All posts by GGaurav

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About GGaurav

I am passionate about old movies, songs and trivia.

Ek Gaon Bara Bhangadi (1968)

My Reviews

The 1960s was a period when Marathi cinema saw a wave of tamasha oriented movies. Sangtye Aika (directed by Anant Mane) was probably the trendsetter of this wave. Tamasha movies make use of the lavani dance form (from the state of Maharashtra). Typically, the story revolves around the lavani dancer character, in a village set up. And of course, propped up by some catchy music compositions. Ek Gaon Bara Bhangadi (literally one village and 12 affairs) belongs to this genre. It was also directed by Anant Mane.

The Plot

The movie begins with a lavani performance. The village chief “sarpanch” Patil (Dada Salvi) and his two associates Jhele Anna (Nilu Phule) and Gavde Anna (Bhalchandra Kulkarni) attend the show of a renowned lavani dancer Phulawati / Phula (Jayshree Gadkar). Phula presents an intoxicating lavani (Ashi mee khidkit rahate ubhi) and the three are impressed. Jhele Anna requests her to sing a westernised lavani. She immediately complies by singing Raya aata rickshaw hou de suru.

After the performance, the trio meet her and offer her supari (invitation) to visit their village “Mauje Thakwadi” on 15 August. Thak means thug. Phula is first scared by the name but they assure her that its a beautiful village and so are its inhabitants. A convinced Phula accepts the invitation.

The trio return to their village Thakwadi. On the outskirts of the village, they are met by a group of men looking like thugs (or bandits). Apparently there have been some dealings between Patil and these people. Patil warns them not to show their faces until they are called for. When the trio enter the village, they are met by a mad man. This seems to be a typical character in old movies, who normally has a back story relevant to the plot and is revealed later!

There is a new (young and beautiful) school teacher in the village. Unfortunately, she is being pestered by the men of the village, who follow her, pass comments, make funny drawings on the school wall and in general be a nuisance. Frustrated, she approaches the sarpanch Patil for help. However on the pretext of being sympathetic, he tries to take advantage of her. His wife arrives suddenly and the teacher manages to flee from the scene.

She then goes to the school principal (Govind Kulkarni) with a transfer application. He is a good man. He advises to rethink her decision and go to the sarpanch for help. She narrates her embarrassing “experience” at the sarpanch’s house and realises she is helpless. Nevertheless, he tries to pacify her when a man called Gopal arrives. Gopal is one of Patil’s men. He taunts the Principal and the teacher and apologises for “disturbing” their private matter. She leaves hurriedly.

The school Principal is also the secretary cum treasurer of the village cooperative society and manages its finances. Gopal has come with a request of Rs 500 from the society. The society chairman (none other than sarpanch Patil) has recommended / approved the request. The Principal refuses to give the money. Then Patil arrives, lectures the Principal and forcibly hands over the money to Gopal. The Principal explains that these are the society’s funds and should be distributed in a justified manner. He cannot keep working on the sarpanch’s recommendations and waste the money. He quotes a few examples to the furious sarpanch. In total Rs 25,000 have been “utilized” for the welfare of the villagers till date. A servant comes to call Patil as his sister Rajakka (Shanta Tambe) is waiting at his house. Patil leaves but he knows the matter is not over.

Rajakka is a widow and Patil is helping her to manage her farm land. But again, her best interests are not on his mind. She accuses him of stealing her rightful claim to the crop yield and threatens to adopt her nephew, so that there will be no further dealing required with Patil. Patil cannot digest this as it will mean a loss of one of his sources of income. Looking for an opportunity, he pushes his sister from the roof and silences her permanently.

Unfortunately for Patil, the Principal witnesses the murder. There is  no option but to silence the witness. Patil kills the Principal the same night. He kidnaps the school teacher and imprisons her in the basement of his house. Word is spread that the Principal ran away with the teacher and had mismanaged the society’s finances. The villages are shocked but have no option but to believe and accept the news.

Thus we come to know the true character of Patil and his cronies. They can go to any extremes to make money and retain authority in the village. Those who oppose them will be dealt with a rough hand.

