One of the most enduring (across the constraints of time and space and even cultures and religions), almost-catastrophic, and major fear for an adult individual in today’s fast moving and highly consumerist society is the fear of losing employment, the fear of not being able to sustain a lifestyle that considers credit cards, limousines, health spa, laptops and all such other accessories as mandatory necessities of life and not an item of luxury. The stark truth is that in a society wherein your last pay cheque is your signature (and for many an identity), where EMI’s run the roost and burgeoning bills are a part and parcel of normal existence, a loss of employment can very well be a source of interminable terror. This is especially true of times as drastic as today's and scenarios as bleak as today's..... What would one do if tomorrow he wakes up and finds that all the money that he has cannot get him even a decent INR 5 glass of Sugarcane juice on the by lanes?
Without a regular source of income, how many of us would actually be at the luxury to write reviews or for that matter any kind of blogs sitting in air-conditioned parlours while savouring sips of cool vodka (or Coca-Cola for teetotalers like me) while the world goes on in it’s own unmindful cycle of ups and downs… … certainly not my man-Friday who earns alms for a salary (as per records it’s INR 1800 per month) and certainly not me, though I do earn admittedly a little more than his salary.
But jokes apart, does one know, what is the pain of unemployment?
When parents refuse to acknowledge you as the son, when you become a burden on your siblings, when your better half taunts you or when your girl friend ignores you, then is the real import of the impact of being witohut a job brought out in the open.... When those who loved you when you provided for them, call you a parasite, first clandestinely, then whisperingly and then openly; then you understand the import of the situation...... This is unemployment and all men fear this more than even the loss of potency......
It may surprise some of our eminent economists but the fact remains that unemployment has since long been a scourge of the youth, despite thier theoretical mumbo-jumbo and many a creative and talented individuals have met their Waterloo at the hands of this indefatigable enemy. Although the problem forms a subset in many movies and in some has also been the cause or rationale for carrying the movie forward, very few movies and movie mughuls have dared take the demon by its’ horns and make a moving copy of celluloid from the same.
One of the few stalwarts who dared to cage this demon for cinematic purposes was the great Bimal Roy and here we are discussing his epoch-making but long-forgotten Naukri. Unfortunately, Naukri never could capture the imagination of the public the way, a Do Beegha Zameen (one of the greatest movies ever made in India) or Madhumati (one of the most awesome movies of Hindi Cinema) could.... and it was obvious, it would not..... The middle class has been notorious of always trying to live in a world of fantasy, a world of it's own cages disguised as windows, one that exists ephemerally only in the sub-conscious of a class that only can hold it's head high with a turban bestowed or pushed down by another.... how could such a class, accept the pain and frustrations of it's own realities? Indeed, this was what failed Naukri..... Ankush, made in 1986 had to take the protagonist and put him in the lower middle class milieu to gain acceptance from this fickle class..... For the middle class, issues are what happen with others...... our existence is the BEST!
Naukri was one of the first movies to center on the plight of the educated unemployed youth desperately trying to earn their livelihood through decent means. The desperation and frustration of a common man trying to stay true to his ideals as well as earn the basic necessities for his family is so well documented that every man who watches this movie is instantly transported back for some time into a similar time from his or her own past. Every man while watching this classic would be reminded of one bleak day in his or her life when the spectre of life was held hostage to the compromise of circumstance.
Here I am reminded of a brilliant couplet by the great Sahir, which can capture very well the mood of pain and frustration of the man who has no employment but many responsibilities.....
Without a regular source of income, how many of us would actually be at the luxury to write reviews or for that matter any kind of blogs sitting in air-conditioned parlours while savouring sips of cool vodka (or Coca-Cola for teetotalers like me) while the world goes on in it’s own unmindful cycle of ups and downs… … certainly not my man-Friday who earns alms for a salary (as per records it’s INR 1800 per month) and certainly not me, though I do earn admittedly a little more than his salary.
But jokes apart, does one know, what is the pain of unemployment?
When parents refuse to acknowledge you as the son, when you become a burden on your siblings, when your better half taunts you or when your girl friend ignores you, then is the real import of the impact of being witohut a job brought out in the open.... When those who loved you when you provided for them, call you a parasite, first clandestinely, then whisperingly and then openly; then you understand the import of the situation...... This is unemployment and all men fear this more than even the loss of potency......
It may surprise some of our eminent economists but the fact remains that unemployment has since long been a scourge of the youth, despite thier theoretical mumbo-jumbo and many a creative and talented individuals have met their Waterloo at the hands of this indefatigable enemy. Although the problem forms a subset in many movies and in some has also been the cause or rationale for carrying the movie forward, very few movies and movie mughuls have dared take the demon by its’ horns and make a moving copy of celluloid from the same.
One of the few stalwarts who dared to cage this demon for cinematic purposes was the great Bimal Roy and here we are discussing his epoch-making but long-forgotten Naukri. Unfortunately, Naukri never could capture the imagination of the public the way, a Do Beegha Zameen (one of the greatest movies ever made in India) or Madhumati (one of the most awesome movies of Hindi Cinema) could.... and it was obvious, it would not..... The middle class has been notorious of always trying to live in a world of fantasy, a world of it's own cages disguised as windows, one that exists ephemerally only in the sub-conscious of a class that only can hold it's head high with a turban bestowed or pushed down by another.... how could such a class, accept the pain and frustrations of it's own realities? Indeed, this was what failed Naukri..... Ankush, made in 1986 had to take the protagonist and put him in the lower middle class milieu to gain acceptance from this fickle class..... For the middle class, issues are what happen with others...... our existence is the BEST!
