HALLA BOL
Now when RajKumar Santoshi’s “halla bol” is about to release,there’s a buzz that it’s inspired by Safdar Hashmi and Jessica Lal’s case. Halla Bol stars Vidya Balan opposite Ajay Devgan and is scheduled to release by this year end.A part of it has also been shot on the sets of “omkara”.It’s the story of an actor and his journey.It’s a tale of how Ashfaque Khan transformed into his screen name “sameer khan”.A party happens and everthing changed for the actor and he fights for justice….This is the synopsis I read. Now I have a doubt… in this synopsis where the story of Safdar Hasmi lies. I will not talk about the famous Jessica Lal case ( though it’s equally an ideal case of failure of a democratic system) simply coz the case is in court and we have to wait for the court’s verdict. The verdict of Safdar hashmi case is out and all the accused were sentenced to life imprisonment.The cause for which Hashmi gave his life has a more relevance today. This may be a reason which inspired Mr. Santoshi to make a film. On 1 January 1989, Safdar Hashmi was performing a street play at Jhandapur(an industrial township just outside Delhi), where one of the candidates in the election, Mukesh Sharma’s procession arrived. Safdar requested Sharma to take another route and come this way later. In response, the actors were attacked with sticks and iron rods. Safdar was singled out, his head bashed in, and left for dead. Safdar, aged 34, died in hospital the following night. By then hundreds had gathered at the hospital in a spontaneous show of solidarity and protest. Fifteen thousand marched at his funeral on January 3, the largest funeral ever for a theatre artist in Delhi. I can clearly remember the video of how an oldie Bhisma Saahni was desparte to give kandha to his arthi Protest demonstrations swept the country, and several hundred thousand marched in dozens of cities and towns. On January 4, less than 48 hours after his death, Moloyashree, Safdar’s comrade, companion and wife, led the actors of Jana Natya Manch(Hashmi’s theatre group) to the site of the attack and completed the disrupted performance. The play was called ‘Halla Bol’ (’Attack’), done in support of striking workers.
Safdar was a visionary who has a dream of embedding culture into the politics. Dissatisfied by IPTA he wanted to make a fire brand group which could be more sharper ,more political.So he formed a group Jan Natya Manch.on 1973. An artist,a writer,an activist who used to sing Ghalib..His plays are full of satire and song and comments on the corrupt politics and the system. He fought for the workers. It’s impossible to replace Safdar since he was not an individual who only performed his job. He dreamt of a classless society.Therefore,we have lost a vision.
Movies wer being made and always made but how many of us ever stand for workers, against corruptions and injustice.. We are writers,directors,music directors,lyricist,cinematographers..everything but not an activist. I never heard that a cinematographer is also an activist or a production manager is fighting for some cause.Of course There were writers,song composers and actors but they r very few.Kudos to Mr. Santoshi for attempting the story. I m eager to see how much this could influence us. Till then we should ask to ourselves that do we ever inspire by safdar Hashmi…?
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
Dipankar: Raj Santoshi’s film should have nothing to do with Safdar Hashmi’s case.
Is not Mala Hashmi, Safdar Hashmi’s widow? She started later “SAHMAT” in memory of her late husband which became controversial because of their act to show Ram and Sita as brother and sister.
I recall “Halla Bol” started with Jeetendra’s old song,”Mein ayoon, Mein Ayoon, Aaa ja” when a Hawaldar comes to disrupt it.
Play had some good dialogues. but dont think this play can be converted in to a good film.
That was a street play and hence treatment was according to that level.
the film is also about a theatre actor becoming a star.. a lot of parallels with the life of SRK.. in disguise of other things
@rk what is it to do with mala’s story.Raj Santoshi has accepted this that the film is based on both the cases.is it completely baseless?….i too found some doubt in it..coz the synopsis has not a place to accomodate the safadar’s story….and if anurag is true then there must be a deal..i couldn’t get the whole story…what’s the idea man….
