The elections being over, now is the time to have good leaders and better governance. While the apprehensions about who will rule the states have been put to rest, there are misgivings on appointment of governments in a couple of states and there is at least one state in which things are clear.
The aspect of political leadership elected by people, has been dealt in Hindi films quite comprehensively, though it took more than 30 years to show political functionaries on silver screen.
Unlike the West, we have not been very comfortable with depicting our leaders and showing them to have human emotions and failings. Probably that is the reason no film was made in the first decade and a half after the freedom. Most of the political leaders of those times were alive and, moreover, so much adored that it actually must have seemed sacrilegious to portray them on screen.
The first mainstream Hindi film to have examined the elected political class seems to be the eponymous Leader ( 1964), starring Dilip Kumar. The film was a commercial venture, packing a lot in the screenplay to have a serious scrutiny of the subject. Still, it was a beginning and amidst the romantic songs coupled with a whodunit , there was a hint of nexus between politics and crime. The song in which the protagonist plays a leader is the idealistic " apni azaadi ko hum"
जो सबक बापू ने सिखलाया, भुला सकते नहीं
सर कटा सकते हैं लेकिन सर झुक सकते नहीं
The passing away of Nehru and Shastri in quick succession meant that the stature of leaders got a beating and as a consequence, the infallibility of political leaders was short-lived. The country had entered a critical phase and there was a need to sustain the momentum built up by the leaders of yesteryears.
The films also came out of the 'golden' period of the 50s and 60s. Barring a couple of films ( Dinanath Zutshi playing a Muslim leader in Garm Hawa who betrays his ilk and Rajesh Khanna playing the local honest corporator who is framed in Apna Desh ) with oblique references, there was no hope of a full-scale political drama film.
The flash-point was not far and two films were able to capture the developing story in their narrative. The first one was , however, still born as the only print of the film was damaged irretrievably, to quell the expression. Kissa Kursi Ka was a satire and a spoof on the dictatorial regime and it paid the price. It is another matter that it was remade after a couple of years and exhibited to empty houses. Ironically, Shabana Azmi and Raj Babbar the two main protagonists in the film, joined the political party spoofed in the film !
The more sophisticated depiction of a political leader's life and times was by Gulzar in Aandhi (1975). Based on a Hindi novel Kali Aandhi by Kamleshwar, the film was termed as a biographic account of a famous leader, played by Suchitra Sen. The film , apart from exploring the personal relations of the leader, also delved in some detail about the machinations and electoral tactics. The film was banned during Emergency and despite the great music, dialogues and narration, could not match the popularity of action films Sholay and Deewar, released in the same year. This song , picturised on the electoral trail is still very relevant
सलाम कीजिये, आली जनाब आये हैं
ये पांच साल का देने, हिसाब आये हैं
The change in the political climate kept on changing in the country and got duly reflected in films, as they became more and more vocal in the 80s. In South India, film stars had a long tradition of moving into politics at the back of their fan following. MGR, NTR and Jayalalitha were not in politics for cosmetic purpose: they ruled the states as political leaders. This was not so in Bollywood.
Film stars like Nargis and Prithviraj Kapoor were nominated in Rajya Sabha. Dilip Kumar was chosen Sheriff of Bombay. However, they were not elected leaders. The shape of things to come was clear in 1984, when the top two stars Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan acted in films which were overtly political. Incidentally, both of them became members of Parliament in their personal capacity, later on.
The first one was a spoof in which the protagonist is a barber and becomes a compromise candidate for Chief Minister. In order to quell dissidence, he makes all the other minister as Deputy Chief Ministers !
The dialogues were replete with sarcastic one liners ( like mentioning Tule "Antulay" rupaye after the CM was weighed against currency) and the film was totally political in nature, with no other sub plot. To the extent that the CM sang and danced, too.
The 80s also gave us a film which shook off our faith from the political class completely. This was Arjun 1985, in which Anupam Kher played the role of a smooth-talking , suave politician who takes Sunny Deol into his fold, only to cast him once his purpose has been served. By this time, the nexus between politicians and criminals was being shown on the screen more often in films, which was perhaps, a reflection of times.
The film exposing the links between politicians and media barons was on full display in the film New Delhi Times ( 1986). This Shashi kapoor film was quite authentic and offered a lot of insights into a world, not hitherto known publicly.
Before the 80s came to an end, the Indian adaptation of Meet John Doe was released as Main Azaad Hoon, which showed the PM also, played by Sudhir Pandey, as one of the characters in the film, a departure from earlier films. The seeds of struggle between the political classes and ordinary masses were sown, as far as the Hindi films are concerned.
Gulzar , in 1999, made Hu Tu Tu, an emphatic political commentary of the wheeling and dealing in the murky world of power. The clash of politician mother and idealist daughter was a high point of the film and made the film unforgettable. This was also the time when there was the whiff of scams getting political patronage, a spark which led to major fires in future. The film had a song about it also, known as the "घपला " song !
