Category Archives: My Reviews

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.

Arey Sansaar Sansaar (1981)

My Reviews

Arey Sansaar Sansaar (Oh, this life!) is a Marathi movie directed by the veteran director Rajdutt. The movie shows the struggles of a farmer and his family. How they deal with a series of hardships and try to overcome them with great courage and unrelenting effort. It is based on a story by Pt. Mahadevshastri Joshi, who is credited as the source of many female centric movies in Marathi cinema.

The Plot

Arey Sansaar Sansaar is the story of a well to do farmer Bapu Desai (Kuldeep Pawar). Well to do in the sense that he is a watandaar (landholder). However his farm has been mortgaged with the local moneylender Sawkar (Ashok Saraf). Bapu is getting married and he has arranged the money by mortgaging his ancestral house. His wife is Ratna (Ranjana), who is also from a moderately rich family. In the very first scene, Bapu is bringing his newly wedded wife home. They have a sweet banter as they enter the village. Ratna is visibly impressed by her husband and his house.

As seems to be the custom, Bapu takes Ratna to meet Sawkar. Sawkar is a lecherous fellow with no scruples. He sees Ratna and is lusted by her beauty. This is a pointer of things to come!

The tobacco crop is ready. Bapu wants to sell it in the Nippani market where he is expected to get a much better rate than offered by the local Sawkar. The Sawkar is furious when he hears this. He goes to meet Bapu and offers him the same rate. There are some uncivil comments made by the Sawkar’s servant (Majnalkar) concerning Bapu’s wife Ratna. Bapu, gets angry and refuses to sell the crop to Sawkar come what may. Unfortunately, the crop gets damaged due to unexpected heavy rains and foils Bapu’s plans.

Sawkar goes to meet Ratna when Bapu is away. He tries to woo her but she gives him a fiery response and warns him to stay away from her. Bapu comes home and Sawkar reminds him of the loan. He will seize his land and house if the money is not paid back soon. A shaken Ratna offers her jewellery to cover some of the amount. The Sawkar leaves but his next scheme is ready. He ensures none of the farm labourers turn up to work for Bapu. Bapu is forced to work alone and keep the activities going.

So, now Ratna knows the reality of her in-laws’ financial condition. She is a feisty and practical woman. She cannot accept sitting at home while her husband toils in the fields. She joins him but he is not impressed. The women of his family are supposed to mind the house and not slog in the farm. What will the villagers, her parents etc say? She patiently explains that she has pledged to be with him in his joys and sorrows. He is finally convinced and thus begins their new farm life! They sing a song Raja lalkari ashi ghe.

Sawkar can’t let go of Ratna from his mind. He attempts to rape her but Bapu steps in and gives him a good bashing. In retaliation, Sawkar gets a seizure order and Bapu and Ratna are forced to leave their house and give up the farm too. They start living in a small hut. All that they have left is a small tract of jungle land which had been received as a reward (inaam) by Bapu’s family.

Bapu is disturbed by the developments. Gone is the prestige of the Desai’s. He cannot even guarantee a comfortable life for his better half. He attempts suicide but Ratna is alert and stops him in time. He asks her to leave him and go back to her parents. She says she has committed to be his shadow. This is a dark night but they should look forward for the sunshine. He agrees and they start working to clear the land and attempt cultivation. They sing another duet Kalya maatit maatit.

8 years pass on. They are blessed with 3 sons and also a bumper crop of sugarcane. They are looking forward to harvest the sugarcane when tragedy strikes. Sawkar sets the farm on fire and kills Bapu.

Ratna is broken and her struggles continue. There is severe famine and no food. She may have to sell off the last piece of land to support her family. She sings a sorrowful lullaby Jo jo gaate, zoka dete. Sawkar attempts to give her food and money but she refuses both with great will and effort. She cannot let her family’s principles wither away and die. Again, she looks forward for the positive tomorrow to arrive.

Sawkar attempts to abduct her children to force Ratna to come to him but she is saved by a good samaritan Sambha (Dinkar Inamdar). Sambha had faced a similar fate when the Sawkar lusted after his wife and eventually raped her. He had lost sanity for many years and roamed in the village like a mad man. Seeing Ratna’s plight, he is reminded of his past events and is suddenly brought back to reality. He attacks Sawkar and compels him to leave the children alone. Ratna accepts him as his brother. The rains arrive soon, bringing hope.

Finally, there is some joy in Ratna’s life. Ratna has aged, her children have grown up. The elder sons are married with children. The youngest Mahadev (Mohan Gokhale) has his sights on Hansa (Reema) and they look forward to get married with Ratna’s blessings.

And Sawkar? He won’t let Ratna or her family forget their hard times. He plans to sow the seeds of jealousy and discontent among her sons and daughter-in-laws. Will he succeed? Will Ratna continue to defy his intentions and manage to keep her family united?

The Music

The movie receives able support from its songs and are complementary to the story. Anil Arun are the music composers and Jagdish Khebudkar and Prof. Vitthal Wagh the lyricists. Suresh Wadkar and Anuradha Paudwal sings the hit duets Raja lalkari ashi ghe and Kalya maatit maatit (which comes in 2 versions). Vithu mauli tu is a devotional song in the voices of Sudhir Phadke, Suresh Wadkar and Jaywant Kulkarni. It is picturized on the 3 sons as an ode to their mother who has suffered all her life to bring them up successfully. The lullaby Jo jo gaate is also effective with its lyrics and picturization.

My Thoughts

The story is a long string of challenges faced by the main leads. It shows the debt trap that farmers enter into and is difficult to escape as the debt keeps piling up. They are at the mercy of the moneylender who exploits them openly. The viewer is easily reminded of Mother India with its fairly similar plot of the moneylender and the farmer’s family.

Kuldeep Pawar plays a character who is initially strong willed but later on forced to accept the reality of the debt trap and faces an unfortunate death. He shares a great chemistry with Ranjana. Ashok Saraf plays a comical villain. He is effective in some scenes but the comedic touch does not work every time. Maybe it would have benefited to show him as a typical evil villain who keeps plotting to fulfill his schemes against the Desai family. The show stealer is Ranjana. She is especially effective in her aged role right to her body language and movements showing a character who has seen it all that life has offered to her. She has no complaints and wants to spend her remaining days in the company of her children and grand children. The only jarring note is her soft dialogue delivery which is difficult to comprehend at times.

The movie also starred a young Reema Lagoo who is effective in her small role of the daughter-in-law. Interestingly, her real mother (Mandakini Bhadbhade) played her mother’s role on screen.