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The 1960s – Golden Years – Part 1

As we entered the 1960s, I became more involved workwise and familywise, finding less time to watch movies. My training ended in November 1959, after which I assumed responsibility as an officer on Indian Railways. I was allotted a residence in Liluah, a suburb of Calcutta about 10 km north of Howrah. I commuted by train to Howrah, where I was posted. On weekends, I visited the city with my family and friends for entertainment and dining out, traveling by train to Howrah and then by bus. Traveling with a one-year-old child was not easy.

 In December 1962, I moved to Asansol, a large railway junction in a small town near Durgapur. There were only a few cinema halls where the most popular films were shown. Watching films became infrequent and selective. I saw some of the movies I missed watching at this time in later years in reruns or on TV and more recently on YouTube.

1960 provided a bonanza of good films. The pick of the lot was K Asif’s Mughal-e-Azam, a milestone in the history of Hindi cinema.  BR Chopra’s courtroom drama Kanoon, Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Anuradha, and Bimal Roy’s Parakh and Satyen Bose’s Masoom deserve special mention. R Chandra’s Barsaat Ki Raat, Guru Dutt’s Chaudhvin Ka Chand, Raj Kapoor’s Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai, SU Sunny’s musical costume drama Kohinoor, Bimal Roy’s Usne Kaha Tha and Kamaal Amrohi’s Dil Apna Aur Preet Parayi were dramatic and musical treats.

Mughal-e-Azam – A Legendary Movie

The legend of Anarkali contains all the elements needed for dramatization. The theme of a prince falling in love with a slave and its aftermath excites people’s imagination. The truth behind the legend is, however, a matter of conjecture. There is no supporting historical evidence of her existence.

A tomb located in a garden bearing her name exists in Lahore, Pakistan, with an inscription in Persian that reads,

Ah! could I behold the face of my love once more,
I would give thanks to my God until the day of resurrection
----- Majnun Salim Akbar

It is believed that there was a pomegranate garden named Bagh Anarkali in the area, with a tomb of some unknown person. Over time, a story developed about the tomb. According to a British traveller’s account, the tomb was of one of Akbar’s wives who was buried alive for an incestuous relationship with her stepson Prince Salim.

A play written by Imtiaz Ali Taj in 1922 triggered the interest of filmmakers in the legend. A silent movie was produced in 1928, followed by a talkie in 1935, and the highly successful Anarkali produced by Filmistan in 1953. These films focussed on Anarkali as the star-crossed slave who met a violent end at the hands of a cruel tyrant, for the unpardonable offence of falling in love with his son. K Asif tried to showcase the Great Mughal as a loving father and a benevolent ruler. The original ending was changed in Mughal-e-Azam to show Anarkali's escape via a secret trapdoor.

Asif conceived the idea of making Mughal-e-Azam in the early 1940s but shooting started only in 1946. The completed film had a different cast except for Durga Khote. One of the reasons for the long duration of filming was K Asif’s quest for perfection. Dilip Kumar justified the delay in these words,

“… a film involving such overwhelming craftsmanship, minute detailing, massive gathering of artistes and unit hands, strenuous schedules with large units of artistes and trained animals, day and night shoots, cannot be a simple affair.”

By the late 1950s, Madhubala’s health was deteriorating fast but her dedication to her work remained unchanged. Mughal-e-Azam required long shooting schedules. It was strenuous work, posing as a veiled statue in suffocating make-up for hours under the studio lights, or being shackled with heavy chains. Her hands would turn blue, and painful abrasions from the weight of the chains confined her to bed for many days. In one scene, where she had to run away from the angry Akbar, she collapsed on the floor, after completing the run, bringing tears to every eye on the set. Choreographer Pandit Baijnath Prasad, also known as Pandit Lachhu Maharaj composed dances in Kathak style, involving a lot of vigorous movements. Madhubala trained for several months for Mohe panghat pe nandalal. The dance steps and chukkers in the song sequence of Pyar kiya to darna kya were beyond Madhubala’s ability even in good health. It is believed that Lachhu Maharaj himself doubled up for her in these sequences.

After their painful breakup during the making of Naya Daur, Dilip Kumar stopped talking with Madhubala, except as required for the film. Nevertheless, he would often drop by to see Madhubala, even when he had no part in the day’s shooting. Nothing was said, but his presence was enough for Madhubala to remain happy, maintain her serenity, and give a memorable performance, in what turned out to be her swan song. In the erotic and sensual scene in which Salim brushes Anarkali with an ostrich feather, viewers can see two lovers intensely in love. Tansen’s finely nuanced song, Prem jogan ban ke, sung by Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, accompanies this scene to reflect the emotions of both the actors and the characters they portray.