Naukri was one of the first movies to center on the plight of the educated unemployed youth desperately trying to earn their livelihood through decent means. The desperation and frustration of a common man trying to stay true to his ideals as well as earn the basic necessities for his family is so well documented that every man who watches this movie is instantly transported back for some time into a similar time from his or her own past. Every man while watching this classic would be reminded of one bleak day in his or her life when the spectre of life was held hostage to the compromise of circumstance.
Here I am reminded of a brilliant couplet by the great Sahir, which can capture very well the mood of pain and frustration of the man who has no employment but many responsibilities.....
Taalim Hai Adhuri, Milti Nahin Majuri,
Kis-Kis Ko Hum Sunaayen Rashq-E-Jihaan Humaara
In the title role, Kishore Kumar as Rattan, the protagonist trying desperately to secure employment delivers one of his most efficient and restrained performances. This is Kishore long before he made his mark as a comedian and the great actor revels in a role that shows him in a rare serious light. The idealism of a young man, the frustration of an unemployed and the helplessness of a brother, a son and a lover are so well documented that your heart goes out for him. The scene wherein he receives a letter intimating him of a sanatorium’s acceptance of his sick sister as an inmate alongside another that carries the news of her death makes for a heart-wrenching moment (the postal department was equally efficient in those times). Equally brilliant is the climax when he tries to commit suicide, being unable to face his love after being fired from a job for being true to his ideals. One has to just watch him perform and he will vouch for the fact that Kishore did utmost injustice to his fans and the acting community at large by not paying cognizance to the enormous talent that God chose to bestow on him.
Sheila Ramani as Seema, the girl who dares to love an unemployed person and to top it all, also decides to spend her life with him against all conventional wisdom manages to stay true to her script. Sheila was more of a glamour doll than an actor in her heydays and this is one of the few roles in which she gets to prove her mettle. Although she leaves a lot more to be desired in her enactment of the role, she does manage to do justice to do role to a part that is sketchy at best. The scene wherein she convinces Kishore to a life of struggle and her constant co-operation is a scene worth appreciating both for her performance as well as the chemistry between the lead actors, the cinematographer as well as the director.
Among the supporting actors, the great Kanhaiyalal again proves why class is permanent and form temporary. In a rare positive role, the thespian pulls out all stops to prove his versatility and the scene wherein he lies to save Kishore is stamped ‘Kanhaiyalal’ all over it. It’s indeed unfortunate that Hindi cinema has chosen to forget such greats in a bid to worship and honour hunks and bimbettes as legends. Among the other actors, it’s a pleasure watching Mehmood as a pickpocket in a cameo performance long before he was acknowledged as a great actor. Achala Sachdev as the mother and Noor as the sick sister also manage to perform true to the requirements of the role.
Salil Chowdhary disappoints with the music which although sweet on the ears fails to impart its own philosophy on the listener. Although the song “Chota Sa Ghar Hoga” by Kishore Kumar does bring in a feeling of optimism and hope to a frustrated soul and Geeta Dutt manages to carry us on the wings of first love in “Jhoome Re Kali”, on the whole the album is more of a situational album and there are few ditties that one would remember long after the gramophone has been silenced.
Bimal Roy again proves why despite the presence of great stalwarts like Mehboob, Asif, Gulzar and others in the Hindi film industry, none can ever dislodge the great director from his position of eminence as first among equals when it comes to direction…. that many of the later greats actually were trained under his eagle eye is by itself proof of his excellence and eminence as a director but that is rudimentary considering that a director of his stature does not need testimony of his students for his excellence. Every movie of his from Do Beegha Zameen to Bandini has it’s own moments – moments which put the entire film in perspective and make it impossible for both the masses and the classes to extricate itself easily from its brilliant splendour.
This brilliance is reflected in Naukri as well and one of the best scenes in this film shows the starkness of human necessity when confounded with life in its darkest hue. In a scene reminiscent of human frailty and the complete erosion of the social and political structure of the day, Kishore after seeing a man commit suicide rushes to the deceased’s office hoping to secure that job for self, only to learn that the man committed suicide after being dismissed from the job. Another interesting scene, which depicts the helplessness of the common man, is the scene wherein Kishore Kumar goes for an interview, only to be told that the job has already been assigned to the Manager’s relative.
Although these scenes hardly stand out as something different they are in fact the microcosm of the entire film in a few frames. The frustration, the depression and the helplessness of a talented man roaming wanton on the streets of a metropolitan city is mirrored in each and every frame and every man will definitely be able to empathize with the scores of millions who teems the streets of these cities looking for that elusive employment, straining their ears for that sweet call all while hoping that someday they will get the job they rightly deserve. And this continues for days, weeks, months and years on end till either they tire out or life tires them out.
Only one voice that speaks out repeatedly… only one sound that can be heard incessantly– "Naukri Chaahiye … Kaam Chaahiye… Zindagi Chaahiye."
To my friends and colleagues out there, I wish to state the following:
Maana Ke Abhi Tere-Mere Armanon Ki Keemat Kuchh Bhi Naheen
Mitti Ka Bhi Hai Kuchh Mol Magar, Insaanon Kee Keemat Kuchh Bhi Naheen
Insaanon Ki Izzat Jab Jhoote Seekon Mein Naa Tauli Jaayegi
Woh Subah Kabhi To Aayegi....... Woh Subah Kabhi To Aayegi
Woh Subaah Kabhi To Aayegi.....
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