Upkar

Upkar (1967) : Brief Review -

Perhaps the biggest cultural and social reset in Indian cinema that actually reflected the mass revolution across the nation. It wouldn't be an exaggeration if I said that Manoj Kumar has done UPKAR (FAVOUR) on Indian cinema by making this movie. Directorial debuts will come and go; some will be better and will be acclaimed, but nothing will ever match the impact of this. Hats off, Manoj Kumar. Every single frame in this movie speaks volumes about masterclass filmmaking. A sautela bhai has to be spoiled, and a mother has to choose stepson over her own blood because he is right. Pran plays a crippled man, but he speaks the most intellectual dialogues in the entire movie. "Tu itna bhi nahin samjha pagale, Ram ne har Yug mein janam Liya hai par Lakshman wapas paida nahin hua." This has to be the dialogue of the century. "Sach hai, ye dharti maa ek haath hateli hai jis pal kisaan hal chalake aadmi ki kismat ki lakire banata hai." Has any Indian movie ever been so allegorical and physically beautiful about the farmer's definition? "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisaan" was a nationwide sensation after Shastri Ji's announcement, but hardly anyone understood the depth of it. It was natural because the masses aren't really that intelligent and educated to understand the subtle message hidden deep inside it. Upkar dug deep into that, brought it out, refined it, and delivered it to the masses. It's not just about farmers's importance but also about soldiers' contribution. A nation can stand without rich people and industrialization, but no nation can ever stand without farmers and soldiers. The third biggest side in this movie is Doctors. The man who had earlier made a film like "Himalaya Ki God Mein" (1965) brought the doctors into good light again, and this time through a female character. Mere Desh Ki Dharti is not just a song; it's an anthem that will last for centuries, no matter how modern we become. Do yourself a FAVOUR and watch UPKAR.

RATING - 8.5/10*

By - #samthebestest.

Upkaar is a sadly overlooked film in canonical film studies, despite its popularity. It has probably been played on TV on independence day in India more than any other film.

Manoj Kumar as the faultless Bharat is the epitome of 'Ram Rajya' and Asha Parekh is the immaculately subservient partner. Prem Chopra is the brother gone astray, turned over by the collusion of the western influences of the city, and the evil moneylender/landlord (and thus, both evils are one!). Several symbols of nationhood, benevolent military, self-sacrificing mothers (and westernized wenches) present a complete, unadulterated picture of the struggles of the righteous in a rising nation-state. See Chinese propaganda films of the Great Leap Forward, the farm-worker parallels are astonishing.

Interestingly, this was not just a turning point in Manoj Kumar's career (he practically turned to a staple screen patriot after this), but also in Pran's career - usually playing villain, Pran excelled here as a disabled farmer, a role that entirely changed his own career path in the Hindi film industry.

Good movie but didn't age well though topics covered are very much relevant.

Nothing much but outstanding. This was golden era of Indian cinema.

This movie was a trendsetter in many ways. Born out of a meeting between then prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and Manoj Kumar at the screening of his immensely popular Shaheed in 1965,the story was written in a 24 hour period on the filmmaker's train journey back to Mumbai and released 2 years later after the prime minister's demise.

The issues tackled in the movie were extremely significant at the time,with India facing acute food shortages in addition to fighting multiple unprovoked wars in a short span of time. Some stay relevant even today. Though there is a trend currently to treat patriotic films with extreme viewpoints,many dismissive, this movie is far from being jingoistic.(I do admit I prefer realistically picturised movies over CGI generated visuals,even in the so called patriotic ones) .It might seem formulaic to some because movies that came after followed this formula. This is a movie of a more innocent and non jaded time and needs to be viewed as such. For example,a city girl wanting to stay in the village might be perceived today to be docile or all sacrificing but one really has nothing to do with the other ,even today. An example in real life is the husband -wife doctor duo of Prakash Amte and Mandakini Amte. And never in the movie is it indicated that she's giving up her career. In that she's actually a more 'modern' female character than many portrayals of her in contemporary movies as the gali spewing,drinking,cigarette smoking bindass girl,who's supposed to be a tomboy but looks like she's spent hours in a salon,who also in real life would probably never get a job,because oops!... in our efforts to look contrived modern, we forgot to get an education along the way! In contrast this movie handles a lot of topics with sensitivity and maturity, each character representing a differing viewpoint. No woman is falling at any man's feet to get his 'charno ki dhool' and the dialogues between the protagonist/doctor or doctor/brother with regards to courtship and marriage are surprisingly matter of fact. I especially like that it lacks the typical over the top mother- son melodrama of most Hindi movies. Here the mother is less emotional than the older brother about dividing the land ; there's also no overdrawn dialogue between the two when the older brother leaves town. There is also no unnecessary west vs east mischaracterization in absolutes(there is a perfectly good natured non Indian character and a number of unsavoury Indian ones). Most performances are good,the standout is Pran as Malang chacha, especially because he was playing against character. This movie, to its credit is a well written original,unapologetic tale about who we were then as a country,talking more about what it should mean to us, about recognizing it's needs and our duty as citizens towards fulfilling them and most importantly about what dreams are really worth chasing.