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Half a century after India achieved Independence, opinions
might well differ on what freedom means to each of us. Those
who had a first-hand experience of the freedom struggle knew
the price we paid to shrug off the Imperial power, while
those who were born in Independent India perceive it as part
of history… nee folklore!
And nothing depicts this dichotomy better than Hindi cinema,
which in more ways than one has mirrored the rapid changes
in the social fabric of India. This is so because whatever
may be the ideological differences between makers of art and
commercial cinema, both agree that Hindi movies are an “AKS”
(reflection) of the times! While one of the genres takes a
realistic look at it, the other presents an escapist view.
And never has this picture been more consistent with the
times than in the matter of patriotism.
Ever since the redoubtable Sohrab Modi pioneered patriotism
through his films like ‘Sikander’ and ‘Nausherwan-e-Adil’ in
the early 1950s, Bollywood has reveled in this genre of
bringing history alive on the silver screen. In the past 53
years, there have been innumerable films made on the topic
of patriotism, though it must be said that over this period
the ‘anti-Indian’ or the one who challenges India has
consistently changed with the times.
First it was the invader from the west – Alexander, Chenghiz
Khan and their ilk who attracted the attention of
filmmakers. Then came the British, or the ‘Gora’ who
arguably enjoyed the best longevity in Bollywood’s
‘hate-list’. This was followed by the more recent history of
the three wars India fought with Pakistan and as well as the
1962 conflict with China. And finally, came the ubiquitous
‘external forces’ out to ruin the nation in the form of the
theatrical ‘Mogambo’ of Mr. India, the nasty Dr. Dang of
‘Karma’ and the good-turned-evil militants of ‘Sarfarosh’, ‘Maachis’,
‘Fiza’ and ‘Mission Kashmir’. And somewhere along the line,
patriotism was taken over by jingoism… and the enemy within
replaced the one outside!
Having said that, the very same Bollywood made some
celluloid masterpieces on this theme over the years. Movies
like ‘Anand Math’ made in 1952 by Filmistan and the two
versions of ‘Shaheed’ with Dilip Kumar and Manoj Kumar in
the lead told the tale of India’s fight against the Imperial
rule admirably. During this interregnum, many directors
toyed with scripts dealing with the exploits of our freedom
fighters like Bhagat Singh and Chandrashekar Azad too.
Though there were other movies like ‘Jagriti’, ‘Jis Desh
Mein Ganga Behti Hai’ that dealt with the fruits of freedom,
the genre was carried forward in true measure by none other
than Manoj ‘Bharat’ Kumar with his memorable ‘Upkar’ in
1967. A self-confessed patriot, Manoj Kumar dealt with the
Indo-Pak war of 1965 in the film but did so with the
leitmotif of ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ – a phrase coined by Lal
Bahadur Shastri. And true to his form, the
actor-producer-director immortalized the essence of India in
the song ‘Mere Desh Ki Dharti’ sung by Mahendra Kapoor. To
this day, no Independence Day passes without television
channels playing this highly popular number.
In the late 1960s and for much of the 1970s, the
socio-political nature of the freedom movement took a
backseat as movies were made on the various wars that India
fought. While Chetan Anand’s ‘Haqeeqat’ of 1964 dealt with
the 1962 Chinese aggression, films like ‘Hindustan ki Kasam’
and ‘Aakraman’ reflected the heroics of our troops during
the Indo-Pak wars.
It was again left to Manoj Kumar to provide the next twist
in this patriotic tale. He brought thespian Dilip Kumar from
semi-retirement and cast him as ‘Sanga’ in ‘Kranti’, the
epic film of 1981. In his own words, the film was ‘a tribute
to the unknown revolutionary’. It was a welcome return to
‘unadulterated’ patriotism and the film remains one of the
biggest money-spinners in this genre, i.e., if you leave out
Aamir Khan’s ‘Lagaan’ for the moment!
It was during the late 1980s that the ‘external enemy’
became active and a host of movies hit the screen that had
the protagonist fighting evil forces that wanted to ‘rule’
India. While movies like ‘Karma’ and Mr. India sustained
audience interest, a host of other films of this genre
featuring villainous characters with weird hairdos and
hailing from dubious geographical locations proved eminently
forgettable.
By now, terrorism aided by the ‘foreign’ hand had gained
such credence that even a sensitive filmmaker like Mani
Ratnam toyed with the idea and created ‘Roja’ in 1992. If
the movie had Kashmir of the 1990s as its backdrop,
poet-producer Gulzar set his ‘Maachis’ in the violence-torn
Punjab of the 1980s. Almost everyone and his uncle at
Bollywood tried out this genre with mixed success, though
there were some memorable films like ‘Border’ made by J.P.
Dutta and ‘Sarfarosh’ by newcomer John Mathew Mathan.
The new millennium abounded in terrorism-related movies like
‘Fiza’ and ‘Mission Kashmir’, reflecting the increasing
recourse to violence amongst the youth of the country. Most
of these films dealt with the pent-up passions amongst the
youth and their fight for justice, even if that meant
secession from the mainland. Fed on such a staple diet, it
is indeed no surprise that ‘Lagaan’ with its old-world charm
and the ubiquitous ‘Gora’ as the enemy is doing roaring
business now. A movie about the trials and tribulations of a
village during ‘British Raj’, producer Aamir Khan and
Director Ashutosh Gowrikar have taken pains to give it some
‘real’ patriotism amidst all the jingoism that was
prevailing in Bollywood!
Amidst all the different hues of Bollywood patriotism, a
well known Hollywood director made history of sorts by
making a full-length feature film on the ‘Father of the
Nation’ for Hollywood. Richard Attenborough’s ‘Gandhi’ not
only achieved critical acclaim winning a host of Oscars, it
has come to be known as one of the best-documented works on
the Mahatma ever canned.
In the final analysis, all one can say is that for an
industry known for its straightjacket approach, Bollywood
has indeed experimented with all sorts of patriotism.
Mercifully though we have left out the ‘Aliens’ for the
moment! Maybe, we have any number of enemies to deal with on
land, to worry about the extra-terrestrials! At least for
the moment! Bollywood Zindabad!
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