final phase of his career, would put Bimal Da into a height, where people just dream of reaching. In 1959, came Sujata, which saw Bimal Da, back to his old style of subtle minimalist movie making. This movie was a powerful statement against untouchability and how even supposedly modern, progressive people themselves are not immune to it. Nutan stars in the title role as an untouchable girl bought up by a Brahmin family( Tarun Bose & Sulochana). Sujata grows up as one of their own, and she is a close friend of the couple’s own daughter Rama( Shashikala). The trouble breaks out when Rama’s suitor Adhir( Sunil Dutt) falls in love with Sujata, and Rama’s mother cannot accept this fact. The movie is a statement on our prejudices and the scourge of untouchability. Helped by some excellent performances by Nutan, Sunil Dutt and Shashikala, the movie is a classic of it’s kind. And of course one of the most romantically picturized songs Jalte Hai Jiske Liye, where Sunil Dutt confesses his love for Nutan over the phone. A memorable score here by Dada S.D.Burman.
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