Showing posts with label Do Bigha Zamin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Do Bigha Zamin. Show all posts
Restored Do Bigha Zamin to premiere at Venice
8:59 AM
The restored version of Bimal Roy’s film will have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in the Venice Classics section. Meanwhile, Bandini, Devdas and Madhumati are also being restored
Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; July 13, 2025)
Do Bigha Zamin (1953) marked a turning point in Indian cinema. While most films of that era were shot within the confines of a studio, director Bimal Roy broke the mould and took the camera to the streets, paving the way for realism in Indian filmmaking. Now the film, restored by the Film Heritage Foundation (FHF), the Criterion Collection and Janus Films, will be screened at the Venice Film Festival’s Classics section.
Gulzar, who worked with Roy, spoke to us about the film’s legacy. “It’s amazing that Do Bigha Zamin is restored and will be shown in Venice. The most important element is that all of his films were based on literature. Not many people know that Do Bigha Zamin is based on a poem by Rabindranath Tagore, with the same title.”
How was the film restored
Do Bigha Zamin was restored in 4K by the Criterion Collection and Janus Films, in collaboration with Film Heritage Foundation, at L’Immagine Ritrovata and Resillion, and in association with the Bimal Roy family.
The restoration process took over three years. It began in 2022, when the Criterion Collection/Janus Films and Film Heritage Foundation initiated the project. The FHF accessed the original camera negative and sound negative, which had been deposited by the Bimal Roy family at the NFDC–National Film Archive of India (NFAI) for preservation.
However, the sound negative presented several issues, including poor audio quality, interrupted dialogues, and missing sections. The original camera negative was also incomplete. A combined dupe negative - on Dupont/Kodak stock from 1954–55 was found at the British Film Institute (BFI) which was also used for the restoration
The restoration drew from the best surviving elements the 35 mm picture and sound negatives preserved at NFAI and the 35 mm combined dupe negative from the BFI.
Bimal da was the coolest director I have ever seen: Gulzar
I started working with Bimal da, who we used to call Dada, from the film “Kabuliwala” when I was his chief assistant. I have very fond memories of that time. People would say that Bimal-da was like a married print. In those days, the picture and sound negatives were separate and when they were brought together optically to make the release print, it would be called a married print.
Bimal da would shoot two shifts in a day – 7 am to 2 pm and 2 pm to 10 pm and would then sit in the editing room working till late night at Mohan Studios. People would say that he is married to films.
Bimal da was the coolest director I have ever seen. I learnt not only filmmaking from him, but the art of patience and stamina.
I am sharing a poetic portrait that I wrote on Bimal-da.
"The softly flowing river face shrouded in the evening mists
Eyes burning in the mistiness of a tawny visage
The spiral of smoke from the endlessly burning cigarette
The faraway voice heavy with sleep.
Shadowed below unknown thoughts that flew above
A face that seemed etched out of molten wax
The sound of every new dream transforms him
Making it seem he would neither sleep, nor wake, nor speak
A silent flowing river shrouded in evening mists."
(From the book “Caged . . .Memories Have Names”)
'Do Bigha Zamin changed the face of Indian cinema: Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, director of Film Heritage Foundation
Do Bigha Zamin changed the face of Indian cinema that brought filmmakers out of the studio to begin shooting on the streets. I am so happy that we were able to collaborate with The Criterion Collection/Janus Films to restore not only Do Bigha Zamin, but other classics of Bimal Roy like Devdas, Madhumati and Bandini, which are in the process of being restored.”
Do Bigha Zamin, is an unspoken autobiography of Bimal Roy: Rinki Roy Bhattacharya, Aparajita Roy Sinha, Joy Bimal Roy
After watching Vittorio De Sica’s film Bicycle Thieves, our father hoped Indian films would follow its deeply moving humanist vision. Do Bigha Zamin, is an unspoken autobiography of Bimal Roy who was cast off from his home in East Bengal in a similar episode like the hero, peasant, Sambhu Mahato. He never recovered from this cruel separation from his beloved birthplace.
