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Roti (1942) : Brief Review -

That anti-capitalist cult film from Mehboob Khan which easily beats all the contemporary classics of bollywood. One of the best work ever done by ther master director. Roti is heavily inspired by German expressionism and is very disturbing and difficult film to watch. It challenges the contemporary cinema by crossing all the limits of a mainstream entertainer. It is a moral critique on the Indian society which shows us two opposite but unchangeable sides, rich and poor. By the title it gives you a little idea about its content but actually it is far ahead of that. It is unbelievable to know that Mehboob Khan made such a hard-hitting film in pre-independence era. The storyline of Roti deals with two models - one of a millionaire, possessed by money and power in an industrial civilisation, the other of a tribal couple living in a primeval state of nature. Both the sides have a common guide and that unnamed character of a Commentor is outstanding. I personally feel, he depicts any poor common man who has experienced everything in life and so he has lost faith in the humanity. The way he lectures and puts his points is so thought-provoking from both sides, positive and negative. It's like he's misguiding people but at the same time he's also teaching them one of the biggest lessons of life. Roti is just not a film or just not a satire, but it is something more than that. Something, which cannot be described in a movie genre. Looking at the its time, its far far ahead of any other bollywood film made in the entire decade. To make it more simple i would say Roti is an extreme version of social classics Raj Kapoor made after a decade, Awaara and Shree 420. Hats off to the master filmmaker Mehboob Khan for such a marvelous cinematic concert way before anyone could understand it. Roti is a must watch and a must know film for every bollywood movie buff. Hopefully, you'll understand the exact meaning of it.

RATING - 8.5/10*

By - #samthebestest.

This classic early film by Memboob is a very hard hitting and well made critique of the impact of the capitalist ethos on India's poor. This film is striking in it's uncompromising stand more so as it was made within the framework of commercial Indian cinema. Surely among the all time greats of Indian films.