Do Bigha Zamin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Do Bigha Zamin | |
|---|---|
| Image:Do Bigha Zamin 1953 film poster.jpg Film poster | |
| Directed by | Bimal Roy |
| Produced by | Bimal Roy |
| Written by | Salil Choudhury (story) Paul Mahendra (dialogue) Hrishikesh Mukherjee (scenario) |
| Starring | Balraj Sahni Nirupa Roy Ratan Kumar Jagdeep Murad |
| Music by | Salil Choudhury |
| Cinematography | Kamal Bose |
| Editing by | Hrishikesh Mukherjee |
| Distributed by | Shemaroo Video Pvt. Ltd. |
| Release date(s) | 1953 |
| Running time | 142 min. |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| IMDb profile | |
Do Bigha Zamin (Two Acres of Land) is 1953 is a B&W Hindi movie, directed by Bengali director Bimal Roy and star Balraj Sahni and Nirupa Roy in lead roles. The film is known for its socialist theme, and is an important film in the early parallel cinema of India and is rightly considered a trend setter [1]
Like most of movies by Bimal Roy, art and commercial cinema are merged to create a movie that is still looked upon as a benchmark and paved way for future cinema makers in the neo-realist movement, which was about to start in the 70s [2].
In 2005, Indiatimes Movies ranked the movie amongst the Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films.[3]
Contents |
[edit] Summary
The story revolves around a farmer, Shambhu (Balraj Sahni), who has been hit badly by a famine in Bengal. The real reason of his sorrow is that the Zamindar (land owner) wants to acquire his land on the pretext that Shambhu had taken some loan from him. Shambhu has to pay back the landlord and hence moves to the city to look for some other source of money.
The most famous scene from the movie is when Shambhu pushes himself to the limit pulling a rickshaw. The rider on the rickshaw offers Shambhu more money to pull faster because he is chasing (probably) his girlfriend in another rickshaw. Shambhu can not resist the temptation, and he keeps smiling in anticipation of getting more money. However, his wealthy customer is not worried the least about the lower class' plight. In this race, rickshaw loses a wheel and Shambhu is injured.
However, through all these hardships Shambhu does not lose his righteousness, which is the moral of the movie. Shambhu's son steals money to help his father, only to be reproached by his father later. Shambhu's morality is the only thing that remains his own till the end.
[edit] Critical acclaim
Do Bigha Zamin won the Prix Internationale at the 1954 Cannes Film Festival and the Prize for Social Progress at the Karlovy Vary film festival. The movie won the first ever Filmfare Best Movie Award in 1954. Bimal Roy won the Filmfare Best Director Award. The movie also won the Certificate of Merit at National Film Award of India.
[edit] Themes
The troubles and turmoil that befall the main character Shambhu demonstrate the condition of poor farmers in pre-independence (and early post independence) India. The society of the time was agrarian and the farmers were poor. This poverty is mainly due to the fact that most farmers had very small land holdings and were uneducated. The farmers were gullible while the land owner, money lender, and the Brahmins were skilled. Many people moved to the cities either in the anticipation of gaining fortunes, or because they could not survive the atrocities of power holders. The movie has a theme that can be found in works of notable Indian authors of the era like Munshi Premchand or Sarat Chandra Chatterjee.
Despite the awards it received, the movie is sometimes criticized in modern times, due to its portrayal of the rich as arrogant and conceited, and the poor as unquestionably moralistic. In this respect, it departs from Sarat Chandra Chaterji's style, who portrayed the poor as unfortunate but not completely altrusitic or faultless. But in the 1950s, movies in post-Independence India tended to have socialist themes and were in fact quite popular through out the world especially in Russia, Greece and China. In such countries with a fledgling movie industry and a huge population of poor, movies like Do Bigha Zamin found a sympathetic audience and were consequently well received.
[edit] The Title
In the name of the movie "Two Bigha of Land" or Two Acres of Land, Bigha or Acre is a unit of measuring land. Bigha varies from state to state. In Bengal, where the movie is based, 3 bigha is one acre (4,000 m²). Therefore, Shambhu owns only 2,700 m².
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Do Bigha Zamin at the Internet Movie Database
- Review from Rediff.com's Classics revisted series
- upperstall.com review
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by New Award | Filmfare Award for Best Film 1953 | Succeeded by Boot Polish |
Cinema of India | |
|---|---|
| Industries: Assamese • Bengal • Bollywood • Karnataka • Kollywood • Malayalam • Marathi • Punjwood •Tollywood | |
| Image:Indiafilm.png | |
