103 years of Film-making in India have passed by! In these 103 years, the Hindi Film Industry has made history by emerging as the industry which churns the maximum no of films year-on-year, year-by-year. Sadly quality has often be compensated with quantity and as a result, most of the films seem dated. Not only so, often they have logical inconsistencies and plot holes, the size of gigantic football fields. Often they are the butt of the so-called Master Connoisseurs who often worship at the altar of Hollywood and look askance at the achievements of Indian Cinema. And yet when you look behind at the ages that have gone by, you find that such as attitude is not called for. There are many movies in the darkness of the Indian firmament that shine lustrous and illuminate the paths of the realms. These are the Masterpieces of the industry that cannot be forgotten or sidelined.
Masterpieces are not the result of accidents, they are created by geniuses - special people for whom the creation of the masterpiece is the only reason-de-etat of being in the profession. If this is true for all forms of art, it's also true for the greatest art of all, the one that encompasses all forms of art - Movie making. Such is the charisma of some movies that they are destined only to be experienced as what they are - mind blowing masterpieces - and it's hence no surprise that even after a passage of a multitude of years, they still manage to hold their charm in an industry where a movie is considered passé within 3 days of it's release. It is as if Time has no effect on their shelf-life, as if they have crossed the threshold of immortality and become by themselves the standards by which future generations of both cinegoers and moviemakers will be judged. Reviewers still hark towards them to make a point and they become reference points and undulating challenges for the coming generations.
Mother India is one of the frontliners of that genre of films which make you sit up and take notice of the fact that Indians can also produce, direct, script and make films with the same finesse normally associated with the Westerners. It proves beyond a shred of doubt (although the proponents of today's generation moviemakers would beg to differ) that Indian films are in no way inferior to what the West makes.
On a superficial level, Mother India is the story of a peasant woman, Radha (Nargis in arguably the best role of her life) and the vicissitudes she has to face after her weak-willed husband Shyam (Raaj Kumar in his first major role) leaves her to fend for herself and how she manages to fend for herself and live a life of dignity inspite a host of problems. On the deeper level, this is a movie which brings out in bold relief the problems faced by Indian peasants in the early years of the century at the hands of unsavory moneylenders and the social restrictions of the time.
The movie is also one of the first movies, which allows the female protagonist a role of great substance, such that she casts a deep shadow over all the male protagonists and antagonists in the movie and it's to the credit of this movie that the role of the mother-figure became important in later movies - a role Nirupa Roy made a hallmark of her career 2 decades later in the seventies. In fact, even in movies as late as Vaastav (1999), you see the effects of the movie and the role, as it casts it's formidable shadow across generations.
Nargis as Radha gives a brilliant performance, easily among the best 3 performances by an actress in the annals of Indian movie history and you literally feel smothered down by her grief, exalted at her happiness, frustrated at her helplessness and poignant at her final decision. She captures the emotions of the populace effortlessly and you find yourself in perfect consonance with her actions. It is a surprise to note that Nargis was just 28 years old when she played this brilliant role and not only played, she played it so well, that neither can you stop marvelling at her performance, nor can you but remain stunned at her transformation from a young bride to a grandmother who has seen everything that was worth seeing in her life. No wonder, she chose retirement from the Film Industry after this movie. What else remains to be said after a role such as this, that transcends generations and times!
Radha is not only the role of the mother, it is also the role of the woman. It doesn't define only motherhood but also defines womanhood and the central concept of honour and dignity of a woman. In a telling piece of commentary of the need to respect the honour of a woman, the mother shoots down the same son, she loves above all for the sake of honour. This is important and wish it was taught to all men and women down the ages, that whatever be the reason, the honour of a woman is sacrosanct. Her dialogue .. "Main Beta De Sakti Hoon, Laaj Nahin De Sakti" is a telling reflection of her rockhard commitment to her values
Sunil Dutt as her rebellious son, Birju brings to life the angst of the younger generation at the injustices meted out to them due to social inadequacies. This is not the generation that will accept or tolerate injustice, nor will it wait for legal remedies. It is the generation that believes in instant justice. In one of the few performances, that pre-dates the angry young man of the 70s as well as takes up the challenge of playing an anti-hero in an era when it was frowned upon, to play one, Sunil Dutt brings to life not only the pain and angst of the character but also makes it look sympathetic to an audience that was attuned to watching it's heroes in hues of strict white. Looking at his performance, none can say this was the first major role the actor essayed and that the actor had been playing second leads to vetarans like Ashok Kumar in Ek Hi Raasta (1956). The actor is excellent and the angst is well portrayed. Sunil Dutt performed this role under a handicap as the spotlight was turned onto this role as never before. This was the role the legendary Dilip Kumar was to play and so Sunil had to prove that he was worth his talent in Gold. and prove he did, with such a brilliant performance that even today, he is considered the prototype of the dacoit even after decades of this performance.
