Kissaa Kursee Kaa

Amrit Nahata's 'Kissaa Kursee Kaa' is said to be Hindi cinema's first political spoof. It is a darkly comic social and historical commentary based on former leader Sanjay Gandhi. Upon its release it created quite a stir and Gandhi, who was in power then, had allegedly had all the prints of the movie burnt as a result of which he was imprisoned. The movie was remade in 1978.

One doesn't require this historical information in order to enjoy the film because as a stand-alone it is superb. Though it mainly tackles Indian politics, the bureaucratic system and corruption, it has a universal appeal because many of the problems depicted are also prominent in countries outside India. An example is the scene where Shabana is bombarded with a heap of bureaucratic questions when she brings five dead rats to collect her reward. The satirical humour and metaphors are cleverly infused into the dialogue, performances and lyrics.

In a small role, Shabana Azmi delivers a heartbreaking performance as the poor citizens whose voices remain unheard and who suffer the most in the struggle for power. Surekha Sikri and Raj Kiran are very good as the ambitious aspiring powerholders. Manohar Singh fits his part very well and Chaman Bagga is suitably revolting.

'Kissaa Kursee Kaa' is a political satire that is definitely worth watching and from what I've learnt, it's quite 'accurate' in its hilariously exaggerated depiction.

It is poetic justice that, among all his alleged sins, Sanjay Gandhi finds himself behind bars for a case that has aroused the least public interest. Sanjay, along with Indira Gandhi's former information and broadcasting (I&B) minister V.C. Shukla, is facing trial for allegedly destroying the prints of a Hindi feature film Kissa Kursi Ka (KKK), produced by Janata Party mp, Amrit Nahata. Most people are under the mistaken impression that Sanjay's alleged destruction of the KKK prints is a relatively minor offence. However, if convicted, both Sanjay and Shukla are liable to a maximum punishment of life imprisonment. In KKK, the main political party had a "people's car" as its election symbol-an obvious take-off on Sanjay's dubious Maruti car project. KKK also lampooned his prominent supporters like Swami Dhirendra Brahmachari, Indira Gandhi's private secretary R.K. Dhawan, and the Emergency femme fatal Rukhsana Sulktana of Turkman Gate fame. KKK was sent to a seven-member revising committee by the Censor Board and further on to the Central Government by the committee. The I&B ministry sent Nahata a show cause notice which listed a total of 51 objections to his film. Nahata subsequently claimed that the objections were 'frivolous' and 'absurd' and on July 11, 1975 submitted a reply to the objections claiming that the characters in KKK were "imaginary and do not refer to any political party or persons". However, the fate of Nahata's film had been sealed at a secret coordination committee meeting held on July 7 chaired by Shukla. The prosecution has alleged that during the meeting, Shukla ordered that the film, including the original negatives, be seized. http://www.indiatoday.com/itoday/20061218/stories.html The film's ban signalled the beginning of the end of Sanjay Gandhi's reign.The Shabana Azmi starrer was India's first political spoof and its title-Kissa Kursi Ka (KKK)-has become part of the political lexicon. With dialogues like "Sir, give this young man the licence to manufacture small cars because he learnt it in his mother's womb", it took on the most powerful man of India then, Sanjay Gandhi. In the film, the main political party had a 'people's car' as its election symbol, an obvious take-off on Sanjay's Maruti car project. Obviously Indira Gandhi's errant son, then leading an unbridled youth brigade, known as Sanjay Gandhi's storm-troopers, was not amused. The film's negative, all the prints and the master-print were lifted from CBFC office, brought to the Maruti factory in Gurgaon and burned. The film, however, gave a powerful handle to the Jayaprakash Narayan-led movement and later to the Janata Party in destroying the Indira Gandhiled Congress in the 1977 Lok Sabha polls. The Shah Commission, set up to examine the Emergency excesses, held Sanjay guilty for burning the prints. As the Supreme Court denied him bail, Sanjay had to spend a month in Tihar Jail. V.C Shukla, I&B minister in Indira Gandhi's cabinet, also faced trial for allegedly destroying the prints of KKK and was jailed for two years. The verdict was overturned later. Though very few could see the film directed by Amrit Nahata, its title became immortal. During the anti-Emergency campaign, Nahata, a former Congress MP from Rajasthan, had been catapulted to stardom. He made the film again in 1978 with a new cast. Despite the controversy and massive publicity, the new movie proved to be a disaster. Even his commercially-oriented decision to replace Azmi with busty calendar girl Katy Mirza could not save the film.In a letter to the then I&B minister L.K. Advani, Nahata demanded Rs 1 crore as compensation claiming that "were KKK released even now, it would have broken all box office records".Prior to KKK, Nahata had made a devotional movie Sant Gyaneshwar in 1965 and a crime thriller Raton Ka Raja in 1967. He died on April 26, 2001, aged 74. He did not stand for Parliament or make a film again.

KKK - It was released 3 years before i was born... excellent star cast... theatrical presentation one of the most controversial movies ever made in India... the producers were only able to release it after the fall of Indira Gandhi's govt. in 1977.....

and i watched it 34 years after it was made.. and still can relate everything to the present scenario in 2012.... the PM and presidential elections... babas and dharnas.... corruption and dumb public... influential businessmen.... and the age old money making business called politics...

Everyone may not like it since its not as fast paced as today's lightening cinema.... but a gem according to me

Sometimes.... I wonder.... weren't we better off in the times of kings, maharajas, sultans and nawabs... at least the power and money was being exchanged through one source...

Kissha Kursee Kaa is a controversial political satire film. It was released in 1978 and it got banned due to contemporary government. All the prints of the film had been burnt by the government. Although the film is almost 40 years old, but it is so relevant in today's political scenario . The film aged so well due to its bold content and strong commentary on politics. The film is presented as a play, and this nature of the film works so well and the parody feels authentic and subtle. It never get over indulgent. The exploration of the satire is so clear and subtle and you can defiantly trace the real scenarios of those times very well. You can also draw so many parallels in current funny videos content (honest videos & parodies) formats with this. Only recognizable face in the film is Shabana Aazmi, and she is represented as Janta(the crowd) and she delivered masterful performance. This film is defiantly a timeless classic and everyone should watch to understand how great satires can be. For more reviews my insta handle- rastogidevansh

Jan Gan is purportedly a tale of fiction, but does refer to Jawarharlal Nehru and his love for roses. It also takes a jab at former Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi's son, Sanjay Gandhi, when a reference is made to a birth-control herb called 'Sanjay Sanjeevni' - no doubt a clear reference to the excesses made during the draconian Emergency - which eventually led to the fall of the Mrs. Gandhi's Congress party during 1977, and enabled distributors to finally release this movie, as well as 'Nasbandi (1978)' (qv). (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0232164/)

Exposing the inner workings of Government (especially the bureaucratic questions heaped on Shabana when she takes five dead mice to collect her reward) and how things are manipulated for the individual betterment of politicians and their kith and kin - without any regard for the people who vote them in.

And of course there is the ultimate weapon of 'mass distraction' - blame all problems on the neighboring country.

And the second form of distraction is war.

This is indeed an accurate and hilarious attempt and worth a look.

Warning: It may cause some people to get very upset at their respective politicians.