But all this is about to change. Enter the hero and heroine. The police receive an anonymous letter and an officer Shirke (Arun Sarnaik) is sent to Thakwadi for investigation. At the station, Phula is boarding the train along with Ganpya (Ganpat Patil). As happens in movies, the hero and heroine board the same compartment (conveniently first class). Shirke plays a prank and records the conversation between Phula and Ganpya. He explains he has a tape recorder which is used to record voices, songs etc. This helps to break the ice. He requests Phula to sing a song. She obliges and sings a devotional song “Kashi gavalan Radha bawarli”.

Later in the night, a robber enters the compartment. Being the policeman, Shirke saves Phulawati and she expresses her gratitude. Shirke hatches a plan. He will join Phula’s troupe as a musician so he can enter Thakwadi easily without any suspicion. The plan is carried out. They settle down in the village. There are more lavanis on the way (Ata lagnacha way maza zhala ga and Thawa nahi ishqacha inga).

So we have lots of investigation work by Shirke with support from Phula leading to some interesting developments. Patil is a wily character. He is suspicious about Shirke and his intentions. There is another murder – Jhele Anna is eliminated when he tries to go against Patil. Shirke moves closer to the truth leading to a rather unexpected climax.

The Music

Veterans Jagdish Khebudkar (lyricist) and Ram Kadam (music director) have collaborated in multiple movies and their lavanis are a delight for the audience. It is a difficult task to write the appropriate song for every situation which has to be in a lavani format. And equally difficult to compose a matching tune. For example, the western lavani in this movie which has to sound western but have the structure of a lavani! As expected, they are successful in their task.

Krishna Kalle has sung most of the songs, while one by Suman Kalyanpur and one by Balakram. The standout song is the title song (Ek gaav an bara bhangadi aika sangte kahani ) where all the wrongdoings are revealed in a lavani performance much to the shock of the villagers.

My Thoughts

The storyline is predictable as we know the villain and the outcome. But the director’s treatment makes it an interesting watch with the help of good songs. Arun Sarnaik and Jayshree Gadkar share good chemistry. Thankfully, there is no long drawn romantic plot with unnecessary songs. The heroine excels in the acting and the dance performances. Dada Salvi is a bit monotonous as the villainous sarpanch who has only one mission – his own welfare. But he enacts the evil character convincingly. This was Nilu Phule’s debut movie. Strangely his Jhele Anna character talks in a Belgavi accent instead of his trademark voice that achieved legendary status. The actor playing Gopal is impressive.

Overall, a predictable affair which is worth a watch.

Do Boond Paani (1971)

My Reviews,

The land of Rajasthan brings into mind the vast expanse of the desert, where for miles you can only see sand. It brings into mind the significance of greenery, the source of which is precious water. Written, produced and directed by K. A. Abbas, Do Boond Paani is focused on the scarcity of this valuable resource and how it impacts the characters of the movie.

The Plot

The setting of Do Boond Paani is a village in Rajasthan called Bhartiya. Ganga Singh (Jalal Agha) is bringing his newly wedded wife Gauri (Simi Garewal) to the village. Gauri is an educated girl who can speak her mind and think practically. Ganga is pleasantly surprised to know that she can read and write as well. Education does make a lot of difference! They are welcomed with great fanfare and a song (Baani teri bindiya) by Ganga’s sister Sonki (Madhu Chanda). The new couple is blessed by Ganga’s father Hari Singh (Sajjan).

Unfortunately, things are not hunky dory in the village. It has not rained since 7 years. The water sources have dried up. The village women spend a lot of time walking long distances to fetch a pot of water. The new bride Gauri joins Sonki and the other women as they begin their daily journey in search of water. To pass the time, they sing a song Peetal Ki Mori Gagari. Gauri and Sonki develop a mother – daughter bond. Gauri starts teaching her to read and write.

Apparently, Ganga’s family occupation is farming. But the fields are dry. Ganga and his father have started working as blacksmiths as a temporary(?) occupation. They are waiting for the rains to return, so they can resume cultivation of the land. A frustrated Hari Singh tries to grow crops in a mini patch.

