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Without wasting any time on the prologue let me take you straight through a fascinating journey spanning almost forty years of Hindi Films with some very interesting films and facts that plotted Hindi Films’ evolutionary march and became milestones in their own right by contributing something extraordinary and distinct to cinema’s ever expanding reach.

Late Sixties : Year 1969 : SAAT HINDUSTANI :

A movie based on true incidents during Goa’s liberation struggle enumerating the real life adventures of a band of revolutionaries with a tagline– A love story of a nation. This film was written,produced and directed by a maverick Khwaja Ahmed Abbas who lived and died upholding his own set of values.

It was a story of a bunch of six Hindustanis who came from diverse geographical, cultural,religious,caste, linguistic and educational backgrounds and who were exhorted by an active revolutionary to forsake their comfort zones and join in the liberation struggle of Goa. He wanted action and message of reassurance to be sent across in forceful manner to the inhabitants of Goa that they were not forgotten and forsaken by India and the Indian fervour for their freedom was really alive. So under him these six diverse men formed a sort of band of brothers and took a kind of commando training(that by present day standards may seem a farce but viewed in context of late fifties it definitely would have passed muster). Their mission was to sneak into Portugese ruled Goa and hoist India’s flag at important buildings and police posts.

In this mission they were joined by a young woman Maria (played by Shahnaz) who had lost her family fighting the Portugese oppressive rule. And she became the seventh Hindustani.She was their guide to show them the way through the verdant and picturesque lush terrain and geographical expanse of colonial Goa . Its their journey and bonding with each other during the Operation.Its about their conflicts,prejudices with each other and how they overcame them for a higher goal( a variation of Chak De India in those days!).

Through flashback the entire story is revealed about how they came together, for what cause, and how they met Maria and their adventures in fulfilling the mission.

I am not going into the whole review of the film. One thing that stood out in Saat Hindustani was Amitabh Bachchan. Yes,watching the movie you will get a feel of tremendous talent and see sparks of great potential in him. Tall and lanky he plays a muslim poet Anwar Ali Anwar. As per his character when he recites some couplets the baritone is palpable. From a soft,violence- shirking, vulnerable aristocratic poet to a revolutionary who is made Commander for the day (on revolving basis–seven days seven commanders) and who does not shirk killing a Portugese sepoy in line of duty makes for a fascinating character arc.

You have to see his anguish and shock in the beginning when Utpal Dutt playing a punjabi Joginder Nath (rather effected Punjabi and probably a miscast) throws a Portugese mukhbir(informer) out of the train when these six revolutionaries are traveling upto Belgaum at the border of Maharashtra and Karnatka, from where they had to sneak into colonial Goa around year 1960. Jalal Agha and other volunteer revolutionaries overpower Amitabh Bachchan. Utpal Dutt that time remarks ‘Agar tu commander hota toh tu bhi yahi karta jo maine kiya hai (if you were a commander you would have done the same what I did). Amitabh Bachchan wipes away his tear in understanding and nods. Utpal Dutt then asks him to recite a couplet on this. And Amitabh Bachchan recites few lines probably from his father’s poem ‘Aandhi Aaye ya toofan koi gum nahin, hai abhi aakhiri imtehaan saathiyo.Ik taraf maut hai ik taraf zindagi, thele chalo karwaan saathiyo’( Come storm or hurricane, not to bother,still there is final test,comrades. Death on one side and life on the other, lets carry on with the caravan,comrades).

His acting abilities really come to fore when he is shown tortured after being captured. His feet are slashed umpteen times, he is given electric shocks but he does not reveal the antecedents and whereabouts of his colleagues. So much inner strength and pain portrayed on such an innocent face of a poet! Amazing.

Amitabh Bachchan got his first Filmfare award for the Most Promising Newcomer for Saat Hindustani. A guy who was so keen to become an actor that he worked as a junior artiste in one of Shashi Kapoor’s films ( Shakespearewallah?) and who was reprimanded by Shashi Kapoor himself when he spotted son of Dr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan standing as an extra in a cremation scene(later on edited from the film),showed his passion, commitment and impending genius in Saat Hindustani—his first film.

Tinnu Anand was to do the role of Anwar Ali Anwar but due to his own priority he left for Calcutta to join Satyajit Ray as an assistant director. Amitabh Bachcahn stepped in. And rest as they say is history.

Mid Seventies : Year 1975: SHOLAY:

What to say of this film.Its tag line was ‘The greatest story ever told.’ And over a period of time this line proved prophetic.It is undoubtedly the most popular action film of Hindi cinema and one of the most emulated ones too.

If ever there was a case of inspiration from western and other foreign films being adapted so well to local ethos,culture and milieu Sholay scores gold. No plagiarism, no copying. But taking the influences from varied sources and serving such delicious, mouth slurping spaghetti,it’s unparalleld!

I need not go into the storyline or plotline of the movie. It would be rather blasphemous.
There is so much trivia available on it, again to tell it all would seem ridiculous. Still few facts can bear recall.

It was released on 15th August,1975. And became the first ever movie to celebrate silver jubilee in 100 theatres across the country!