दुकानें बेचीं तो बिक गए साथ गवर्नर
गाय भैंस का चारा खा गए ये मिनिस्टर
On to the next decade.
There were numerous films showing elected political representatives of all hues in various avatars, mostly ghastly.
The first one was Nayak ( 2001), in which a common man becomes Chief Minister for one day, during which he tries to break the corrupt system. Anil Kapoor acquitted himself very well against Amrish Puri, with the bureaucrat's point of view being projected by Paresh Rawal.
Hazaron Khwahishein Aisi (2005) was a truthful enumeration of the 70s of India: its Lutyens' crowd, its revolutionary youth and its opportunist political class.
Satta , released earlier in 2003, was another political film showing the rise of a woman in corridors of power and the compromises made for the elevation. Raveena Tandon acted competently in the film making it a memorable watch. The film showed the leaders enjoying the three Ws openly, something that was not shown on screen a few years ago.
मोरे सैयां भये कोतवाल, अब डर काहे का
मेरे नखरे उठाएंगे सांवरिया
घूमूंगी लेके सरकारी मोटरिया
मैं लुटाऊँगी सरकारी माल, अब डर काहे का
In the last few years there has been a spate of releases relevant to this theme. Rajneeti, Sarkar ( and sequels), Satyagraha, Aarakshan, Rann, Rakt Charitra, Gulaal and Chakravyuh, to name a few. These films have explored various themes such as pursuit of power, quest for legitimacy, perceived injustices and hypocrisy of the powerful.
This song from Satyagraha , written by Prasoon Joshi lays bare the complex and brutal world of electoral politics and abuse of power.
भई घोटाला करना खेल नहीं , औक़ात चाहिए
एक अलग ही कला चाहिए, बात चाहिए
The aspect of political leadership elected by people, has been dealt in Hindi films quite comprehensively, though it took more than 30 years to show political functionaries on silver screen.
Unlike the West, we have not been very comfortable with depicting our leaders and showing them to have human emotions and failings. Probably that is the reason no film was made in the first decade and a half after the freedom. Most of the political leaders of those times were alive and, moreover, so much adored that it actually must have seemed sacrilegious to portray them on screen.
The first mainstream Hindi film to have examined the elected political class seems to be the eponymous Leader ( 1964), starring Dilip Kumar. The film was a commercial venture, packing a lot in the screenplay to have a serious scrutiny of the subject. Still, it was a beginning and amidst the romantic songs coupled with a whodunit , there was a hint of nexus between politics and crime. The song in which the protagonist plays a leader is the idealistic " apni azaadi ko hum"
जो सबक बापू ने सिखलाया, भुला सकते नहीं
सर कटा सकते हैं लेकिन सर झुक सकते नहीं
The passing away of Nehru and Shastri in quick succession meant that the stature of leaders got a beating and as a consequence, the infallibility of political leaders was short-lived. The country had entered a critical phase and there was a need to sustain the momentum built up by the leaders of yesteryears.
The films also came out of the 'golden' period of the 50s and 60s. Barring a couple of films ( Dinanath Zutshi playing a Muslim leader in Garm Hawa who betrays his ilk and Rajesh Khanna playing the local honest corporator who is framed in Apna Desh ) with oblique references, there was no hope of a full-scale political drama film.
The flash-point was not far and two films were able to capture the developing story in their narrative. The first one was , however, still born as the only print of the film was damaged irretrievably, to quell the expression. Kissa Kursi Ka was a satire and a spoof on the dictatorial regime and it paid the price. It is another matter that it was remade after a couple of years and exhibited to empty houses. Ironically, Shabana Azmi and Raj Babbar the two main protagonists in the film, joined the political party spoofed in the film !
The more sophisticated depiction of a political leader's life and times was by Gulzar in Aandhi (1975). Based on a Hindi novel Kali Aandhi by Kamleshwar, the film was termed as a biographic account of a famous leader, played by Suchitra Sen. The film , apart from exploring the personal relations of the leader, also delved in some detail about the machinations and electoral tactics. The film was banned during Emergency and despite the great music, dialogues and narration, could not match the popularity of action films Sholay and Deewar, released in the same year. This song , picturised on the electoral trail is still very relevant
सलाम कीजिये, आली जनाब आये हैं
ये पांच साल का देने, हिसाब आये हैं
Film stars like Nargis and Prithviraj Kapoor were nominated in Rajya Sabha. Dilip Kumar was chosen Sheriff of Bombay. However, they were not elected leaders. The shape of things to come was clear in 1984, when the top two stars Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan acted in films which were overtly political. Incidentally, both of them became members of Parliament in their personal capacity, later on.
The first one was a spoof in which the protagonist is a barber and becomes a compromise candidate for Chief Minister. In order to quell dissidence, he makes all the other minister as Deputy Chief Ministers !
The dialogues were replete with sarcastic one liners ( like mentioning Tule "Antulay" rupaye after the CM was weighed against currency) and the film was totally political in nature, with no other sub plot. To the extent that the CM sang and danced, too.