Ganga has a friend called Mangal Singh (Prakash Thapa?). Mangal Singh is a shady character who wants to earn easy money. He has his sights on Sonki and wants to marry her but she knows his true character and rejects his advances.

The villagers’ life takes an unexpected turn when a “sarkari” man arrives in the village. His job is to travel from village to village and show government films/ documentaries on the bioscope. Night comes and the whole village gathers to see the show. They see visuals of the Republic day parade in New Delhi followed by a segment on the Government’s efforts to build a canal in rain parched Rajasthan. There is a young engineer Mohan Kaul (Kiran Kumar) appealing to the audience to come in large numbers and join him in his efforts to construct the canal. He awaits the day when the canal will be ready and reach the dry parts of the state.

The audience is mesmerised. Sonki is taken in by the young and tall (lambu) engineer. Ganga makes a quick decision to leave the village and join the engineer at the project site. He wants to contribute to the Government’s efforts and bring water to his village. Hari Singh and Gauri are supportive.

So Ganga leaves after sharing goodbyes with everyone in the village. He is expected to be away for 2 or 3 years by when the canal is expected to get completed. However, in the journey, he keeps thinking of Gauri and returns home the same night. Gauri is furious. Through a story involving a Rajput couple, she indicates that she will kill herself if he returns without completing his mission. The Rajput pride is at stake. A shaken Ganga promises he will return only when his undertaking is a success.

Ganga reaches the project site to meet Mohan Kaul. Mohan is impressed and surprised by Ganga’s arrival. He explains the documentary shown was created 4 years ago and it is only now that it has reached Ganga’s village. And Ganga is the first person to come responding to the engineer’s appeal. So much so for the Government’s marketing efforts!

As Ganga does not have any specific skill, he is given the job to handle the donkeys used in the construction. However with his own efforts and Mohan’s encouragement, he learns how to operate the tractor and manages it efficiently. He also makes effort to become literate, so he can write to his family himself and does not have to rely on Mohan or anyone else. After all, its personal! Mohan is impressed and treats Ganga as his brother. Ganga receives news that he is going to become a father soon.

While the canal is getting ready, things are deteriorating in the village. The drought continues and villagers decide to leave the village. Hari Singh and his family are not convinced. They have faith in Ganga’s mission and are willing to wait for his return. Through a song (Do Boond Paani), we see the villagers moving out, literally in search of greener pastures. So, only Ganga’s family stays back. It is getting difficult to obtain potable water, most of the times it is more mud and less water.

Hari Singh falls sick. In a state of delirium, he dreams of the water reaching the village, and the lush green fields signalling the end of their woes. His condition worsens and he passes away. Later, Sonki is pursued and raped by Mangal Singh and she runs away from the village.

Gauri is left alone and sings a song of loneliness (Jaa ri pawaniya piya ke des jaa). She delivers Ganga’s child, a son (Jamuna Singh) and continues to live in the village. The local postman is the only visitor in the village. He delivers Ganga’s money orders to Gauri and helps her by bringing daily necessities to keep the house running. Needless to say, she is desperately waiting for Ganga to come back.

Will Ganga come home? What happens to Sonki and Mangal Singh? And the million dollar question – will the canal project get completed?

The Music

The film songs are written by Kaifi Azmi and Balkavi Bairagi with music by Jaidev. They are voiced by Asha Bhosle, Mukesh, Laxmi Shankar, Minu Purushottam and Parveen Sultana. While the first two songs are placed in happier times, the remaining 2 are aligned to the darker part of the story. The songs serve to balance the dry proceedings and provide relief.

My Thoughts

The subject is different. The film is totally based in Rajasthan. We see the desert landscape throughout the movie. Though made more than 50 years earlier, It is successful in highlighting the importance of water and remains relevant in the present times. There are no loud dialogues, lecturing or over the top performances. It is a simple story told in a simple way. Overall, K. A. Abbas manages to deliver an engaging film. Considering the subject, the film may feel a bit sluggish at times. There is a sub theme about the slowness of the Government machinery, time taken in decision making and its impact on the common people.