When K Asif asked Naushad who would sing for Tansen (played by Surendra) in the film, he mentioned Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, who was then considered the living Tansen. But Naushad doubted if he would agree to sing for a movie. Nonetheless, Asif and Naushad went to meet him with the proposition. The Ustad took Naushad aside and told him that he would quote an unreasonable price to avoid singing for the film. At a time when singers were paid Rs 500 to Rs 1000 for a song, the Ustad demanded Rs 25,000. Asif took a long pull on his cigarette and said, “Is that all? I thought you were priceless. It’s a deal.” Taking out a bundle of currency notes from his pocket, he placed it before the Ustad and said, “Here’s an advance of Rs 10,000.”

Likewise, Asif did not compromise on expenditure on the lavish sets and battle scenes. It was the costliest film made until then. The cost of one song sequence of the film was often more than that of an entire movie. The cost and the delay disturbed the film’s distributors and financiers, forcing Asif to give up the idea of shooting the entire film in colour, confining colour to only one song sequence and the last part of the film.

Mughal-e-Azam became the highest-grossing Indian film ever, a distinction it held for 15 years, until it was overtaken by Shole (1975). Viewers lapped up the dialogues, written by Aman (Zeenat Aman’s father), Wajahat Mirza, Kamaal Amrohi, and Ehsan Rizvi. Some examples,

Kanton ko murjhaane ka khauf nahi hota;
Muhabbat jo dar jaaye muhabbat nahi gunaah hai, ayyashi hai;
Humara hindustan tumhara dil nahi ki laundi jiski mallika bane;
Haan toh mera dil bhi aapka hindustan nahin jispe aap hukoomat karen.

The quality of the dialogues inspired Nasreen Munni Kabir to write a unique book The Immortal Dialogues of K. Asif's Mughal-e-Azam. Published by Oxford University Press, this illustrated book in three languages, with a foreword by Javed Akhtar is priced at a whopping Rs 1,50,000.

Naushad’s music, a mixture of classical and folk music was an instant hit. Songs like Mohe panghat pe nandlaal, pyaar kiya to darna kya, muhabbat jindabaad, muhabbat ki jhoothi kahani pe roye are still remembered.

Critics hailed every aspect of the film, its grandeur, attention to detail, and the performances of its cast. Filmfare called it a "history-making film...a tribute to the imagination, hard work and lavishness of its maker…. a landmark in Indian films." Others described the film as a “work of art”, “comparable to the Koh-i-Noor diamond”, “stunningly overwhelming”, “magnificent spectacle”, "classic", "benchmark", or "milestone" in the history of Indian cinema, “a gargantuan feat of ... Mughal proportions!", “an epic film in every way”.

Mughal-e-Azam was the first black-and-white Hindi film to be digitally coloured and re-released in theatres. The work was accomplished entirely by Indian technologists, a fact that has not been adequately publicized or appreciated. The Sterling Investment Corporation, the negative rights owner and an arm of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, which undertook the project, initially approached experts in Hollywood but found their quotations, ranging from $12–15 million, too high. Umar Siddiqui, managing director of the Indian Academy of Arts and Animation (IAAA), offered to enhance it digitally at a fraction of the cost. It was an arduous and laborious job. The old black and white prints that had been damaged, had to be restored before being coloured. Colours had to be chosen carefully to ensure their historical correctness and match the grey shade of the black and white negatives. The entire restoration work was undertaken by Acris Lab, Chennai. The background score and musical track were digitally recreated by Naushad and Uttam Singh.

The film's colour version was released in theatres on 12 November 2004. It became the 19th highest-grossing Hindi film of the year, behind Aitraaz and Veer-Zaara (the top grosser), but ahead of Naach. It was subsequently selected for seven international film festivals. Film critic Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times compared it to films by Cecil B. DeMille and Gone with the Wind (1939) for its larger-than-life storytelling.

Kanoon – Songless Classic

Kanoon tries to show that capital punishment based on circumstantial evidence may lead to someone being wrongly convicted and hanged. It is a terse courtroom drama without songs that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. It is believed that BR Chopra resolved to make the film when he heard Indian movies being derided for containing nothing but songs at the Berlin Film Festival in 1957. The winner of the Golden Bear at that Festival was 12 Angry Men, a courtroom drama, directed by Sidney Lumet.