Satyajit Ray on “Do Bigha Zamin”
“With his very first film Udayer Pathe (Humrahi in Hindi), Bimal Roy was able to sweep aside the cobwebs of the old tradition and introduce a realism and subtlety that was wholly suited to the cinema. He was undoubtedly a pioneer. He reached his peak with a film that still reverberates in the minds of those who saw it when it was first made. I refer to Do Bigha Zamin, which remains one of the landmarks of Indian cinema.”
Raj Kapoor on “Do Bigha Zamin”
Perhaps the best compliment came from Raj Kapoor, who upon watching the film, reportedly said, “I wish I had made this film.”
Unique collection of foreign posters tells the global story of Indian cinema
8:19 AM
Curator Jahan Bakshi, who scours the globe for local reincarnations of movie posters, has found gems like Awara in German and Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman in manga style
Mohua Das (THE TIMES OF INDIA; February 4, 2021)
When Jahan Bakshi, a movie art curator in Mumbai, stumbled upon old Czech and British quad posters for Satyajit Ray films with neo-futurist fonts and colourful surrealism, he knew he was onto something special. His curiosity led him down a rabbit hole — of familiar yet outlandish — doppelgangers of Indian movie visuals from across the globe that revealed a fascinating yet undocumented history of how different countries reimagined Indian films.
“Looking for foreign posters of Indian films started as research for an article but soon became an obsession. It was a revelation to see what Indian films look like when seen through a foreign prism,” says Bakshi who has unearthed around 150-odd foreign origin Indian posters and acquired around 50 physical copies from places spanning Russia, Latvia, Bulgaria and East Europe to France, Germany, the UK, US, Japan, China, Thailand and Egypt. “They’re unique both aesthetically and conceptually... like watching an act of translation via a poster image. It was also eyeopening to see just how much Indian cinema had travelled globally in the past.”
Recast, often dramatically, to resonate in the local market, these foreign posters blend local language, sexual allure, religion, violence and intellectualism. If some are reminiscent of the myths and legends of that land — for instance, the Russian poster for 1990 action thriller Khoon Bhari Maang borders on a folktale with the magnified head of an alligator occupying centrestage against an intense pink background and the Hungarian reincarnation of Benegal’s Nishant has little dragons wrapped around Azmi’s face — many are visual time capsules indicative of the prevailing politics and censorship in the country.
More recently, Chinese posters for Andhadhun — a massive success collecting over $35 million at the box office in China — took on a darker shade with black and white overtones and a braille piano in the foreground as opposed to the popping colours and quirky vibe of the Indian version.
“Interesting patterns emerge from posters of other countries, too. The US posters tend to be text heavy with emphasis on captions and pull-quotes. Posters from Europe and Central Asia are surprisingly flamboyant, eccentric and at times exoticize Indian-ness. Japanese posters are bizarrely unpredictable varying from subtle to whimsical, gonzo to pulpy,” observes Bakshi who scours popular poster sites like New York’s Posteritati Gallery to obscure ones in Germany, Czech Republic and Japan in his rescue mission though the pandemic did delay some of his packages.
But he is fortunate to have found an ally — the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The 30-year-old who had started ‘Posterphilia’ — a hobby project of posting his favourite movie posters on social media two years ago — drew the attention of Anne Coco, the head of graphic arts collections at the Oscars library, last September. “She approached me, asking if I could help build their collection of Indian film posters which was quite scant,” recounts Bakshi, who over the past few months of sourcing Indian film posters for the Academy, pitched the idea of “also” exploring their foreign counterparts.
“Since then I’ve helped them acquire a bunch of Ray, Raj Kapoor and V Shantaram posters of foreign origin and hope we can build it up further,” he says with his fingers crossed. “Old movie posters are cultural artefacts and I want to reclaim this aspect of Indian film history,” he signs off.