Acting wise, Simi Garewal shines in the role of the farmer’s wife. She makes practical decisions for her family’s benefit and gets their support. Jalal Agha is charming and convincing as the simple farmer who undertakes a difficult mission and aims for the betterment of his family. Madhu Chanda and Sajjan are adequate. This was Kiran Kumar’s debut movie and he performs confidently.

Mazdoor (1983)

My Reviews,

In 1957, B.R. Chopra made a memorable film which focused on the man v/s machine conflict. The film was Naya Daur which has achieved classic status in Hindi cinema. The audience accepted the realistic theme with its entertaining story line, star cast and music. (It won 3 Filmfare awards for its hero, music director and story writer). More than 25 years later, under the same production (B.R. Films) came Mazdoor which is clearly inspired from Naya Daur. It was directed by B. R. Chopra’s son Ravi Chopra. Unfortunately, it failed to achieve the same status and recall value of its inspiration.

The Plot

Sinha (Nazir Hussain) is the owner of Hiralal Mills named after his son who is currently abroad. Sinha is a caring owner who is not only after profits from the mill but ensures the welfare of his workers. His close associate is the foreman Dinanath Saxena (Dilip Kumar), who also has a caring nature towards the mill and its workers. He has one dream – he is waiting for the day when a mazdoor will be able to write his own destiny. His co-workers include Govinda (Johnny Walker) and Yunus (Yunus Parvez).

Another important character is Ashok Mathur (Raj Babbar). He delivers tiffins to the mill staff and is studying textile engineering. Dinanath is impressed by his hard work and attitude.

We are introduced to Dinanath’s family. His wife is Radha (Nanda). Dinanath purchases cut pieces of cloth from his mill at reduced rates. Radha tries to supplement the family income by selling them in a makeshift shop in their house. They have 2 children, a daughter Meena (Padmini Kolhapure) (who apparently goes to school) and a son Ramesh (Raj Kiran), who is a college student. Ramesh has bunked college for a movie and Dinanath lectures him to be serious etc. He compares him with Ashok who is slogging to be an engineer.

Dinanath invites Ashok to his house and meet his family. Ashok offers some sales advice to Dinanath and Radha. Instead of selling from the house, what if he attempts sell the fabrics around the city? This will help increase the reach and sale. Dinanath agrees and the deal is sealed. Ashok is successful in his mission and soon becomes a household member. Dinanath accepts him as his son and Radha and Meena are impressed too. Only Ramesh doesn’t care about him, he considers him an outsider and insults him regularly.

Things take a sudden turn when Sinha Seth dies due to a heart attack. His son Hiralal (Suresh Oberoi) arrives to take over the management of the mill. But father and son are not cut from the same cloth. Hiralal is money minded. He is ready to go to any extremes to make money, be it at the cost of the workers’ well being. Aiding him is corrupt Daulatram (Madan Puri).

The mill has earned a huge profit that year. But Hiralal wants to increase the production by purchasing new machinery. He announces there will be no bonus for that year, and this is a shock for the workers. A crestfallen Dinanath comes home with the news. He tells Radha that he doesn’t care for his own bonus but his fellow workers had made plans in anticipation which now lay shattered. As a diversion, his mood is uplifted by Ashok who has managed to sell almost all the cut pieces and make a profit.

In the mill, Ashok gets introduced to Hiralal. One day, a machine suddenly stops working and Hiralal is aghast as the mill engineer is on a month’s leave. Work cannot be stopped because of one person’s absence. In steps Ashok, who repairs the machine (almost!) in a jiffy. He quotes a sum of Rs 1,000 as his charges stating he decides his own price. He gets paid and he offers the money to Dinanath as he looks up to him as his father. It is agreed that Dinanath will buy more cut pieces from the amount to continue their business deal.

Now it is time to introduce the inevitable love angle. Meena is falling for Ashok. Ashok is getting closer to a stranger Smita (Rati Agnihotri) with whom he has had a chance meeting. In short, both ladies are falling for the same man, leading to future complications.