Despite the absence of songs, which were considered indispensable for the success of a film, Kanoon became the seventh highest grosser in the year of Mughal-e-Azam, Kohinoor, Anuradha, Chaudhvin Ka Chand, and Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai, all of which had music as a key component. Ashok Kumar, Rajendra Kumar, Nanda, and Nana Patekar gave sterling performances. According to Ashok Kumar’s daughter Bharti, Ashok Kumar's character in this movie inspired the use of the word Ashok Kumar in Indian Courts, to describe a person whose identity is unknown or must be withheld in a legal action.

Although there were no songs, Salil Chowdhury composed the music score for an innovative Indo-Western ballet choreographed by Gopikrishna and Russian ballet dancer Vera Botchrova of the Bolshoi Theatre Moscow. The ballet's theme, the wanton killing of animals, was meant to support the movie's theme, a ban on capital punishment. Kanoon won the National Award for Best Hindi Film of the Year in 1960 and the Filmfare Awards for Best Film and Best Supporting Actor for Nana Patekar in 1962.

Anuradha - Aspirations and Ideals

When I watched Musafir, Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s first film as director, I considered him a worthy successor to Bimal Roy. His second film Anari was a big commercial success, but I was disappointed because I feared that he would become just another producer of commercial formula films. Hrishikesh Mukherjee set our doubts to rest with Anuradha.

Anuradha is the story of a young woman who gives up her dreams of music and fame, for the love of a man, an idealistic doctor, only to discover ten years later, that the sacrifice has not brought her happiness. Anuradha’s role is played by Leela Naidu, one of the most beautiful women to have graced the Indian screen. Daughter of Dr Pattipati Ramaiah Naidu, an eminent nuclear physicist who had the privilege of working with the legendary double Nobel laureate Marie Curie, and a mother of Swiss and French origin, Leela Naidu was educated in Europe, learned acting from Jean Renoir, and posed for Salvador Dali for a painting of the Madonna. She was crowned Femina Miss India in 1954 and was featured in the Vogue in the list of World's Ten Most Beautiful Women, for her stunning classical beauty. It was courageous of Leela Naidu to accept an unglamorous role for her debut.

The film is distinguished by excellent direction, authentic locales, high-quality music, and brilliant acting. Balraj Sahni and Leela Naidu are restrained and believable, both as the young couple, giddily in love, and the older couple, still in love but growing apart steadily. Music by Pandit Ravi Shankar reflects the changing emotions of the characters. The songs, from Sanwre sanwre, through Jane kaise sapnon mein to kaise din beete kaise beeti ratiyan and haye re woh din kyon na aaye, written by Shailendra, relate the story of the transition of the heroine. Anuradha won the President's Gold Medal for the All-India Best Feature Film at the National Film in 1960 and was nominated for the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1961.

Parakh – Mirror on the Wall

Parakh is a take-off on the state of Indian democracy in the 1950s, exposing the avarice and opportunism of the main players to grab power by any means for personal enrichment. In the story written by Salil Chowdhary, the power is in the form of a cheque for five lakh rupees received by a village postmaster (Nazir Hussain) to be used for the welfare of the village by the most deserving person. The postmaster consults a Panchayat, consisting of the unscrupulous zamindar (Jayant), a corrupt contractor (Asit Sen), the greedy temple priest (Kanhaiya Lal), the money-minded doctor (Rashid Khan), and the poor but honest and industrious schoolmaster (Basanta Choudhury). They resolve to let the villagers elect the winner who would be entrusted with the money. The film reveals the true character of the contestants as they woo the voters by devious means and even resort to violence, watched by the rich donor, masquerading as the village postman (Motilal). The love story of the postmaster’s daughter (Sadhna) and the schoolmaster interlaces the main theme. The film displays the realism, and attention to detail we had come to expect from Bimal Roy, backed by good performances by the seasoned actors in the main roles. Salil Choudhury’s music was equally in tune with the film’s atmosphere. The most popular and long-lasting song is O Sajana Barkha Bahaar Aai, rendered effortlessly by Lata Mangeshkar, with all its variations, typical of Salil Chowdhury. Two other Lata Mangeshkar solos Mila hai kisika jhoomka and Yeh bansi kyun gaye, drew our attention. Bimal Roy won his sixth Filmfare Award for Best Director. Motilal won his second Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. Parakh was also nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Film, won by Mughal-e-Azam.