Naya Daur (1957 film)
| Naya Daur | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | B. R. Chopra |
| Produced by | B. R. Chopra |
| Written by |
Akhtar Mirza Kamil Rashid |
| Starring |
Dilip Kumar Vyjayanthimala Ajit Chand Usmani Jeevan |
| Music by | O. P. Nayyar |
| Cinematography | M. Malhotra |
| Edited by | Pran Mehra |
| Distributed by | BR Films |
Release date | 15 August 1957 |
Running time | 173 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
Naya Daur (English: New Era) is a 1957 Indian drama film, starring Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala, Ajit and Jeevan. Originally filmed in black and white, the film was colourised and re-released on 3 August 2007.[1] The film was later dubbed in Tamil as Pattaliyin Sabatham (English: The Proletariat's Vow) in 1958.[2] For this film, Kumar won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor for the third time in a row, being his fourth overall.
Plot
The film is set in post-independence India, where industrialisation is slowly creeping in. The focus is on tongawallahs who earn their living transporting people on tongas (horse carts). Their livelihood is threatened when the son of a rich landlord (Jeevan) begins operating a bus service in the town, which he subsidises heavily with the sole intention of first driving the tongawallahs out of the town and then making a profit.
Dilip Kumar plays one of the tongawallahs, who petitions the landlord over this injustice. Jeevan's character proposes a competition to decide which service is the best: The bus or the Tonga. It is decided that there will be a race between the vehicles. If the bus wins, the tongawallahs will not complain further. If the Tonga wins, the bus service will stop. This competition was a farce from the start, since nobody could dream that a horse cart could beat a machine. Kumar, however, accepts the challenge to everybody's surprise. His logic is that they would be driven to starvation if the bus service continues. This race at least gives them an opportunity to try to do something.
The rest of the tongawallahs do not share his hope. They blame him for his foolishness. In the end, he is left alone with nobody's support except his sweetheart, played by Vyjayanthimala. As the movie unfolds, a hopeless situation begins to turn around because of the way the people come together. Mishap after mishap occurs, but nothing can deter the determined. The highlight of the film is definitely the heart-stopping final race where the underdog wins.
Cast
- Dilip Kumar as Shankar
- Vyjayantimala as Rajni
- Ajit as Krishna
- Jeevan as Kundan
- Chand Usmani as Manju
- Johnny Walker as Journalist
- Nazir Hussain as Seth Ji
- Manmohan Krishna as Jumman Dada
- Leela Chitnis as Shankar's Mother
- Kumkum as Dancer in song "Reshmi Salwar Kurta Jali Ka" (as Kum Kum)
- Minoo Mumtaz as Dancer in song "Reshmi Salwar Kurta Jali Ka"
Production
During filming, the Naya Daur production was involved in a highly controversial and widely publicised court case. Initially, the actress Madhubala was cast as the female lead. An advance payment was given to her and shooting began and continued smoothly for 15 days. B.R. Chopra, the director, wanted the unit to travel to Bhopal for an extended outdoor shooting. Ataullah Khan, the father of Madhubala, objected to this and claimed that the entire Bhopal schedule was a ruse to give Dilip Kumar the opportunity to romance his daughter (Kumar and Madhubala were in a relationship at the time). Finally, Chopra sued Madhubala for the cash advance she received from him for a film she now had no intention of completing.