Things are not going smooth between Hiralal and the workers. A worker Raju dies in an accident while on duty. The workers take him to the hospital and attend his last rites. Hiralal is furious that the work has stopped randomly. He confronts Dinanath who lectures him on humanity, ethics etc which have no effect. Hiralal decides to suspend Dinanath for 10 days and cut the wages of the workers.

Dinanath can’t digest the injustice done to the workers. He is ready to be suspended but does not want the workers to suffer. He attends the mill’s Annual General Meeting and raises his voice on behalf of the workers. Hiralal offers him to sign an apology after which things will return to normal. Dinanath insults Hiralal by tearing the apology document and voluntarily resigns.

The workers misunderstand and think he has been sacked. They offer to go on strike but he explains the situation, pacifies them to continue working and returns home.

On the same day, Ashok comes with good news – he has passed the exam and is now an engineer. Dinanath takes Ashok to a burnt mill to check if it can be made operational again. They need to pay Rs 3 lakhs but Dinanath has only Rs 25,000 which he pays as advance. They attempt to take loans but are unsuccessful. (In the background, Hiralal is ensuring they are not successful in arranging the money. He cannot forget his insult and is waiting to extract his revenge).

The deadline to pay the balance amount approaches when their savior enters the scene. This is Mr Kundanlal Batra (Iftekhar), a well known businessman. He knows everything about Dinanath and wants to help him out. And coincidence! Smita turns out to be his daughter.

So, Dinanath is now a mill owner and he and Ashok begin the tough job of starting production as soon as possible. The beginning is tough but they are soon joined by their old colleagues Govinda, Yunus and the lot. The cloth from their mill is of high quality. Hiralal makes moves to stop their goods from reaching the market, so they sell the garments and fabrics in a makeshift market on the road. This further frustrates Hiralal.

Overall, there is smooth sailing. Dinanath Saxena is now a rich and reputable businessman in the city. Dinanath proposes that Ashok marry Meena and all of them can stay together. Ashok is unable to confess his love for Smita openly considering all that Dinanath has done for him. He reluctantly marries Meena, leaving Smita devastated. Then Smita makes a plan to marry Ramesh, so she can enter his house and spend time with Ashok.

Thus the story line evolves into a love triangle leading to disastrous consequences. Things reach a point where Dinanath disowns Ashok and asks him to leave the house and mill permanently. Ramesh is fully supportive of his father’s actions. He was never in favour of the orphan Ashok anyway.

The workers are against this decision to remove Ashok and go on strike. What will happen? Will Dinanath be able to resolve the labour problem? Will Hiralal be successful in taking his revenge? And what happens to Ashok on a professional and personal front? Will he be forgiven by the Saxena family?

The Music

The comparison with Naya Daur’s music is inevitable. Unfortunately, lyricist Hasan Kamaal’s and R.D. Burman’s collaboration hardly leave an impact. Many songs are an opportunity for Dilip Kumar to showcase his dancing skills – Hum Mehnatkash Is Duniya Se, Pet Mein Roti, Tan Par Kapda and Nana Ho Gaya Diwana, where Mahendra Kapoor provides the playback. They have nothing new to offer. The others are sung by by Asha Bhosle (Baat Adhoori Kyon Hai and Tumhein Bhool Jaane Ka Haq Hai Magar) and Salma Agha (Pehla Pehla Pyar Na Bhoole).

My Thoughts

As evident, the movie falls to achieve the status of its predecessor Naya Daur. Its focus on the “mazdoor” is lost in between as romance and marital discord take priority. Maybe the filmy touches dilute the effect. It would have been interesting to see the ideological clash between the maalik and the mazdoor with its twists and turns leading to a satisfying end as in Naya Daur.

Dilip Kumar occupies every frame and performs effectively. His typical mannerisms and dialogue delivery impress at the beginning but become repetitive as the story progresses.

Suresh Oberoi’s character makes a mild villain in front of the veteran acto’s character. Maybe that was intentional. The other characters perform as required but don’t have much to contribute. Raj Babbar has some impressive dialogues which he delivers effectively. It is probably the only film featuring Dilip Kumar and Nanda together. Trivia: Dilip Kumar, Nazir Hussain and Johnny Walker had starred in Naya Daur as well as Mazdoor.