With the recent hype over Mr. Amitabh Bachchan’s seventieth birthday and the passing of Mr. Yash Chopra, Bollywood’s beloved film director, my husband and I decided to take a trip down memory lane and pulled out the famed 1975 Deewaar– a film directed by Mr. Chopra that prominently features Mr. Bachchan.
Having only faint memories of having seen it many years ago, it was almost as if I were watching it for the very first time. Notwithstanding the obsolete style of cinematography of the day– which is an interesting study in contrasts in and of itself– it was quite fascinating to take note of the overall style of the movie that undoubtedly has laid the foundations for many a Bollywood saga for generations to come! Not only did it lay these foundations, but it firmly established certain stereotypes of Indian society that prevail to this day.
Themes such as devotion to one’s parents, a mother’s love to her children, a father’s sacrifice for his family, the upright career of the policeman, and the rebellious son whose redemption lies in realizing the worth of his love for his mother to be greater than that of the ill-gotten wealth at his feet. But beyond stereotypes, the film was also groundbreaking on other fronts: it must have been quite the sensation in its time to see an independent woman of the likes of Parveen Babi, who is no different than her lover in reaching for the strong spirits and the cigarettes to get through each day, even while declaring her love for a man she doesn’t need one way or the other.
And while the script has some holes here and there, in the grand scheme of things, I suppose one must simply overlook them all to focus instead on appreciating all the other nuances of memorable diaglogue and searing “angry young man” looks that were since almost patented by Mr. Bachchan. Also, a big nod must be made to the story-line that was reflective of the tumultuous politics of the day– when labor union activism was at its height due to the growing sense of desperation for the paucity of the very basic needs of life: roti, kapda, aur makaan– bread, clothes, and a roof over one’s head.