Salim-Javed wanted Manmohan Desai to direct this script. But he declined as he was busy with his production Chacha Bhatija. Ramesh Sippy was an after-thought.

Shatrughan Sinha was almost signed to play Jai. Amitabh Bachchan approached Dharmendra who was that time a bigger star and requested to plead his case for the role of Jai with the producers. Dharmendra did the needful. Amitabh Bachchan was on the project.

Apart from its numerous aspects in various departments of filmmaking that stand out, one enduring fact of Sholay is its evil-needs-no-explanation-villain Gabbar Singh.Danny Denzongappa was approached to play role of Gabbar Singh.He declined as he was busy shooting for Godfather inspired Dharmatma in Afghanistan.And Amjad Khan(a bit player and a child and theatre artiste earlier) arrived at the big screen big time.Hindi cinema got its best and most sinister villain ever.

Javed Akhtar for once faltered in his judgement when he expressed his reservations against casting Amjad Khan as he found his voice too weak for a villain.

And as is widely known now, Amitabh Bachchan wanted to play Gabbar Singh as told by Big B himself. Infact Sanjeev Kumar was keen to essay that role but was told by producers to stick to Police Officer Thakur Baldev Singh.

Critics had panned the movie and it was a commercial disaster in first week. Producers were thinking seriously to pull it out of theatres. But Salim-Javed persuaded them to hang on for some more time. By end of second week it started picikng up by word of mouth publicity..And then there was no looking back.

It won only one Filmfare award and that too for best editing for M S Shinde. And the irony is that judges of the 50th Filmfare awards called it the best film of the last 50 years in Hindi cinema. In year 1999 BBC India declared it the ‘Film of the millennium’.There could not be a better example of destiny being a conspirator and the Uparwaala(The Almighty) being the best screenplay writer to plot the dramatis personae.

Early Eighties : Year 1984 : SAARANSH:

A film by Mahesh Bhatt that is considered his finest work as a film maker. It told the story of a retired headmaster B V Pradhan (Anupam Kher) who lost his son in a freak mugging incident in New York. It has been three months since his death and the father has not reconciled to the reality. In one of the most powerful, oft-quoted scenes of the movie Anupam Kher barges into the customs officer’s cabin after being denied delivery of his son’s ashes by bureaucratic red-tape. The scene’s dialogues are powerhouse of poignancy:

Here it goes: Anupam Kher enters the cabin along with his friend. He bursts out:

‘Main aapse milne aaya hoon…Main apna saamaan lene aaya hoon. Apne bete ki asthiyaan lene aaya hoon..Ek baap ka apne bete ki raakh par koi adhikaar hai ki nahin..ya uskay liye mujhe neeche rishwat deni padegi.’
The customs officer is stunned. He collects his wits and excuses himself. Goes out..Comes back with the box. Apologises and tells what else has to be done about his son’s material things like TV, Fridge,VCR etc that have also come back. Anupam Kher comes out with the ashes and addresses the custom officer:

‘Maaf karna bete—Main gussey mein kuchh zyada hi bol gaya thha. Darasal Vish(to his friend),chook kahin humi se ho gayi hai..shaayad hum hi theek shiksha nahin de paaye.’ Anupam Kher’s smouldering anger spews at appropriate moments. He is for character building, ethics and moral values. He is stubborn. He is an atheist too. His wife played by Rohini Hattangady is made of stronger stuff and she has her deep faith in God and her guruji (Alok Nath). On one such occasion Rohini Hattangady is sitting inside immersed in some puja and chanting in guruji’s presence and Anupam Kher waits outside (reminds of Amitabh Bachchan waiting at temple side- wall in Deewar). After the puja Alok Nath faces Anupam Kher and tells him:

‘Tumhare Ajay ko ek kokh ki talaash mein dekha hai.
Bahut jald bahut kareeb tumhare paas janam lene waala hai’. Rohini’s eyes light up with anticipation and Anupam Kher is his cynical self.

And then the story gets into gear. Soni Razdan comes to stay as paying guest at Anupam Kher’s house. She is involved with Madan Jain who has a very wily and powerful politician as father(played with his customary menace by Nilu Phule). She gets pregnant. Rohini Hattangaddy comes to know of it. She is ecstatic. Her guruji’s prophecy seems to be coming true. She tells Anupam Kher: ‘Uski aankhen dekhi tumne, kaisi chamak rahi thhin. Laga jaise zindagi chhoo gayi ho.’

But Madan Jain does not have the guts to marry her.He cannot stand upto his father who in turn cannot bear his son marrying a commoner and a film starlet. His reputation is at stake as the elections approach near. He pressurises his son who advises Soni Razdan to abort the child. She is furious. Rohini Hattangaddy supports Soni in carrying the baby. As she has her own hidden agenda. In her faith her dead son Ajay is reincarnating. Its Anupam Kher’s mission now to get Soni Razdan justice. It’s also his endeavour to broom away cobwebs of superstition from Rohini’s mindspace.The rest of the story shows how he gets Soni Razdan the justice while addressing issues of superstition, inequality, power-games by politicians and how he makes Rohini Hattangaddy reconcile to reality. In a touching moment at the end Anupam Kher says:
‘ Parvati,tumhare chehre ki jhurion mein mere jeevan ka saaransh hai.’(Parvati the lines on your face symbolise the gist of my life).