Jagdeep (1939-2020): Soorma and lovely curse of Sholay...a tribute by Mayank Shekhar
8:27 AM
Over 400 films, and what we still remember best of Jagdeep are those four minutes from the 1975 movie! Amazing, isn't it?
Mayank Shekhar (MID-DAY; July 10, 2020)
Few years after Ramesh Sippy's Sholay (1975) — around the time the underworld held fair foothold in Bombay film industry — I'm told actor Jagdeep was mortally scared, noticing a stalker of sorts confronting him inside a studio. As he aimed to swiftly disappear or gently disengage, the man simply said, "You've played me, and now you're running away?"
The gentleman was a forest officer from Madhya Pradesh called Soorma Bhopali! Surely, Jagdeep owed a lifetime of fame to his name. Who, in turn, wished to take him to court for demoting him on screen, from a government/forest official, to a shady, second-rate wood-trader!
That Jagdeep hadn't met Soorma before, means he couldn't have modelled his iconic character on this particular Bhopali. Sholay's co-writer Javed Akhtar had grown up in Bhopal, which perhaps explains one of the last set-pieces added to the blockbuster's casting/script.
Either way, Jagdeep's Soorma Bhopali was Jagdeep first; and an adorable Bhopali only much later. Which is how audiences liked to see him: eyes wide open, face gesticulating in mock-shock and awe; looking slightly dunder-headed, seeming drunk. Film after film.
I'm guessing Jagdeep, in his own inimitable style, followed the tradition of comedians Johnny Walker, perhaps even Keshto Mukherjee before; and a baton that Johnny Lever carried along. Much like Mehmood reasoned about his profession, people basically expected them to make everyone laugh — even if they were returning from their father's funeral.
How did that instantly help with Bollywood screenwriting, filmmaking and viewing, as it were? The comic track, like the item number, had its purpose so well-defined that the very presence of Jagdeep on screen meant you needn't waste time explaining his character. He'll speak a certain way, and deliver a punch-line, that the film has conveniently segued into. There is comfort in the predictable. You laugh, because you're supposed to. Responding to cues is life itself. Why should cinema be any different.
This is what came to be known as the masala film as template entertainer, or labelled Bollywood, decades later. Who sort of set this template of the smashing hero, in colourful clothes, dancing, lip-syncing, along with the heroine; as the comedian, on occasion, walks into the space between fun songs, fine locations, and full-on drama? Strictly speaking, I suspect, Shammi Kapoor, in the '60s.
Unsurprisingly, Jagdeep properly forayed into the Bollywood comedy-slot, in a Shammi Kapoor film, Brahmachari (1968). And remained on-screen comedian practically for the rest of his life. His film's characters may have been different, only within their sameness — his own journey that was getting scripted alongside appears to me a solid documentary of its own.
In fact, the first time Jagdeep played a comic role was as the boot-polish boy in Bimal Roy's Do Bigha Zamin (1953). Roy had seen rushes of Jagdeep as the child version of Kishore Kumar in Phani Majumdar's Dhobi Doctor (1952). Jagdeep asked Roy what had he noticed in a sombre role in that film, to cast him for a funny part in Do Bigha Zameen? Roy said, "Jo accha rula sakta hai, woh accha hasaa sakta hai (He who can make you cry, can make you laugh)!"
Assuming both emotions come from the same space. Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed Jafri, screen-named Jagdeep, came from a hut near JJ Hospital. And to Bombay, with his mother, after his family had lost everything during Partition. He was literally picked off the street for his first role in B R Chopra's Afsana (1951). He was expected to be in a crowd of kids — watching a play. This got turned into a speaking part in that play, within the film.
From that moment onwards, you could observe Jagdeep's screenplay as a little Forrest Gump, simply finding himself in the midst of the all-time greats of Bombay films, and joining them as any other actor at work — with Guru Dutt (Aar Paar; 1954), Khwaja Ahmad Abbas (Munna; 1954), besides Roy (for whom he played a shoe-shine boy again, in Naukri, 1954).