@ anurag…what’s the deal…doing london dreams…doing ramaayan…doing this doing that..n all of a sudden this halla boll…what’s is in santoshi’s mind.
n yes ..wht is a connection between a Barry John Chankayapuri guy and an incident at Mehrauli.
Dipankar: With the title of the film, I too had got doubt if film had anything to do with last play of Safdar Hashmi. But knowing play very well and the synopsis coming out now, Its safely can be said it has nothing to do with the play. Play had no material for a film. But film can take a clue from life of Safdar Hashmi like activists.
Re: Mala, I was referring to her name as you had mentioned it as Malooshri.
Same connection can be there with SRK’s life.- But then it can be from any theatre artist’s life who came to make career in films.
Moreover now connecting film with Safdar Hashmi gives an authenticity to the film. we have to see if it may generate curiosity like RDB among people. Unjustice is a hot topic.
Dipankar,
have you seen ‘Lajja’? That one was also hyped as the story of the rape victims in Bihar but turned out to be “you-know-that-can-not-be-printed”.
The problem with RKS is that he starts his day with headlines in Times of India searching for a good story but all of a sudden shifts his zeal to Page3. So whenever he comes out finishing his newspaper reading session his head is filled up with news like ” Rakhi Sawant is accused of raping Nisha Kothari in parliament” or “Govinda to act in Ingmer Bergman’s posthmous movie about endangered elephants in Kilimanjaro”. That fusion is the true mark of a creative mind, after all. So better wait and watch how Safdar Hasmi turns into a serial killer to make a kill for Jessica Laal in RKS’s aptly titled movie “Halla Gol”
Regards,
Cubicle Bound Misfit
i really have no clue dipu, this is the rumour floating around.. one thing i know is he is sincere this time..
another story i have heard is it is also inspired from satyajit ray’s film about an actor who transforms one day, don’t know which film, never saw a lot of ray films..
Has to be Nayak, Anurag… That’s the only film Ray made about the movies… There Uttam Kumar is a small-time theatre actor who becomes a big star but how his past never leaves him… An absolute classic, you must watch it…
Anurag,
Nayak was an actor’s journey in a train with a film crew and reporter. The reporter(played by Sharmila Tagore)was with the crew to interview the superstar and her questions opened a chains of thoughts in the inner psyche of the protagonist.His reflection about his past, his insecurity in stardom and the journey of life he did make so far is captured brilliantly by Manik’s direction keeping the train journey as an allegory and Uttam Kumar’s rhetoric.(http://youtube.com/watch?v=Sy1byTtY5Ss). But nowhere, I remember Uttam Kumar doing something in that whole journey to evoke a cry like “Halla Bol”.:d
Regards,
Cubicle Bound Misfit
i don’t know, i am looking forward to this one since my friend nutty shot it, looks sincere and i was also part of jan natya manch until 93 when i came to mumbai..
I look forward to all Rajkumar Santoshi films. For me, he is one of the top directors in India in the mainstream realm. He uses the format so well and at the same time has always told different kinds of stories. Some have worked, some didn’t. Some were great, some were crap, but at least even in the crap ones, he was still trying to do something other than candyfloss romances or weepy family dramas.
The Legend of Bhagat Singh is my favorite Santoshi film. Followed by the uncharacteristic Andaz Apna Apna.
Andaz Apna Apna
Khakhi
Ghayal
Damini
Its amazing how brilliant Andaz Apna Apna was. And why it didnt become a monster hit. But it has become a cult movie over time though.
cheers
Yeah I’m looking forward to this one too. Besides Lajja, which didn’t really interest me too much, I’ve liked Santoshi’s films. Ghayal, Ghatak, Andaaz Apna Apna, Damini all solid films… Barsaat, well, ok… and then China Gate & Pukar were ok, watchable… bounces back with Legend of Bhagat Singh, Khakee, two of his best films… I’d say as impressive a list as any in recent times… and this time Halla Bol has both “hard hitting” and “entertaining” vibes coming from all the pre-release… Should be pretty good…
Cubicle Bound Misfit –
“Rakhi Sawant is accused of raping Nisha Kothari in parliament
i am also eagerly waiting for Halla bol!
