Memories, however sweet always tend to hurt you - if they remind us of good times, the heart yearns for a return to those days; if they remind us of bad times, it reminds us of what we have gone through - either way, nothing but pain can be earned from memories.
One such memory from my past is related to my school days! It's true that I completed my matriculation way back - a long way back! It's been so long sometimes, it appears to have happened in my last life ..... Still there is so much from those days of carefree abandon, those days of innocence that I still remember: the taste of Simba pop corn still seems to be esconced on my tongue, the mind still remembers the aroma of the freshly-painted desks! 13 June or 14 June still mark an important day in my life, though the trigger belongs to an era forgotten.
Do not misunderstand me ... It's not as if I was the apple of my teacher's eyes, the cynosure of the school, the 'scholar' that the system prides in; on the contrary I was different, plainly different from all in the school and hence was never accepted by the school nor appreciated by my peers ever; I have all the many reasons to be estranged from my school but still my heart beats for those days that have left me long back ...... and suddenly it has all come to the fore.... Actually, Facebook is the culprit here as I chanced to meet my ex-collegues after what seems to be an era on the site ....... and suddenly it all came flooding back!
Everything that had been hidden in the back of my mind has all come back to the fore and somewhere deep in my heart it's hurting. I am no longer the guy I was then; everything about me has changed! The ideals of communism that I espoused then have given way to heady capitalism, the dreams of a life devoted to research and science has long been relegated to the background of finances and investments; innocence has given way to culpability; but still memories of that time, that age remain ... one can never escape them.
In such times, there is one film I recommend to all - it's one of the first mainstream Hindi Films on Children and the relationship between a teacher and a student .... a genre very rarely seen in the mainstream and a genre which can boast of very few good movies ..... Jaagriti - if you ever get a chance to watch this movie do not fail to do so .... this is a film that will make you cry and laugh with the protagonists; a film that will remind you of your school days.....
Jaagriti was released in 1955 and had none of the top actors of the day; there was no feminine love interest to boast of, the musical score was by a genius who was just making his name in singing, there were only 4 songs and that was considered harakiri by the standards of the time ... and to top it all, it was about juvenile delinquency, it was about children and it was about the relationship between a teacher and a student, against the backdrop of a newly independent nation ...... no one could ever prophesize that not only would this film be a hit but that it would also be a classic to be loved and remembered when the more popular formulaic films had been forgotten ....
Abhi Bhattacharya as Shekhar really brings the ideal of a teacher to life...... whether it's while holding back when the guys let off all their steam, softly explaining his point, subtly puting his point across and also ocassionally wielding the cane with aplomb, the guy comes out all trump. Abhi is such a natural that I remember trying to compare in my school if any of my teachers matched upto him ..... His confidence makes him let go of the centre-stage without feeling the heat and still maintain his presence. No doubt he got the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance. Among others, Pronoti Ghosh plays the role of the mother ably.
Raj Kumar Gupta (not to be confused with Jaani Kumar) is the man in the middle. A child artiste, who not only ably carries the film on his shoulders but also carries off the confused and conflicting emotions of Ajay without any major stress or pressure. At different stages of the film, he is the rebel without a cause, a angry child, a man of his own design, a friend carrying the guilt of a friend's death and in every stage he not only proves equal to the task but often puts everyone else in the shade.
Rattan Kumar ia also brilliant as the soft-spoken Shakti who is the perfect couterfoil to his mercurial friend Ajay. In the 1950's there was only one child-artiste who was more popular than Rattan and that was the iconic Daisy Irani .... but unline Daisy, Rattan always managed to play lead roles in a time when children film were itself an aberration - Boot Polish and Jagriti being two of his biggest hits. In this movie, Rattan is the epitome of the perfect student and his performance is a revelation.
Satyen Bose, the man behind such classics as Gunga-Jamuna and Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi is also the director who pioneered child films in India. That he is a great director, there is no doubt.... if you have to look, don't look beyond the swing scene - it's the most emotional scene in the film and only a director of finesse can bring out so complex an emotion from a bunch of kids. A very brilliant director!
Music is awesome to say the least ..... Hemant Kumar is normally known as a genius singer but he was an equally brilliant musician. It takes a lot of talent and capability to score 4 brilliant songs and personally resist the temptation of singing even one of them. Each and every song is a revelation - Asha Bhonsle's eulogy to Mahatma Gandhi, "Sabarmati Ke Sant" still moves us and brings tears to our eyes ..... Her second song, "Chalo Chalein Maa" sung in two moods can be compared to some of the best mother-child songs ever composed in the Hindi Film Industry.
Kavi Pradeep, the great patriotic songwriter who has given some of the most patriotic gems ever composed is at his personal best in "Aao Bachon, Tumhein Dikhayen" ... He is so well-adapted to the mood and tone of the song that the other masterpiece of the film is often forgotten by the conniseurs .... "Hum Laayen Hain Tufaan Se Kashti Nikaal Ke" by Mohammed Rafi is a masterpiece that needs to be listened to understand the meaning of the word masterpiece......
If Kavi Pradeep's song is the epitome of a teacher's lessons being taught in a musical mode, Mohammed Rafi's call is the best song that a teacher would like to sing on a farewell .....
Hum Laaye Hain Toofan Se Kashti Nikaal Ke;
Is Desh Ko Rakhna Mere Bacchon Sambhal Ke
Friday, April 30, 2010
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