Rajendra Kumar as the other son, Ramu also plays his part effortlessly. His is the role which exudes idealism, continuity with and a quiet child-like obedience to his past and he manages to perform the same without any flaw. He represents the multitude of Indians, suffering under oppressive customs but not agreeable to changing the same for fear of loss of moral ground. This is hence a very interesting dichotomy of nature. While Birju represents the Generation that will not bow down to it's moorings but will challenge it to the ground, Ramu represents the other half of the Generation that believes in adhering to the continuity of the narrative.
Looking at the history of the nation, I think it is this dichotomy that has always persisted in the Indian mind - the desire to challenge destiny with the self-effacing hope to assimiliate and change history by it's own hands. Maybe this is why India remained India and retained it's basic structure even when the ancient cultures of the world fell afoul of the latest fads of a dominant culture.
Raaj Kumar as Shaamu is commendable. His frustration and his slow fall into depression have been very vividly captured in the movie. Some scenes like the one where Sukhilala puts the cowbell on his shoulders or the one where in a spasm of cough, the cigarette falls on his shirt and he is unable to dislodge it are scenes which convey a master actor at his work.
This is the third facade of Indian malehood that has also been shown off in such a beautiful manner - the one that quits! the one that walks away! the one that chooses self-destruction over a face-off. Critics may argue that a crippled man has no options but then, haven't even the crippled performed acts of fortitude. What matters is moral courage and it is moral courage that fails Shaamu in the end.
Kanhaiyalal as Sukhilala, is excellence personified and its unfortunate that this great actor's exploits have gone highly unnoticed even by the greatest connoisseurs of Indian Cinema and the modern viewer is still ignorant of his great exploits on the Indian screen. What else can be said about this performance but that his performance of Sukhi Lala brought down to tears people in the rural lands of India, where many could watch him and remember someone of his ilk that had been personally responsible for their destruction
Sukhilala is the epitome of usury - the greed of land using high-interest loans that the farmer could never repay that made the moneylender destroy generations of farmers in India in the 18th and 19th century. He still exists today in the banks and other so called financial supports that drive the farmer to suicide day after day and year after year in the hinterlands of India. The government has changed, the flags have changed, the miseries remain the same.
Speaking Of the supporting cast, it's business at usual. Mehboob's favourite comedian Mukri, the versatile Jiloo Bai, the vivacous Chanchal, sweet Kumkum, Master Sajid and Azra are exceptionally brilliant, especially Azra who manages to portray unrequited love quite effortlessly and Master Sajid who plays his role with characteristic élan.
Master Sajid returned to the marquee in the lead role in Son of India (1964) but sadly he also never got his due and vanished in the sands of time. Chanchal managed a brilliant role in Jhumroo (1961) but even she couldn't move ahead. Kumkum did a few roles in the lead but was soon relegated to B-Grade action movies. However, the movie was instrumental in creating the career of all the 3 male leads of the movie who went on to lead the Hindi film industry in the 60s and 70s.
Shakeel Badayuni, the unsung writer surpasses himself again and again as each song touches deep into our hearts. Manna Dey is excellence personified in "Chundariya Katti Jaaye Re, Umariya Ghatti Jaaye Re" - the one song that portrays the anguish of the Indian peasants. Mohammed Rafi also makes a valueable contribution to the song list with his memorable rendition of "Na Main Bhagwaan Hoon". Shamshad Begum sets the scene alight with her rendition of the marriage song "Pi Ke Ghar Aaj Pyaari Dulhaniya Chali"
Mehboob Khan once again proves that he was, is and shall always remain a front name director in the annals of Indian film directors. The different undercurrents that he weaves in the movie, the helplessness of the matriarch and the widening gulf between the two faces of the new generation as well as the frustrations of a society urgently in need of reform and the resultant discord in the family due to the inherent confusion due to the same is pulsating and well captured.
In all, Mother India is not a movie.. It's a legend and legends never die.
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