Kanoon

This is an excellent suspense-thriller of 1960 which is an all time classic from the black and white era. Can you imagine a bollywood entertainer from the fifties and the sixties which is sans the regular ingredients of songs, romance and comedy ? No ? Please do see Kanoon which is devoid of songs, romance and comedy and yet it keeps you glued to the screen for two and a half hours. Its suspenseful drama is so impactful that the audience does not feel any need for any other bollywood formulae in the narrative.

It discusses the relevance of the DEATH PELANTY or the CAPITAL PUNISHMENT too. The verdict of the moviemaker is that the death penalty should be done away with in toto. My own view is that let it be in the books of law, only to be awarded in the rarest of rare cases. It has its importance but considering the fact that once awarded, it cannot be reverted even if it is known later that the verdict of the case was a faulty one; it should be awarded only selectively when the crime is quite heinous and there is little doubt in the accused's being guilty.

Judge Badri Prasad (Ashok Kumar) strongly opines that the capital punishment should be deleted from the book of Indian Penal Code because it is cruel and moreoever it does not leave any scope to correct the faulty judgment in any case which is always likely because judgments are given on the basis of evidences and witnesses which might be misleading. The twist in the tale comes when a moneylender, Dhaniram (Om Prakash) who is after his borrower son, Vijay (Mahmood) is murdered. The interesting thing is that the judge's would be son-in-law, Kailash (Rajender Kumar) is the eye-witness to this murder and he is shocked to see that the murderer is the judge himself. Now when an innocent person is arrested and put under trial for this murder in the court of the same judge with Kailash being the defense lawyer, the mutual relations of the judge, Kailash and the judge's daughter, Meena (Nanda) become tense and uneasy. After a memorable court-room drama, Kailash accuses his would-be father-in-law to be the murderer and gets him arrested and put under trial for the murder. The truth is revealed in the end with the reiteration that death penalty should be considered redundant and deleted from the legal books.

This suspense-thriller is so intriguing that it engrosses the viewer from the beginning to the end without any boredom. The viewer just forgets that there are no songs, no romance and no comedy served to him. He only keeps on watching, holding his breath and waiting for the suspense to be revealed. Legendary producer-director B.R. Chopra has directed this movie with such finesse that it is considered a twinkling diamond in the highly decorated crown worn by him.

The performances are great. Ashok Kumar and Rajender Kumar have delivered great performances in a neck-to-neck contest of excellence. Nanda, Jeevan, Mahmood, Manmohan Krishna, Shashikala, Nana Palsikar (won the award for the best supporting actor for this movie) and Om Prakash, all have done admirably.

As already said, there are no songs. However the background score is impressive. Technically this black and white movie is perfect without any deficiencies.

On the flip side, the narrative loses its charm in the end after revelation of the suspense and the five minutes long lecture of Ashok Kumar on the relevance of the capital punishment bores. Anyway, this is not a big minus point because the movie is just about to end.

Some three decades back, a session judge, Justice Sanwar Mal Agarwal had awarded capital punishment in a dowry-murder case and became quite famous due to this verdict. I had read his interview given to the popular Hindi magazine - Sarita in which he had referred to this movie (seen in his youth when he was studying law) and asserted that the difference between reel courts and real courts is even bigger than the reel life and real life. He's right. The high-voltage drama shown in the court in this movie is impossible to be witnessed in real courts. We can ignore this unreal portrayal of courts for the sake of the liberty taken by the narrator for the sake of entertaining the audience, i.e., us.

Summing up, Kanoon is an edge-of-the-seat classic suspense-thriller with a gripping court-room drama. No movie buff should miss it.

