The suspense over the impending jail term to an almost-there- CM hogged all the headlines this week. Hamlet-like indecision, coupled with Schrödinger uncertainty had the whole country waiting with bated breath for most part of the week.
Ironically, being jailed is hardly a discomfiture for the netas . They have AC, TV and even personal Gym in their cells and are able to control and direct their supporters without batting as much as an eyelid. Surely then, they must also be having opportunities for songs and dances in solitary confinement.
Going by the songs sung in Hindi films, while in captivity, this is not entirely unfounded.
Which brings us to our topic, which is about songs and dance sequences by on-screen prisoners !
One of the early songs in captivity was in the experimental film by V.Shantaram, Do Aankhein Barah Haath( 1957). The bhajan is still one of the most iconic devotional songs to have been picturised. The forward-looking jailor trying to reform the hardened inmates was a departure , from all perceivable angles. The bhajan brings the self close to the Almighty, as you get immersed while listening or singing it. Shantaram and Sandhya , alongwith the half a dozen convicts ( being reformed) were the dramatis personae in the song.
The reasons of restraining protagonists in films are widely varying. From epic films ( where anyone threatening the throne is jailed) to formula films ( hero framed or villain sentenced !) to realistic films ( life of a convict) , there are any number of plots which put a character in jail where he expresses his emotions. This was most emphatically accomplished in Shaheed 1965, where Manoj Kumar, Prem Chopra and Anand Kumar played the Bhagat Singh-Sukhdev-Rajguru trio and within the confines of British jail, they sang, "sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamaare dil mein hai"
The most talked-about film in the annals of hindi cinema was Sholay, released in 1975 and this film, too had a song-and-dance sequence in captivity. Though the film had an "angrezon ke zamaane ke jailor", a song said to be a qawwali in jail was edited out. However, near the climax, Basanti (Hema Malini) sings and dances while captive by Gabbar Singh ( Amjad Khan) despite the "in kutton ke saamne mat naachana" advice by Veeru ( Dharmendra); all part of Sholay nostalgia.
Yes, this is surely a song which qualifies to be a part of this anthology.
The hindi films have been churning out crime thrillers and there would be many ore songs in jail and just as nobody can keep a character in a film captive for too long, the politicians are also eminently skilled to get out from jail till they think it is enough for their popularity.
Ironically, being jailed is hardly a discomfiture for the netas . They have AC, TV and even personal Gym in their cells and are able to control and direct their supporters without batting as much as an eyelid. Surely then, they must also be having opportunities for songs and dances in solitary confinement.
Going by the songs sung in Hindi films, while in captivity, this is not entirely unfounded.
Which brings us to our topic, which is about songs and dance sequences by on-screen prisoners !
One of the early songs in captivity was in the experimental film by V.Shantaram, Do Aankhein Barah Haath( 1957). The bhajan is still one of the most iconic devotional songs to have been picturised. The forward-looking jailor trying to reform the hardened inmates was a departure , from all perceivable angles. The bhajan brings the self close to the Almighty, as you get immersed while listening or singing it. Shantaram and Sandhya , alongwith the half a dozen convicts ( being reformed) were the dramatis personae in the song.
The epic story of a prince on the edge of spurning the kingdom for a courtesan was best narrated by the showman K.Asif in Mughal e Azam in 1960. A magnum opus, a behemoth of a film and a humongous blockbuster: the film was all these....
Excellent music, exquisite lyrics and heart-wrenching singing made this "Anarkali-in-captivity song" an emotional experience, even if it was not the chartbuster like other songs of the film. Madhubala, as always looked perfect as damsel-in -distress.
A couple of years later, Bimal Roy wove the story around an inmate sentenced for murder in the eponymously titled Bandini. There were a number of songs in the jail premises. One of them , "ab ke baras bhej bhaiya ko babul" was a sister's yearning for her home. The other one , however, truly depicts the atmosphere of the prison and those who are captive. Their addressing the birds, who are free is a poignant expression of their helplessness. Though Nutan, the heroine of the film is shown in the song, it is picturised on a small-time actress Dolly Kapoor, who does a fine job.
The reasons of restraining protagonists in films are widely varying. From epic films ( where anyone threatening the throne is jailed) to formula films ( hero framed or villain sentenced !) to realistic films ( life of a convict) , there are any number of plots which put a character in jail where he expresses his emotions. This was most emphatically accomplished in Shaheed 1965, where Manoj Kumar, Prem Chopra and Anand Kumar played the Bhagat Singh-Sukhdev-Rajguru trio and within the confines of British jail, they sang, "sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamaare dil mein hai"
The reforms in prisons was a subject fit for the back burner, going by the times in 70s. However, in the film Samjhauta 1973, there was a pleasant departure to see the message being given to those jailed through a song, which was said to have had therapeutic effect on depressed people, outside the jail, too. Anil Dhawan ( visually-challenged exhorting able-bodied prisoners, which inclde Shatrughan Sinha ) to take life with a rational, accommodating attitude. The lyricist is Indeevar, one of the most under-rated wordsmiths.
Over the years many songs were picturised on jail staff, convicts, under-trials and those merely in lock-up, picturised on big stars. There have been comic songs ( zulf ke phande mein -Johny walker), sad songs ( Kya se kya ho gaya-Dev Anand and Ghungroo ki tarah- Shashi kapoor), stock songs
( mera naam yaaron mahachor hai-Rajesh Khanna) and patriotic songs( Ae watan tere liye-Dilip Kumar-Nutan)
Amongst the various songs in captivity, there is one song which stands out because the lyricist Sahir has eloquently expressed the emotions of a prisoner, destined to wait endlessly for good times to come. This song was picturised on Dev Anand in Joshila, also released in 1973. In a formula film, this was definitely a touch of class !
Yes, this is surely a song which qualifies to be a part of this anthology.
All those in prison have a date when they will be finally out, generally. However, in hindi films the power struggle between the "star" prisoner and "strict" jailor have been often played out in a number of ways. The larger-than-life persona of the hero is vindicated when he says " aisi koi jail nahin jo mujhe zyada der tak rok sake"...a dialogue ( or its variant) spawned numerable times. However, there is a whole song dedicated to the thought and this was in Kaalia ( Amitabh the prisoner, supported by Ram.P.Sethi as his friend versus Pran, the jailor)
The hindi films have been churning out crime thrillers and there would be many ore songs in jail and just as nobody can keep a character in a film captive for too long, the politicians are also eminently skilled to get out from jail till they think it is enough for their popularity.
1 comment:
Far too many movies showing Jailbirds singing- some merrily- some in melancholy , some with patriotic fervour- some mocking the system too . All in all a great piece of blog.
Mughal-e-Azam also had -bekas pe karam ki jiye- a very poignant song. Keep up the tempo- Amitabb
Post a Comment