Vijay Dinanath Chauhan...........Poora Naam

I think this dialogue is heard by every movie buff of India, or at least the million devotees of Mr. Amitabh Bachchan. I am moving here to a little pro-Angry Young Man (as I always) by saying devotees instead of “followers” or “fans”, simply because every time a character is played by him on the screen, it suddenly becomes a legend. The first visual I had in my mind since my mind became conscious is that of Mr. Amitabh Bachchan and it is quite obvious that I love him more than I love myself. The dark portrayals played by him are simply spell bounding performances but for me the most memorable one is this one from Yash Johar’s classic “Agneepath”.   

The very first scene of Vijay Dinanath Chauhan as an adult, sitting on a chair, one hand behind the chair, an eye to eye contact with police commissioner, I think it says all. That very first scene tells how strongly a character like this can be portrayed in an introductory scene. I have never seen more powerful introductory scene in Bollywood than this one. Many people remember the movie through this scene only. That is the power of this scene.

It’s a popular saying that “the more powerful is villain, the bigger the film”. “Kaancha Cheenha” is one such character that needs that high attitude and flawless personality that doesn’t seem like fiery but depicts strength. Danny Denzongpa comlpletely justified his selection in the role and is still remembered for the portrayal. Similarly, the supporting role of Mithun Chakraborty provides a firm stand to the character of Vijay Dinanath Chauhan.

There are a numerous favorite scenes from the film but just two apart from the introductory one that are worth talking about. The first one is the initial confrontation between Vijay and Kancha during an attempt for the assassination of Vijay. Those few minutes setup the whole theme of the movie from where unfolds a tale of revenge. The second one is restaurant scene where Vijay feels humiliated.

This post is never ending for me as it is a film close to heart. The film directed by Late Mukul S. Anand not only come as a reward to him but also garnered various awards including a National Award for Mr. Amitabh Bachchan.

Bimal Roy - A Tribute to the legendary Film-maker (Part 1 - Madhumati)

Do Bigha Zameen, Parineeta, Sujata and Bandini are just names of a few films that are created by the master of Indian Cinema known as Bimal Roy. He is arguably the most sensible film makers of post independence era who created a flare in the storytelling. Till date, no one can reach the flawless level of direction that he created and his contribution of Indian cinema is outstanding. Since my childhood I have admired Bimal Da a lot and so I am starting a series of posts for some of my favorite films directed by him.

He always picked characters close to real life with which audience can attach themselves easily. Shambhu Mahato in “Do Bigha Zameen”, Adheer and Sujata in “Sujata”, Biraj Chakravorty in “Biraj Bahu”, Kalyani in “Bandini”, all of them are so realistic characters that they left unforgettable impressions on the mind of people. Bimal Da had a great command over the human strengths and weaknesses of human nature and he depicted in his movies in the most beautiful way.

 In the context of commercial films, he created the legendary “Madhumati” that eventually became the landmark and still continues to inspire filmmakers. It is the one of the earliest movies dealing with the concept of reincarnation and with the beautiful theme it surrounds, it garnered worldwide critical acclaim and achieved commercial success as well. With a string of beautiful songs (“Chadh gayo papi bichhua”, “Dil tadap tadap ke”, “Aaja re pardesi”, “Jungle mein mor naacha”, to name a few) it also embarked beautiful example for the future lyricist and musicians. The film received 9 Filmfare Awards and multiple nominations in other categories. Important to note here is that it is the only collaboration between Bimal Da and legendary filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak.

Cast: Dilip Kumar, Vyjayantimala, Pran, Johnny Walker

Story: Ritwik Ghatak

Dialogues: Rajinder Singh Bedi

Music: Salil Choudhury

Lyrics: Shailendra

Editor: Hrishikesh Mukherjee