मैं तो हूँ श्री राम अवतार , दूसरा न कोई !
The Amitabh Bachchan film was Inquilaab , an action drama with political leaders deceiving gullible youth. However, the film had a lot of masala with song-and-dance and also, violence. In fact, the climax showed the protagonist shooting all the leaders of his party, Interestingly, the character of one of those shot was based on a prominent opposition leader , who had led the total revolution a few years back !
The 80s also gave us a film which shook off our faith from the political class completely. This was Arjun 1985, in which Anupam Kher played the role of a smooth-talking , suave politician who takes Sunny Deol into his fold, only to cast him once his purpose has been served. By this time, the nexus between politicians and criminals was being shown on the screen more often in films, which was perhaps, a reflection of times.
The film exposing the links between politicians and media barons was on full display in the film New Delhi Times ( 1986). This Shashi kapoor film was quite authentic and offered a lot of insights into a world, not hitherto known publicly.
Before the 80s came to an end, the Indian adaptation of Meet John Doe was released as Main Azaad Hoon, which showed the PM also, played by Sudhir Pandey, as one of the characters in the film, a departure from earlier films. The seeds of struggle between the political classes and ordinary masses were sown, as far as the Hindi films are concerned.
इतने बाज़ू इतने सर , गिन ले दुश्मन जान के
हारेगा वो हर बाज़ी, जब खेलें हम जी जान से
हारेगा वो हर बाज़ी, जब खेलें हम जी जान से
With the advent of 90s and the winds of LPG ( Liberalisation, Privatisation, Globalisation ), the narrative in Hindi films also changed. Politics entered into every possible field : campuses , businesses, sports and into films themselves.
Ram Gopal Varma brought out the connection astutely in two of his most memorable efforts,
Shiva ( 1990) and Satya ( 1998). While the former dealt with political bosses influencing the college scene, the latter is a brutal take on the politics-mafia dovetailing. Both films were accurate and with minimal distractions from the subject which made them authentic.The subject and its treatment left little scope for songs, though there were a few of them in both the films.
Ram Gopal Varma brought out the connection astutely in two of his most memorable efforts,
Shiva ( 1990) and Satya ( 1998). While the former dealt with political bosses influencing the college scene, the latter is a brutal take on the politics-mafia dovetailing. Both films were accurate and with minimal distractions from the subject which made them authentic.The subject and its treatment left little scope for songs, though there were a few of them in both the films.
Gulzar , in 1999, made Hu Tu Tu, an emphatic political commentary of the wheeling and dealing in the murky world of power. The clash of politician mother and idealist daughter was a high point of the film and made the film unforgettable. This was also the time when there was the whiff of scams getting political patronage, a spark which led to major fires in future. The film had a song about it also, known as the "घपला " song !
दुकानें बेचीं तो बिक गए साथ गवर्नर
गाय भैंस का चारा खा गए ये मिनिस्टर
On to the next decade.
There were numerous films showing elected political representatives of all hues in various avatars, mostly ghastly.
The first one was Nayak ( 2001), in which a common man becomes Chief Minister for one day, during which he tries to break the corrupt system. Anil Kapoor acquitted himself very well against Amrish Puri, with the bureaucrat's point of view being projected by Paresh Rawal.
Hazaron Khwahishein Aisi (2005) was a truthful enumeration of the 70s of India: its Lutyens' crowd, its revolutionary youth and its opportunist political class.
Satta , released earlier in 2003, was another political film showing the rise of a woman in corridors of power and the compromises made for the elevation. Raveena Tandon acted competently in the film making it a memorable watch. The film showed the leaders enjoying the three Ws openly, something that was not shown on screen a few years ago.
मोरे सैयां भये कोतवाल, अब डर काहे का
मेरे नखरे उठाएंगे सांवरिया
घूमूंगी लेके सरकारी मोटरिया
मैं लुटाऊँगी सरकारी माल, अब डर काहे का
This song from Satyagraha , written by Prasoon Joshi lays bare the complex and brutal world of electoral politics and abuse of power.
भई घोटाला करना खेल नहीं , औक़ात चाहिए
एक अलग ही कला चाहिए, बात चाहिए
As the present day politics leaves no distinguishing features between real and reel shenanigans, one thinks that it is better to watch the political news than watching the same events enacted in the darkness of a picture hall.
1 comment:
Yes, very comprehensive article. You have covered ,all the films, involving political plots, post independence However there were a few films in the pre-independence era and the immediate period after 1947, which did have political connotations. For example ' Kismet'- 1943, which had a song--aaj himaalay ki choti se phir hum ne lalkara hai
dur hato, dur hato
dur hato aai duniyaa vaalon hindustaan hamaaraa hai.
Then before that in 1940, there was --Chal chal re naujawan, from Bandhan, which Nehru and most leaders of those time used to sing in prison and rallies.
The third film, which comes to mind is 'Samadhi' -1950 = Kadam Kadam badhaye ja. Although in all fairness, this was the clarion call for the Army
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