Reportedly for a role in the film Hum Panchi Ek Dal Ke (1957), he was personally felicitated by Prime Minister Nehru. Who was the assistant director, who got him from the audience, on to the stage in Afsana — his break, so to say? Yash Chopra! Over a six-decade career, he went from little Dilip Kumar (in an unreleased film, Shikwa), to playing Salman Khan's father in the iconic Andaz Apna Apna (1994).
More significantly, for him, for his art's sake, Jagdeep graduated from a hut to a kholi in Mahim, and a bungalow in Bandra, after a big house in Madras. The latter, because the South-based AVM, arguably the longest surviving Indian studio, eventually cast him in his first major/lead role in Bhabhi (1957), and a few other films followed. Residential address is the story dreams in Bombay are made of.
Does it matter then than Jagdeep was largely stereotyped as a comedian? Who's not been typecast in Bollywood? Or as Jagdeep's almost namesake, the super-talented Saeed Jaffrey used to say, reduced to "rich daddy and naughty uncle," as in his case, for the cheese? If Jagdeep's genes are anything to go by, frankly, there's nothing that his son Javed Jaffrey can't do like a dream, either — dance, act with phenomenal range, ad-lib on stage/shows, write…
Jagdeep himself was a closeted Urdu poet. And with his death, as is the tragedy with posthumous tributes, you keep reading/hearing about some of his underrated/under-seen performances. Whether in Priyadarshan's Muskurahat (1992).
Or as cult-material in a grind-house sort of way — with the Ramsay Brothers' Purana Mandir (1984). Or going deeper still, him reprising Michael Jackon's Thriller video, with the song Bacha le in 3D Saamri (1985)! My favourite clip, scrolling so far, is an old one (film unknown), where they ask Jagdeep, you're so educated, "Itni vidya kahan se seekhi?" "Chinchpokli Dadar Lower Parel University se!"
And that's also the thing with treating comedy portions in films as item tracks. You can slice them out completely, without any context, and enjoy the scenes for their own worth. That's my earliest memory of Jagdeep. He featured regularly in the Chitrahaar of (mostly funny) film scenes — a popular show called Wah Kya Scene Hai that Archana Puran Singh used to host in the mid '90s.
That's also how Jagdeep's career of around 400 films boiled down to around four minutes, 35 seconds of screen-time as Soorma Bhopali in Sholay —arguably the most re-watched film in history. And therefore an adorable curse of sorts —for actors with minor roles in it. Because those scenes have been re-watched as separate films. Hence, total-recall for everyone, from Kaalia (Viju Khote), Jailor (Asrani), Sambha (Mac Mohan), Imam Sahab (A K Hangal), Ramlal (Satyen Kappu)…
For one, Jagdeep gave Bhopal its most popular public figure, although the fellow is a complete feku (teller of tall tales!). Unsure, if I've met someone like Soorma in Bhopal (that twang does faintly still exist in the city's old-town).
It's how the nation knew Jagdeep for 45 years, until his death, at 81. He directed a full-fledged feature called Soorma Bhopali (1988). Even his character in Andaz Apna Apna, that has multiple Sholay tributes, was called Bankelal Bhopali. Clearly, he didn't mind this life-long association. Saying it one last time, on behalf of everyone, goodbye, Soorma Bhopali. And we agree — aapka naam aise hi nahin hua!
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He Imbibed Character Beautifully: Ramesh Sippy
Jagdeep’s character as Soorma Bhopali remains unforgettable. Bhopal has a culture of its own. In the early ’70s, you’d see these charming characters, especially in the hinterlands of India. Jagdeep witnessed that, imbibed the character, and blended it beautifully into our script. Jagdeep’s sense of timing was immaculate. A film like Sholay is made by many people, including writers Salim-Javed. One discusses many possibilities, and finally arrives at characters befitting sequences. Who other than Jagdeep could have played this part [better]?