He replaced her with the South Indian actress Vyjayanthimala, who acted with Kumar in Devdas. Madhubala obediently supported her father despite her commitment to Dilip Kumar. Kumar testified against Madhubala and Ataullah Khan in favour of B.R. Chopra in open court. The case was lost by Madhubala and her father amid much negative publicity. During the case, the film was released and declared a success. Chopra dropped the case and saved Madhubala from the humiliation of a possible prison sentence.[3]
Critical reception
The Times of India wrote, "A picture with a purposeful and distinctly impressive theme Naya Daur from almost the beginning to the end, the picture sparkles with scenes and sequences filled with song, dance and revelry, which maintain with fine authenticity the rural atmosphere against the mounting tension of the drama created by the advent of the machine.. Naya Daur remains a brilliant, beautiful and very entertaining picture. Filmfare wrote, "A powerful and vibrantly gripping picture, B. R. Films' Naya Daur is a distinctly successful combination of pertinent social education and moral and top-rate entertainment."[4]
Box office
By the end of its theatrical run, Naya Daur collected around ₹ 5,40,00,000 thus becoming the second highest-grossing film of 1957 behind Mother India.[5]
Music
- Hindi Songs
All the songs in Hindi were composed by O. P. Nayyar and the lyrics were penned by Sahir Ludhianvi. Playback singers were Mohammed Rafi, Balbir, Asha Bhosle and Shamshad Begum.
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Aana Hai To Aa" | Mohammed Rafi | 05:41 |
| 2. | "Maang Ke Saath" | Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle | 03:33 |
| 3. | "Reshmi Shalwar Kurta" | Asha Bhosle, Shamshad Begum | 04:06 |
| 4. | "Saathi Haath Badhana" | Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle | 05:27 |
| 5. | "Uden Jab Jab" | Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle | 04:47 |
| 6. | "Yeh Desh Hai Veer" | Mohammed Rafi, Balbir | 03:12 |
| 7. | "Main Bombay Ka Babu" | Mohammed Rafi | 02:58 |
| 8. | "Dil Leke Daga Denge" | Mohammed Rafi | 01:26 |
| 9. | "Ek Diwana Aate Jate Humse Chhed Kare" | Asha Bhosle | 03:05 |
- Tamil Songs
All the songs in Tamil were composed by O. P. Nayyar and the lyrics were penned by Kannadasan. Playback singers are T. M. Soundararajan, Seerkazhi Govindarajan, P. Suseela & T. V. Rathinam.
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Vaaraai Neeye, Vaa Potri Vaa" | Seerkazhi Govindarajan | 05:41 |
| 2. | "Vaazhvil Un Korikkai Pole" | T. M. Soundararajan, P. Suseela | 03:33 |
| 3. | "Angiyodu Nijaar Aindhu Vadhaaye" | P. Suseela, T. V. Rathinam | 04:06 |
| 4. | "Vaazhga Vaazhga Paattaaliye" | T. M. Soundararajan, P. Suseela | 05:27 |
| 5. | "Undhan Mugil SuruL En Munkoondhal" | T. M. Soundararajan, P. Suseela | 04:47 |
| 6. | "Thaainaadu Idhe Veeram Migundhorkke" | T. M. Soundararajan, Seerkazhi Govindarajan | 03:12 |
| 7. | "Naan Bambaaiyin Baabu" | T. M. Soundararajan | 02:58 |
| 8. | "Dil Leke Daga Denge" | T. M. Soundararajan | 01:26 |
| 9. | "Ek Diwana Aate Jate Humse Chhed Kare" | P. Suseela | 03:05 |
Legacy
Aamir Khan's Academy Award nominated Lagaan (2001) was inspired by Naya Daur.[6][7]
Re-release
Naya Daur was colourised and re-released in 2007, along with the re-release of another film starring Dilip Kumar Mughal-e-Azam.[1] However, this re-release failed commercially.[8]
References
- 1 2 http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2007-07-18/bollywood/27959273_1_naya-daur-dilip-kumar-colour
- ↑ Pillai, Swarnavel Eswaran (2015). Madras Studios: Narrative, Genre, and Ideology in Tamil Cinema. India: SAGE Publications. p. 84.
- ↑ "Flashback When Dilip Kumar and Madhubala dragged each other to court". mid-day. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
- ↑ "The Indian Express - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
- ↑ "Box Office 1957". Boxofficeindia.com. Archived from the original on 18 September 2010. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
- ↑ "I'm not aware if Big B & SRK have copied me". Filmfare. 30 April 2013.
- ↑ South Asian Cinema. South Asian Cinema Foundation. 2001. p. 86.
- ↑ "Classic in colour: 50 years on, 'Hum Dono' fails to light up BO - Times of India".