In this weekly column, we revisit the gems of the golden years of Hindi cinema. This week, we revisit BR Chopra’s 1957 movie Naya Daur.
Naya Daur, actually translated as ‘Naya Yuga’, is the story of a village that stands on the mouth of the promise of growth, however amid assurances of the so-called higher future, villagers query why these guarantees of future wealth, Taking their “Two Time Bread” In right now’s time.
Released in 1957, BR Chopra’s new period talks in regards to the harrowing casualties of industrialization which can be projected as a wave of the long run. The new part begins with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi that greatest encapsulates its unique message. “Dead machinery should not be pitted against the millions of living machines represented by the villagers scattered in seven lakh villages in India,” part of the quote reads. The movie questions this lack of employment in these ‘seven lakh villages in India’.
Dilip Kumar’s Shankar lit the spark of revolution within the new period. (Photo: Express Archives)
The new spherical is ready in an nearly utopian village the place everyone seems to be employed – both as a mill employee or as a tanga puller. The mill proprietor, performed by Nazir Hussain, treats his workers equally and firmly believes that the connection between an employer and worker is horizontal, not vertical. Things take a pointy flip when he goes on a pilgrimage and his metropolis son Kundan, performed by Jeevan, takes his place. This is the place the battle between fashionable India and rural India begins to take form as Kundan can see the worth of his father’s enterprise, however can not see the worth of his loyal workforce.
Half of the inhabitants has grow to be unemployed as a result of introduction of machines within the mill. The movie’s protagonist Shankar, performed by Dilip Kumar, takes it upon himself to work together with Kundan. Tonga puller Shankar understands the significance of unity and is absolutely conscious that if a domino falls on this peaceable temple within the village, chaos will unfold. Soon after, Kundan presents a lorry to vacationers rather than the centuries-old Tanga. This poses a risk to the employment of the opposite half of the village, inflicting villagers to grow to be much more afraid of the extraordinary energy of machines.
The new part displays the spirit of a younger nation who’s making an attempt its greatest to maintain its head above water. A rustic that believes that over time is the golden path to a greater future, however does not likely know what to do with its labor pressure which has been its spine for all these years. Watching this movie in 2021 exhibits that in some ways we’re nonetheless dealing with the identical drawback, albeit with completely different titles. The primary battle of the movie is the large disparity between the wealthy and the underprivileged. In the brand new period, the battle between man and machine just isn’t in opposition to one another, however encourages society to take the center path. In an necessary scene of the movie, Dilip Kumar’s Shankar insists that neither he nor the villagers have something in opposition to the machines. All they need is that educated folks discover a approach out in order that their employment just isn’t misplaced.
The movie’s remaining act creates a race between the common-or-garden tonga and the lorry, a direct competitors between arduous labor and fashionable equipment. It is on this half that the movie emphasizes the ability of unity that may create a revolution. The complete village will get collectively to construct a brand new highway and a bridge, singing “Sathi Hath Badhana”, which is nothing in need of a struggle slogan. The new part is a 64-year-old movie, however a sequence of this half is so true in 2021 that plainly we have now not missed even a single day. The villain of the movie burys the idol of God within the floor, so the villagers neglect it “Place of the Mother Goddess” And cease making new roads. Fraud with villagers within the title of God turns into a minor incident right here, however it’s in all probability essentially the most regarding. Doing politics within the title of God just isn’t a brand new factor for us Indians, however seeing that not a lot has modified in our nation, it disappoints you a bit.
The new part raises a related query, how do you run forward within the period of revolution however make use of and feed your residents effectively? While it doesn’t provide a direct answer, it encourages us to discover a center path, which we’re nonetheless looking for, 64 years.
The movie is unquestionably certainly one of BR Chopra’s best creations, with some good performances by its actors – Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala, Ajith and Jeevan. With songs like “Yeh Desh Hai Veer Jawan Ka” which has remained part of our cultural subject, thanks Bandwala, And romantic numbers corresponding to “Mang with Saath” and “Ude Jab Jab Zulfi Teri”, the brand new period music by OP Nayyar, has stood the check of time with lyrics by Sahir Ludhianvi. The movie was written by Akhtar Mirza and is a masterclass in capturing the nerves of the nation, however doing so with out preaching and a related instance of the identical is the introduction of the love triangle within the movie. The love triangle triggers the principle battle right here, however it’s clear that it is just used as a software to entry the unique story.
The new period is the story of the age to return, the foreshadowing of change that may shake the foundations of society, and whereas the society has gone by many adjustments since 1957, the hazard of the subsequent step is equally disturbing.
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The new part is streaming on YouTube and ShemarooMe (Black and White) and Prime Video (Color).
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
