‘Movies outlive us. You leave behind a piece of yourself when you make a film.’ This was what Desh Mukerji believed in. And he was so right. Nearly 40 years after he directed Immaan Dharam, my American friend (and Bollywood buff), MISSY PUGH, presents her thoughts about the film.
My obsession with Bollywood movies and music (and yes, Salman Khan) is attributed to my friend Adite Banerjie. I had always wanted to see a Bollywood movie and Adite’s review on Dabangg introduced me to that world. And for a while it seemed that unless it starred Salman Khan, I would put her non-Khan movie suggestions into a queue to be watched later. Salman came first. Since then I luckily have finally watched a few that didn’t star him, and I am happy to report that I have enjoyed them just as much. And the first one was Immaan Dharam.
One day Adite mentioned to me how she had met Salman Khan early on in his career because her father, Desh Mukherjee, worked in the industry as an Art Director. He had even directed a film. I was beyond excited to learn this! While she was saying, “I don’t mean to brag,” I was responding with, “What film?!?!” She tried to squash my excitement with, “It’s from 1977 – it’s not what you’re used to.” But I could care less. I love movies – it doesn’t matter what era. Plus I tend to find myself so immersed when I watch them, that I’m easily transported back in time. I’m not one to sit there and poke fun at the differences from another era. I was also intrigued to watch a film starring Amitabh Bachchan. He played a pivotal role in Slumdog Millionaire, even though the viewer only saw archive footage from his movies and a stand-in was used for the autograph scene. And of course Amrish Puri – who played a villain in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. And I have to say, Amrish is just as villainous in Immaan Dharam.
Desh Mukerji (behind the camera) with Sanjeev Kumar on the sets.
The back of the DVD says, “Reproduced from vintage source for the sake of nostalgic, hence possibly compromising on quality.” Yes, the transfer isn’t what you would see on a Blu-Ray – and I’m happy about this. In some silent moments, you could hear the occasional “pop” in audio – which made me feel like I was watching from a movie theater from back in the day. I’ve always loved the hum of the movie reel spinning. Kind of like how music enthusiasts don’t like music in digital forms because it loses the uniqueness of the needle on the record.
Immaan Dharam is about two guys who are paid to be mock witnesses in court. They lie easily and the first song “Hum Jhooth Bolte Hain” is a fun number that makes it feel like you’re headed for a comedy. But soon – like any good Bollywood film – you are then taken down a road full of drama, romance, action and suspense. When their blind friend Shyamlee doesn’t win a singing contest, they lie and say she did. They then proceed to rig it so she thinks she’s singing for an adorning crowd. It’s a gesture that shows that these guys do have a good heart deep down. This also starts them on a path of realizing that their lying has consequences.
Directing Shashi Kapoor (left)
I won’t give any more story elements away – trust me when I say it’s an engaging story with characters that intertwine nicely – but instead I will focus on what I loved about Desh Mukherjee’s directing.
One scene that made me wish that I didn’t have to rely on subtitles is when Kabir and Shyamlee are talking near the water at sunset. Towards the end, the camera zooms out on them, pans to the right and reveals the beautiful sunset on the ocean. I had to replay this a few times because my eye wanted to stop reading and watching and just focus on that gorgeous sunset. Breathtaking!
The shot that stands out to me the most (and may have been done by other directors, but I hadn’t seen it before) was when Ahmed is meeting the little girl Pinky. As he starts to kneel in front of her, the shot changes to pan down on Pinky to show Ahmed’s POV. Simple, but effective. It might seem like no big deal to other viewers, but I appreciated it and for some reason, this shot stayed with me the most.
The song “Kon Jum… Kon Jum” is probably the best directed of the songs featured. It is very ambitious since it showcases hundreds of workers singing along with Durga and Mohan. Update the outfits and film equipment and it would rival any slick music video of today. Very impressive.
Before the take: with Amitabh Bachchan
I watched this film for the first time last year, but rewatched it for my review and noticed a scene that I didn’t the first time around – and all because of an interview I recently watched with Quentin Tarantino. He was discussing how when he filmed Death Proof (which is a nod to grindhouse films of the 70s), he made sure to shoot into the sun to capture an often-used shot from that era. Well, Desh Mukherjee does that for one scene and it’s absolutely beautiful. It’s a low angle shot of a man dying, but in the top frame shining down on Mohan is the glare of the sun. In my opinion, more shots should be utilized this way. Which leads me to the last fascinating shot Desh Mukherjee showcases. A spotlight shines behind a cross during the night and he zooms out until a rainbow-lined “bubble” effect (this is from shooting into the light) encases two actors talking. I actually paused on this shot and marveled in the beauty of it.
A fight scene at the end is speeded up for effect – which is a sharp contrast of today’s Bollywood action films that slows down the action or completely stops it before continuing on. Interesting to see how opposite fight scenes are filmed nowadays. Makes one wonder what new technique we’ll start seeing in 30 years.
Desh Mukherjee may have only directed one film, but it’s one he should be proud of. I’m honored and thrilled to have this movie as part of my DVD collection.
The Life and Art of Desh Mukerji 