May 17, 2005 02:31 AM
6113 Views
(Updated May 17, 2005 02:31 AM)
There exists a ‘wall’ between people – a wall that does not allow Trust to penetrate and humanism to grow.
One of the prime concerns of humanity today is the exponential growth of this wall between people. Although, there is truth in the assertion that difference in material possessions or differences in ethnic backgrounds are the main factors that create walls, not all walls between human beings are born as a result of differences of caste, creed, sex, religion, community or colour, neither are they always a result of divergent ideologies or ‘ism’.
Many a walls are also created because Adversity does not answer all men in the same voice, in the same language or even in the same manner. The way a person reacts to a situation is a multi-layered psychological question but its reverberations on society make it into a social issue as well.
Deewar (1975) is a movie that brings out in bold relief the differences in reactions of two human beings to the same set of adversities depending on their understanding of the calamities that befell them.
Deewar, on the superficial level is the story of a mother (Nirupa Roy) and her two sons, Vijay (Amitabh Bachchan) and Ravi (Shashi Kapoor). However, if you look at it from a critical point of view, Deewar is also the story of how different people cope with the same circumstances. At every point throughout the movie, one is forced to take sides and justify the actions of each of the above-mentioned protagonists.
Nirupa Roy as the mother gives a tour de force performance. As a mother torn between two sons, each adamant on his own personal course of action and decision, she effortlessly conveys the helplessness and frustration of her character, while still maintaining her emotional strength by doing what is right according to her. This is a role that demands a large amount of deft tightrope walking but Nirupa once again proves her forte by being able to maintain her character graph on an even keel.
Shashi Kapoor as the younger son who decides to move on the path of law and order delivers a flawless performance. It’s unfortunate to note that an actor of his calibre hardly got a chance in his entire career to shoulder a movie on his own. In a role that offers crumbs compared to the author-backed role of Amitabh, Shashi still manages to stand tall. The inner turmoil of a man forced to go against his kith and kin for the sake of his principles is amply demonstrated. If you see the Ravi of the first half and the one in the second half, the character graph is bound to leave you amazed. Some of his best scenes however have been overshadowed since they do not have the firepower, which an audience likes to remember but nevertheless they remind you of the actor who was underutilized.
Parveen Babi scores in a role that was cast in the Helen mode. It’s to her credit that she manages to give her character a dignity that raises it a few notches in the eyes of the audience. Mind you, this was at a time when Society frowned on her character.
Neetu Singh as Ravi’s romantic interest is wasted in an inconsequential role. Iftekhar, Anwar Hussein, Yunus Pervez and Satyen Kappu all perform with their hearts. Especially, Satyen Kappu who is pretty convincing as a union leader forced to sell his union for his family. A K Hangal impresses in a short cameo.
But the film belongs to Amitabh Bachchan. As Vijay, Amitabh lives the role of a person who refuses to accept the condemnation of Society and decides to fight back tooth to tooth, nail to nail. His is a performance that transforms this movie into a classic. The frown on the face, the anger in the eyes, the frustration writ large on the lips and the gait as if the character is always ready to provoke and be provoked transforms him into an icon with whom the average person would not love to mess around. It’s to the credit of the thespian that the graph of his character always shows the slow smolder of a furnace without looking forced and manages to create in every man a desire to fight back. Even his frustration at being unable to reconcile his brother to his thoughts, his inability to convince his mother and his hurt on being marginalized are well brought out. Not only anger but also pain is internalized to such an extent that you feel his anguish before he shows it.
As Vijay, Amitabh made the ‘anti-hero’ a viable preposition in the Hindi film industry. He did not invent the genre neither was he the first to move on those steps but Amitabh stamped his name on that tag and made it the most powerful tag for the next 25 years or so. This was the greatest achievement of the script-writing duo of Salim-Javed. The script of this movie is taut in the right sense of the word. Each and every scene is well blended and each and every dialogue well etched. No wonder, the duo was as much in demand as their creation.
The direction by Yash Chopra is absolutely brilliant. The confrontation between the two brothers is superb and can be considered among the top 10 confrontation scenes ever in the history of Hindi Cinema. Not only confrontations, even the monologues have been well directed and each and every scene is a treat to watch. The scene between A K Hangal and Shashi is also one of the highlights of soft direction.
Only the soundtrack disappoints. R D Burman fails to deliver a classic song although “Kahe Do Tumhen” by Kishore and Asha does have a catchy feel to it, but nothing in the mould of Amar Prem or his other milestones.
Watch it if you wish to see the magic of good cinema.