Used Character Previously Too: Salim Khan
We come across characters like Soorma Bhopali in real life, and remember them when writing stories. Javed [Akhtar, co-writer] had studied in Bhopal. I have lived there too. We had used the character of Bhopali in Adhikar (1971) too, where Pran saab (Shikari Banne Khan Bhopali) played it successfully. [In Sholay] though, it was crafted differently.
As told to Upala KBR
Jagdeep played Salman Khan's father in Andaz Apna Apna
Jagdeep aka ‘Soorma Bhopali’ bows out at age 81
8:14 AM
Bella Jaisinghani (THE TIMES OF INDIA; July 9, 2020)
Mumbai: Veteran film comedian Jagdeep, best remembered as Soorma Bhopali of ‘Sholay’, passed away aged 81 on Wednesday.
The signature style of rolling his eyes, and speaking Hindi with a Bhopali dialect was his hallmark. Jagdeep featured in nearly 400 films over six decades, beginning with B R Chopra’s ‘Afsana’ (1951).
Born Syed Ishtiyaq Ahmed Jafri, the tenacious struggler made an early appearance as a streetsmart vagrant. From a child actor in Bimal Roy’s ‘Do Bigha Zamin’ and Guru Dutt’s ‘Aar Paar’, he became a teen artist and achieved success with ‘Bhabhi’ and ‘Patang’. Occasionally between the torn, patched trousers in Kabhi aar kabhi paar, and the lighthearted 'Chali chali re patang', there was the odd romantic song 'Paas baitho tabiyat behel jayegi' (Punar Milan).
He named his directorial venture ‘Soorma Bhopali’ after his famous act as the braggart coward. He is survived by sons Jaaved Jaaferi and Naved Jafri among other children.
Condolences poured in on Twitter. “We will miss you,” tweeted actor Johny Lever. The last rites will be on Thursday at Mazgaon Nariyalwadi Qabrastan where his mother was laid to rest.
Mumbai: Veteran film comedian Jagdeep, best remembered as Soorma Bhopali of ‘Sholay’, passed away aged 81 on Wednesday.The signature style of rolling his eyes, and speaking Hindi with a Bhopali dialect was his hallmark. Jagdeep featured in nearly 400 films over six decades, beginning with B R Chopra’s ‘Afsana’ (1951).
Born Syed Ishtiyaq Ahmed Jafri, the tenacious struggler made an early appearance as a streetsmart vagrant. From a child actor in Bimal Roy’s ‘Do Bigha Zamin’ and Guru Dutt’s ‘Aar Paar’, he became a teen artist and achieved success with ‘Bhabhi’ and ‘Patang’. Occasionally between the torn, patched trousers in Kabhi aar kabhi paar, and the lighthearted 'Chali chali re patang', there was the odd romantic song 'Paas baitho tabiyat behel jayegi' (Punar Milan).
He named his directorial venture ‘Soorma Bhopali’ after his famous act as the braggart coward. He is survived by sons Jaaved Jaaferi and Naved Jafri among other children.
Condolences poured in on Twitter. “We will miss you,” tweeted actor Johny Lever. The last rites will be on Thursday at Mazgaon Nariyalwadi Qabrastan where his mother was laid to rest.
A look at the Indian films that have been screened at the Cannes over the years
7:43 AM
Shakti Shetty (MID-DAY; May 15, 2014)
The 67th edition of the Cannes film festival kicked off yesterday with the screening of the Nicole Kidman-starrer, Grace of Monaco.
Uday Chopra happens to be one of the producers of this biopic. However, he’s not the only Indian face at the French Riviera this year. Along with the usual dose of Bollywood glamour (read: Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor and many more), this year will see director Kanu Behl keeping his fingers crossed even as his film Titli competes in the Camera d’Or category, which acknowledges the best debut effort.
Interestingly, over the years, several films have been screened at Cannes but none have won an award in the competitive categories. hitlist takes you down the memory lane to look at films from India that were not only screened at the prestigious film fest but also won laurels...
