Chan Pardesi
| Chan Pardesi | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Chitrartha Singh |
| Produced by |
Baldev Gill J. S. Cheema Mrs. Swarn Sedha Dr. Chanan Singh Sidhu Simran Sidhu |
| Screenplay by | Ravinder Peepat |
| Story by | Baldev Gill |
| Starring |
Raj Babbar Rama Vij Kulbhushan Kharbanda Amrish Puri Om Puri |
| Music by | Surinder Kohli |
| Cinematography | Manmohan Singh |
| Edited by | Subhash Sehgal |
Release date | 1981 |
Running time | 147 mins |
| Country | India |
| Language | Punjabi |
Chan Pardesi is a Punjabi language film released in 1981. It was directed by Chitrarth Singh and starred Raj Babbar, Rama Vij, Amrish Puri, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Om Puri. Chan Pardesi was a seminal film that debuted many future Bollywood legends both in front of and behind the camera, and was Raj Babbar's first ever film. Chan Pardesi won India's National Film Award in 1980 and went on to become a big commercial success when it eventually found distribution in 1981.[1][2]
Plot
Harnek Singh (a.k.a. Nek) (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) is an honest farm worker from the village who works hard for his employer, Jagirdar Joginder Singh (Amrish Puri). Nek is in love with the village belle, Kammo (Rama Vij), and hopes to marry her after he accumulates enough money and some land. One day the Jagirdar asks his assistant, Tulsi (Om Puri), to send Nek out of the village for a few days. Upon Nek's return home, Joginder is pleased with him and allocates six acres of land so that he can be independent and marry Kammo. A delighted Nek marries Kammo and they settle down to a harmonious married lifestyle. Soon Kammo gives birth to a son, Laali (Raj Babbar). It is then that their world is turned upside down when Nek finds out that the child is not his but that of Joginder, who had raped Kammo in his absence. Angered, Nek kills a man named Kanhaiya, is arrested, tried in Court, and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Nek breaks off all ties with Kammo, suspecting her of infidelity.
Years later, grown up Laali is in love with a beautiful girl named Channi (Sunita Dheer), whom he wants to marry. When he tells his mother about this, she refuses to giver her permission and blessings, but instead wants him to marry another village girl Nimmo (Rajni Sharma), whom she approves of.
Watch what happens when Laali discovers the reason why his mother does not approve of Channi. Laali brought the money to Jagirdar Joginder Singh for Channi's wedding as Laali considers her like a sister since they are best friends and Tulsi (Om Puri) was going to take the money away before Laali beat up Tulsi and then Joginder fires at Tulsi as his enemy and the terrible secret (of Joginder being Laali's biological father) comes out before Jagirdar goes to jail before Channi's wedding. Harnek Singh (alias Nek) return to the village during Channi's wedding and quit shooting people since Joginder was already in jail and then remain relationship with his wife Kammo and son Laali after 20 years of prison instead of separating his family.
Legacy
Chan Pardesi is regarded as one of the greatest Indian films ever made, and enjoys an almost legendary status in Punjabi cinema.
It launched the careers of its cast and crew, many of whom went on to work in Bollywood, Hollywood, and other international film and television industries.
Acquisition by Blue Horse Films
In December 2016, Blue Horse Films International Ltd. completed the long process of acquiring all rights to exploitation and distribution of Chan Pardesi.
Blue Horse Films is owned and run by the father-son producer-director team of Dr. Chanan Singh Sidhu (Pd.D) and Simran Sidhu (M.A. London Film School) respectively.
Chan Pardesi: Remastered (2018)
In 2018, Blue Horse Films International Ltd. will be releasing a digitally remastered version of Chan Pardesi in high definition and 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound. This will be the film studio's maiden voyage as a major production company.
Chan Pardesi: Remastered had its worldwide premiere at The International Film Festival of South Asia in Toronto in 2017 to a full house.
Remastering Process
The film was restored from its original 35mm negative that was recovered from India's National Film Archive in Pune, Maharashtra.
The restoration was financed by producer Dr. Chanan Singh Sidhu and co-ordinated by writer-director Simran Sidhu (M.A. London Film School). The image grading was supervised by the film's original cinematographer, Manmohan Singh, and the sound was extensively redesigned by the film's original sound designer, J.S. Cheema.
Due to excessive damage sustained by the film print at the extremes of the frame, the decision was made to change the film from its original 1.375:1 aspect ratio to a wider 1.85:1 format. The filmmakers, lead by cinematographer Manmohan Singh, then went through a painstaking process of carefully reframing every shot to ensure that the compositions had maximum impact given the new frame dimensions.
The image work was carried out at Filmlab, Mumbai. The sound work was carried out at Cheema Studios, Chandigarh.
Chan Pardesi: Part II (2020)
Blue Horse Films International is currently developing a sequel to Chan Pardesi to be released in 2020. It will be produced by Dr. Chanan Singh Sidhu.
Chan Pardesi: Part II will be written and directed by Simran Sidhu, whose previous credits include the multi-award winning short film Rain (starring Yashpal Sharma from the Oscar-nominated Lagaan), which won the 2018 Remi Award for Best Dramatic Short Film at WorldFest Houston (past Remi Winners include Hollywood legends Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Copolla and George Lucas).
Songs
| No. | Title | Singers | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Na rus here meriye main ranjhan tera" | Mohammed Rafi | 7:29 |
| 2. | "Kithe vekh sajan" | Asha Bhosle | 5:49 |
| 3. | "Roj takdi phiran" | Dilraj Kaur, Anwar (singer) | 4:50 |
| 4. | "Maae Na Wat Poonian (Doli)" | Mohammed Rafi | 4:30 |
| 5. | "Sajna ve Sajna" | Dilraj Kaur | 5:14 |
| 6. | "Tappe" | Manmohan Singh | 6:41 |
| 7. | "Dil Darya Samundron Doonghe and Medley songs" | Savita Suman, Surinder Kohli and Manmohan Singh | 5:51 |
Cast
- Rama Vij ... Kammo
- Raj Babbar ... Laali
- Kulbhushan Kharbanda ... Harnek/Nek
- Amrish Puri ... Jangirdar Joginder Singh
- Om Puri ... Tulsi
- Sushma Seth ... Jassi (Joginder Singh's wife)
- Sunita Dheer ... Channi
- Mehar Mittal ... Pappu
- Rajni Sharma ... Nimmo
- Sunder (actor) ... Hawaldaar
References
- ↑ Jaskiran Kapoor (1 December 2010). "Tallking Point". Indian Express.
- ↑ "We Are Like This Only!". Indian Express. 7 January 2010.