Poverty is a vicious cycle and it’s virtually unimaginable to interrupt out of that cycle. Bimal Roy’s 1953 movie Do Bigha Zameen examines the unforgiving nature of poverty and describes how the system of serving to the poor is designed to maintain the much less lucky in the identical place.
Two bighas of land opens up in a village the place farmers rejoice rain after an extended drought. As they sing “Haryala Sawan Dhol Bajata Aaya”, it’s laborious to think about that this would be the final time we are going to see the protagonist, Shambhu and his household enjoy pleasure as from right here, they’re bombarded with tragedies.
Shambhu, performed by a convoy Balraj Sahni, and his household relies on ‘two bighas of land’ for his or her livelihood, so when the village zamindar forces Shambhu to promote his land, he takes a stand however with out hurting the massive man’s ego. After all, their ‘Dharti’ is their ‘mom’ and the owner their ‘mother-father’. For this gullible man, promoting land is unthinkable, so he decides to promote all the things else to repay his debt.
But how will a humble, uneducated, poor man combat a intelligent landlord? Shambhu is trapped and has to pay the owner Rs 235 in three months, an unimaginable feat for a poor man like him. So, he leaves for Calcutta, an enormous metropolis that guarantees a shiny future. As he leaves his village on foot, and the individuals of the village sing ‘Dharti Kahe Pukar Ke’, you already know issues will get deeper from right here. He longs to see his ‘Mother Earth’ as ​​the track says ‘Tu Phir Aaye Na Aaye’ and it’s clear that poor Shambhu is trapped in a maze with none escape.
In Shambhu’s try to avoid wasting Rs 235, he faces one impediment after one other. The story of Salil Chaudhary’s Do Bigha Zamin is so tragic that it takes your breath away. Every nook he turns is a lifeless finish. Whatever lifeboat he climbs on, he drowns. His battle begins to appear claustrophobic as all the things he touches turns to ashes. Do Bigha Zameen is a movie that pushes one into the darkish nook of despair that stays with you for a very long time.
Do Bigha Zamin is predicated on a time when India was nonetheless a younger nation and it’s clear that at a time when change was wanted, the underprivileged have been ignored till their laborious work was wanted was. As the pandemic and the ensuing migration have proven us, little or no appears to have modified.
Do Bigha Zamin is a tragedy wherein there isn’t a ray of hope.
It is known that Bimal Roy was impressed to construct Do Bigha Zamin after watching the 1948 movie Cycle Choron. The character of Shambhu’s son Kanhaiya is a tribute to Vittorio De Sica’s movie. In later years, Do Bigha Zameen was seen because the movie that sprouted the concept of ​​Nai Lehar cinema. Even although Indian cinema was in its early years within the Fifties, such movies pushed the boundaries of what might be accomplished on the silver display.
Do Bigha Zamin rests on the robust shoulders of Balraj Sahni, who truly ran barefoot on the new asphalt roads of Calcutta through the capturing of the movie. Balraj, who was identified for taking part in the position of the upscale gentleman in movies, melded into the position of Shambhu and delivered an outlined efficiency that can certainly go away you pondering for hours. Despite being a 68-year-old movie, Do Bigha Zameen has a dismal soul that may nonetheless hang-out the viewers.
Shambhu and Kanhaiya are swallowed up by the massive metropolis as they attempt to save their ‘two bighas of land’.
Hrishikesh Mukherjee, who later grew to become a famous filmmaker, was an essential a part of Bimal Rai’s group and in Do Bigha Zameen, Mukherjee was credited with scripting, modifying and even helping Roy in directing. The movie additionally has a small cameo of Meena Kumari, which comes as a pleasing shock, maybe the one one on this tragic story. Nirupa Roy, who later grew to become identified for her estranged mom roles in movies like Amar Akbar Anthony and Deewar, performs the position of Shambhu’s spouse Parvati right here. His humble character coupled together with his naivete provides a little bit of allure to the movie.
Do Bigha Zameen is among the movies which have laid the inspiration of Hindi cinema. The tragedy of this movie is in its soul, and that soul doesn’t age for a day.
Bollywood Rewind | Devdas | Baiju Bawra | Shree 420 | Pyaasa | CID | Madhumati | Naya Daur | Awara | Sharada | Do Aankhen Barah Haath | Bandini | Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam
Do Bigha Zameen is streaming on ZEE5 and ShemarooMe.
In this weekly column, we revisit the gems of Hindi cinema’s golden years.
.
With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