- Karthik,
I Agree, RKS was definately out of form atleast in two movies, ‘Lajja’ and ‘Family-Ties of blood’, i guess we can excuse Family which was the launch Pad for the producer’s Son resulting in a overindulgent and bad movie( same is the case with Barsaat). But What was he exactly trying to do in Lajja?? :o :o, with actresses like Rekha, Madhuri and Manisha..and with his capability the movie was a complete let down almost stooping down to B Grade dialogues in some scenes. I just hope, Halla Bol adds a new feather to his cap and delights us as well.
Regards,
PerfectMisfit
what if it is not based on com. safdar hashmi.thanks for remembering him.
He made andaj apna apna when no one was making comedy it was surprisingly great..again when bhagat singh tale out everyone is trying to make same story and his was the best. Raj Kumar santoshi was always great when he created something new. his ghayal, damini, ghatak, chinagate was seems as sequel so was over burnt..barsat was better..lastly Khakee was entertaining but family looks as its sequel so RKS flopped himself..personally I feel sometime great santoshi loose his control or overexcited while proceedings.. but whenever he started fresh with some creative story he has done legendarily..Except lajja, where he fails to control but his attempt was variety… I loved his acting in a child film as father and as usual wating for Halla bol whatever it is…
Always delighted remember and respect him for Ghayal and Andaj apna apna..
@cubicle n pratim …”nayak’s” conflict is somehow different from the concept of “halla bol”. NAYAk is a series of questions which strikes suddenly in a superstar’s mind.Otherwise the story would not have gone to flashback..I don’t think there is a large difference between “nayak” and “guddi” ….the word “halla boll” is an absolutely pure n genuine n complete..may be in some sense it resembles Mangal pandey’s revolt..but i think Santoshi has now tightened his belt..he has delayed “ramayan” n wants to take advantage of “RDB”. He knows well that what he had done with his last two films.Tn certainly don’t want to b another Mahesh Manjerekar or Ketan Mehta..He has a filmmaker in him n he wants to bounce back….n this film is going to be his litmus test.
@rk…a man dissatisfied with a major theatre group and form his own group who inspired the next generation to do the street plays. We too at Delhi has done a lot of street plays.How many of college guys are doing street plays…where is the spark man…Hashmi also had a love story and the story has a climax..It has a potent of a film…i think so..so i differ with u at this point..
In the tamil movie anbe sivam, kamal haasan played a social activist who did street plays.If i am not wrong he did mention his role in the movie as a homage to safdar hashmi.
Dipankar: dissatisfaction with IPTA is not new thing. Since its begining many stalwarts have been going away from it.
But I am bit confused that we are discussing different things. I was saying that “Halla Bol” the street play has no substance to make a film on that plot as it was basically a street play and hence format and matter was limited to that level only and it has a clear cut agenda.
and perhaps you are talking abt a film dealing with life of Safdar Hashmi.
life of Safdar Hashmi may provide material for a film. and as he was killed so it brings enough drama also. He believed in something and sacrificed his energies for that cause make him an activist and certainly a film can be woven around his life.
sivaramakrishnan – Kamal’s role in Anbe Sivam was a tribute to Safdar Hashmi…..link to that.
Kamal Haasan Pays Tribute to Safdar Hashmi
Anbe Sivam Film Previewed by SAHMAT
http://www.ganashakti.com/old/2003/030203/nation3.htm
Even “Salim Langde Pe Math Ro” the movie started with dedications to “Safdar hashmi”.
Hi Deepankar,
Nice thoughts. Must say that. But that’s it. Today’s RKS and Safdar Hashmi in his time, don’t think these two are comparable.
Similarly, considering inputs from others above, the present “Halla Bol” doesn’t seem to be the “Halla Bol” we have always remembered.