'Neecha Nagar' (1946)
Director: Chetan Anand
The lowdown: When the Cannes Film Festival was held for the first time after the World War II in 1946, this Hindi film bagged the Palm d’Or (Golden Palm) along with 10 other entries from around the world.
'Do Bigha Zamin' (1953)
Director: Bimal Roy
The lowdown: Heavily inspired by Bicycle Thieves (1948), this Bengali film — starring Balraj Sahni and Nirupa Roy in leading roles — won the Golden Palm along with eight other movies.
'Boot Polish' (1954)
Director: Prakash Arora
The lowdown: A Raj Kapoor production, the film’s socialist approach was difficult to ignore but its story won the audiences over. To add to this, the festival made a special mention of child actress Naaz who rendered a heartwarming performance in the film.
'Pather Panchali' (1955)Director: Satyajit Ray
The lowdown: This film is counted among Ray’s best works. At the Cannes film fest, it unanimously won the Best Human Document award.
'Gotoma the Buddha' (1956)
Director: Rajbans Khanna
The lowdown: The film’s title may have not been conventional but its message was clear. This feted documentary was nominated for Palm d’Or and it won a special mention for the director who, interestingly, never made another film.
'Kharij' (1982)Director: Mrinal Sen
The lowdown: This Bengali film was nominated for the Palm d’Or, which was won by the Japanese film, The Ballad of Narayama. However, Sen didn’t return home emptyhanded as he was awarded the Jury Prize.
'Salaam Bombay!' (1988)
Director: Mira Nair
The lowdown: Before it became the second Indian film to be nominated by the Academy, this Camera d’Or (Golden Camera) winning film bowled over critics as well as the public at Cannes.
'Piravi' (1989)
Director: Shaji N. Karun
The lowdown: Just a year after Salaam Bombay! took the honours, this Malayalam feature film — it deals with rural and urban disparity — earned a special mention in the Camera d’Or category.
'Marana Simhasanam' (1999)Director: Murali Nair
The lowdown: This Malayalam film threw light on the relationship between elections and idiocy in the country. It won the Camera d’Or — a feat yet to be repeated by an Indian film.
'The Lunchbox' (2013)
Director: Ritesh Batra
The lowdown: Although it didn’t win a major award in the competition category at the 66th Cannes Film Festival, it bagged the Grand Rail d’Or.
Filmmakers speak out: Why aren’t we winning top honours lately?
Dibakar Banerjee, producer of Titli
"I haven’t had the time to think about it. Maybe because it’s not an important issue."
Goutam Ghose, filmmaker
"It’s unfortunate because our films haven’t really matched the standards set by the Cannes jury. Of late, there have been many interesting Indian films but the question has always been the same: How rooted to Indianness are they?"
Buddhadeb Dasgupta, filmmaker
"There is no dearth of good films in our country but how many make it to Cannes, or for that matter, other international festivals? Maybe the required channels for such films are missing and that should be our concern."
Govind Nihalani, filmmaker
"To win an award at a film festival, your film should be in the competitive category. In the past few years, we’ve read about films travelling to Cannes, but I don’t think many were competing for awards. So winning anything big is out of the question."
"I haven’t had the time to think about it. Maybe because it’s not an important issue."
Goutam Ghose, filmmaker
"It’s unfortunate because our films haven’t really matched the standards set by the Cannes jury. Of late, there have been many interesting Indian films but the question has always been the same: How rooted to Indianness are they?"
Buddhadeb Dasgupta, filmmaker
"There is no dearth of good films in our country but how many make it to Cannes, or for that matter, other international festivals? Maybe the required channels for such films are missing and that should be our concern."
Govind Nihalani, filmmaker
"To win an award at a film festival, your film should be in the competitive category. In the past few years, we’ve read about films travelling to Cannes, but I don’t think many were competing for awards. So winning anything big is out of the question."
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