Anupam Kher during his struggle days came to know that one director who at least meets wannabe screen actors(so called strugglers) is Mahesh Bhatt. He approached him and told about himself and how he is such a good actor. Mahesh Bhatt felt like dismissing it as a young man’s bravado. But he could see some intangible intensity and conviction in Anupam Kher’s eyes.

As Anupam Kher was balding at a very young age, Mahesh Bhatt toyed at that moment with an idea to cast him as a retired headmaster in Saaransh. And then the inevitable happened. Rajshri Productions, the producers of the movie wanted Sanjeev Kumar to play that role. When Anupam Kher came to know of this development he took a cab and went to Mahesh Bhatt’s flat. As he was ushered in, he started calling Mahesh Bhatt a cheat, a liar who played with the emotions of people. He labeled him a hypocrite and told him that he was leaving the city and his luggage was in the cab as he felt betrayed and totally desperate with no future in the industry. Mahesh Bhatt stopped him to do so.And told him to wait for few more days.Because that spontaneous outburst cast a dye in Anupam Kher’s favor and Mahesh Bhatt stood up to Rajshris that he will make this movie either with Anupam Kher or not at all..
Anupam Kher at age 28 debuted playing almost a sixty year old protagonist..And rest as they say is history.

Saaransh was an official entry from India to Oscars in year 1985. Anupam Kher got best actor Filmfare award on his debut itself. Mahesh Bhatt got the award for best story .Wonder why it did not get award for best dialogues too.

Late Nineties : Year 1999: SARFAROSH:

Sarfarosh deals with proxy war being waged by Pakistan. Its about criminal-politician-terrorist nexus. Its about cops and that too honest and committed ones. It is one of the best police procedural movies made in Hindi cinema where policemen are not caricatures and stereotypes.(Another movie that dealt realistically with working of the police department is may be Ardh Satya). An anti-terrorist squad(ATS) is formed under the leadership of ACP Ajay Singh Rathor (Aamir Khan)at Mumbai Crime Branch to chase and nail the trail of terrorists and arms smugglers who have nefarious designs to destabilise the communal harmony and social fabric of the country. And Aamir Khan with his backstory of having lost a brother and father partially paralysed in a terrorist attack is hell bent on cleansing the stables festering with corruption,conspiraciesand terrorist plots in connivance between peoples’ representatives, crooks and traitors.

It is one of the gems of Indian commercial cinema which has right mix of action,thrill,drama and romance– Where characters are well-etched (Apart from Aamir’s Ajay Singh Rathor watch Mukesh Rishi as Insp.Salim who has this prejudice that because of his minority status he is not trustworthy in the police department).

And then there is this muhajir( Muhajirs is a term used for victims of partition who were
forced to leave their ancestral homes in India and who were treated as outsiders in their adopted country Pakistan) Naseerruddin Shah who is a famous ghazal singer Gulfam Hassan but turns out to be kingpin in terrorist racket. He is brilliant as a gentle,soft-spoken proverbial wolf-in-sheep-clothing. That scene where he kills a lamb is one of the brilliant pieces of cinematic renditions of an incident, that brings out character’s cruel and ruthless nature.Aamir Khan is a fan of Naseerrudin Shah’s ghazal singing and his heartbreak on knowing the true identity of Naseerruddin Shah is too poignant and personal.But he does not allow his feelings to come in between the discharge of his duties and loyalty to the country.Its climax action is one of the few intelligently mounted sequences in Hindi cinema.

Technically well crafted Sarfarosh with its realistic fights and shootouts,crisp and sharp dialogues went on to bag Filmfare Critic Award for best film.. It also fetched for its director the best screenplay trophy. and award for best dialogues to Hriday Lani and Pathik Vats.

John Mathew Matthan made a transition from an ad filmmaker to a film director. And what a transition!

Four movies four decades..Few of the commonalities or remarkable coincidences about these gems.

Amitabh Bachchan,Anupam Kher and John Mathew Matthan began their careers with one of these films and became a force to recknon with in pantheon of Hindi cinema or carved out a permanent niche for themselves. Amjad Khan though debuted in Chetan Anands film Hindustan Ki Kasam as an PAF pilot but his brush with glory started in his second outing itself in a new avatar of a villain(In a way his debut as a villain).

All four films have path-breaking or trend-setting storylines. Simple themes excellently woven.

All these films belong to different genres.

These films tackled topical and contemporary issues of their times in a very intelligent manner.

And all four of them have titles that have initial alphabet ‘S’-that could stand for sincerity,story,screenplay,style,substance,spellbinding,spectacular and success.

This is year 2007. Late in first decade of twenty first century. And Hindi cinema is undergoing palpable positive changes in both content and marketing. Going by these coincidences or similarities there is one movie round the corner that could fit the bill..which is launching new faces,to say the least–the starry starry scions of Rishi Kapoor and Anil Kapoor.And it starts with S too–and it is SAANWARIYA!

What you say? I take a break. Over to you.