Frankly, I do not see anybody from today’s lot, may be except Vishal, convincing or rather committed, or may be both, enough to portray the soul of the Safdar’s work, or of peole of that level of artistic abilities, on the reel. Not taking away of what he has been able to do, even Vishal needs to put some indian original stuff on the reel. Surprisingly, TV has been able to do good this justice. Remember Kab tak Pukarun or Neem ka Ped…
vasan…we have touched the chord…not like that i don’t have a reason to agree with u..but everytime we need a hero who can react…we want a reaction from DJ(RDB) but not from ourselves…y? we all know that something is going wrong but still do nothing…Amitabh Bachhan has donated 1 crore to a temple despite of the fact that 45% of Indians ar jobless…domestic industries have been shut down…mills has closed down…our own people is losing his/her identity n still not a single voice has raised against Mr. Bachhan..Is this the faith or simply a method to divert the attention of indian people..don’t u smell a ploy into it so that we could not stand for our rights or people could stop demanding their rights….nothing has changed after Safdar..we don’t have balls to move the people that’s y we couldnot find a genuine person for the post of president or a homeminister….where r all the leaders gone….Does we have any intrest left in politics…?no…Safdar was trying to do that…trying to inspire us…but we failed…
We need a hero agreed….but creating one by questioning AB????…It’s ABs money and he spends it where ever he wants…..why do you want to buy a Levis and not stick to khaki shorts….it’s like asking that to you….demanding your rights from Mr. Bachchan is really absurd.
This feeling of self pity and being eternal victims is just digging the grave further…such a generation can never be inspired…and that
Vasan..I think u could not get the point
It’s not a question of AB or self pity..it’s the destiny of onlookers who regards AB as GOD…not only AB..it’s Amir..it’s SRK….if not then y they make them a brand ambassador…people thinks that what AB is doing is right..the real problem is here….this diverts the attention of public at least the lower income group…the energy which they could have used to raise their voices against their exploitaion, scattered into these thoughts….this makes a market..like all other things…
secondly the market has become glamorous..
consumerism…again this market has some dangerous impact…our worker group feels inferior to other people…as a result they do not hesitate to do works which falls under the wrong side of law… it’s an irony that if u show the story of poor people to pooe people they will not watch that..instead they prefer saas bahu operas….it’s coz entertainment indusry has become a profit oriented market…
Safdar knows this..so I call him as a visionary..coz he wanted to embbed the culture into politics…culture should not be separated with politics..n politics can not be isolated with any individual…the irony is that a Bandra boy doesn’t know what India is..what u think where does this reservation thing come out..naturally it’s politics…from where this communal rites come…obviously it’s polictics..n all these affects an individual..in the same way cinemaa being a mirror to society can not be isolated from politics…everyone is political…coz politics is a direct reflection of our society…do u think any bomb blast could ever be happen without politics…no it does have a link with politics…now somebody makes a film on that..then tell me cinema is different from politics…
it’s a game man..we all r trapped…they have given us certain parameters beyond which they never allow us to think..n if we will we will shot dead..
remember the classics…
Pather panchali has awarded with the best human document award at oscar..Vimal roy classic “do bigha jameen..and “namakharaam” “jagte raho”..Nayak (Anil Kapoor)c the dialogues of the film….naya daur…
I think we need a broader perspective…
According to Nutty, “Halla Bol” is one of the best films of RKS. A good enough reason for me to keenly await the film.
got the synopsis of Halla Bol… it’s about a stage actor, who also dabbled into street theatre going on to become a big movie star… changes his name, ignores his family and finds he is no longer the man he was… then something happens at a party where he has to decide between he as a star and he as a human being…
it’s the jessica lal case rolled into a nayak backdrop… should be interesting
interesting storyline.
Knowing RKS, there will surely be one final halla bol in a court room with judge waiting for the hero to finish!! he has always taken his cinematic liberties with responsibility. Lets hope that he continues in the same vein.