B.R. Chopra's Kanoon is a damn good movie of its time. It is a murder mystery cum courtroom drama and is generally full of suspense which makes for a very effective and interesting watch. The concept is very well brought out on screen. Kanoon questions the righteousness of India's judicial system and shows the two faces of justice and law. There's a saying which says, "It is easier to commit murder than to justify it". This film only strengthens it. It is well scripted and narrated, and Chopra's direction is excellent. He pays attention to details and makes the viewer a silent and curious witness of the often-confusing proceedings. The film is often cited as the first Hindi film which has absolutely no songs. That was quite a refreshing change. It moves at a steady pace and is consistently tense and intriguing. The courtroom scenes are fascinating. That said, Kanoon is not flawless and it certainly could have been better. As I expected from Chopra, the ending is a bit sugarcoated, and the long speech in court did not make much sense to me. The cast, however, is roundly good. Ashok Kumar, who is according to me one of the finest actors to have ever appeared in Hindi cinema, is unsurprisingly excellent. He is at par with the best actors from Hollywood's golden era: classy, controlled, likable and restrained, always delivering nuanced, impressive and convincing performances. Rajendra Kumar is also very good though he is a bit over-the-top at times. Mehmood introduces another comic character which does not really go well with the proceedings, and this is another flaw. Nanda and Manmohan Krishna are both effective. But, the one who completely steals the show, and I think many would agree with me, is Nana Palsikar, in a performance that is heartfelt and moving. His character was the one I felt for the most, and due credit for this goes to the actor himself. He brilliantly captures his character's essence, which proves once again that poverty is the mother of all crimes. All said and done, Kanoon is a Hindi classic which is worth watching.

The only negative thing about Kanoon is its climax and it doesn't mean it is short of a suspense twist. It is just too feeble for a strong plot.

Ashok Kumar is calm & fine with his portrayal, and I am impressed by Rajendra Kumar. His seriousness throughout the movie keeps you hooked & pulls you inside. Supporting cast is little overactive, but that's fine.

Story of how the judicial system can convict any person if advocates throw witnesses & evidences to it. It talks about how a court doesn't go and search for clues or proofs, it only decides upon the things thrown to it. Wonderful plot describes relationships inside a family, murder & honesty between advocates.

Although released in 1960, its technical attributes are way thinner than its counterparts, especially the score & setup. Editing is very good. It gives its audience what they deserve & comes straight to the point, telling a gripping tale. It entertains incredibly & hence a 6.7/10 for the topic & performances.

BOTTOM LINE: One of the few films on courtroom drama that is gripping & psychological. Recommended!

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

Profanity/Nudity/Vulgarity: No | Violence/Gore: Mediocre | Smoking: Strong | Alcohol/Drugs: No | Sex: No

Kanoon (1960) : Brief Review -

BR Chopra's pathbreaking courtroom drama might never be matched by anyone in Indian cinema. It is a proud thing for me to say that a year before Stanley Kramer made a pathbreaking courtroom drama like "Judgement at Nuremberg," Indian cinema made Kanoon. Interestingly, both films are about the same topics-the sanity and morality of "justice." However, Kanoon races ahead because it adds a sentimental touch to human relations. How many courtroom dramas have the judge as a culprit? This is perhaps the most unique conflict ever seen in courtroom drama. Witness for Prosecution was so unique with the witness being the main culprit. Now just imagine how unique Kanoon is when you know that the judge who is going to declare the verdict and send someone to death is himself the culprit. Talking about human emotions, it's his own future son-in-law who is giving testimony against him. His own educated and sensible daughter is giving fake testimony on the witness stand to save her future husband. The alleged killer himself admits being the real killer and betrays an honest lawyer who is fighting against his loved ones to prove this unknown man's innocence. When you think that this investigation has found a killer and everything's going to end on a sad note with a lecture on "justice," you have a big twist that destroys the entire narrative built so far. The film raises questions about judges, lawyers, witnesses, testimonies, juries, and the sentences passed by the court. I don't really think any film has been so damaging to the courtroom proceedings so far. Chopra's visionary classic is powered by the strong performances of Rajendra Kumar, Ashok Kumar, and Nanda. Kanoon has no songs (the only second Bollywood film by that time to have no songs). Storyline, screenplay, acting, direction, and impact-Kanoon hits all of them on a different level.

RATING - 8/10*

By - #samthebestest.

While most of the '60s movies are known for their songs, "Kanoon" is a film revered for its story. Devoid of any songs, it emanates a court room drama which keeps one to the edge of their seats. The beginning itself sets the mood raising an issue on the judicial system which under false evidences and witnesses sends the innocents to the gallows. The theme is exemplified by its jaw-dropping plot with a thrill to the last minute, often achieved in the Hitchcock thrillers. Just forget Mehmood's slapstick comedy, there is much of conviction delivered through the impeccable performances from Ashok Kumar, Rajendra Kumar, and Nana Palsikar, for which he was rewarded the Filmfare Awards for the Best Supporting Actor. Overall, "Kanoon" is a taut classic, which should be remembered for its story. Later, B.R Chopra came with "Ittefaq," but "Kanoon" still is a gem.

Rating: 3 stars out of 4