Those who have seen him in two of his arguably best roles, Do Bigha Zameen and Garam Hawa, would have no doubt that Balraj Sahni was the main pioneer of neo-realistic movement in Indian Cinema, that was later carried forward by the likes of Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihlani, Naseerudding Shah, Om Puri, Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil etc.
Not surprisingly, the two movies mentioned above are not only the highlight of his illustrious film-career but also encompass the entire arc of his acting life. Do Bigha Zameen came in 1953, when he had just started getting recognised in the industry. The film, and the awards that followed, brought him recognition both at national and international level. To win the National Award and the Prix Internationale at Cannes was no mean feat, and even Satyajit Ray, the maker of Pather Panchali and already hailed in international film fraternity praised the film and Balraj Sahni as probably the best thing to have happened to Indian Cinema. For many, Balraj Sahni’s life begins with Do Bigha Zameen.
Garam Hawa released in 1973, and is the last well-known film Balraj Sahni acted in. prior to its release, the movie was much discussed for its anti-communal overtones, and the censor board was in two minds about the likely impact the film might create on the Indian Diaspora. Also, considering the fact that India had just come out of another war with Pakistan, the feelings between the two communities were rather sensitive even then. However, the director M.S. Sathyu’s persistence and perseverance with the film paid off, and upon release, the movie didn’t disappoint anyone, and went onto become a critically-acclaimed as well as a commercially successful film, a rare achievement on its own. The movie won major awards in India, including the National Integration Award, and was nominated for major international awards like Academy and Palm D’ Or at Cannes.
The fact of these two movies completing his circle of professional life, and both bringing him laurels at an international level in almost a similar fashion, though being separated by almost two decades speaks volumes of the command over his vocation that Balraj Sahni enjoyed throughout his career. However, for the majority of the cine-going public, probably the first image that comes instantly to mind is that of a wealthy man in his forties crooning love-ballads to his wife with three children in Waqt. The song ‘Aye Meri Zohra Zabeen’ is considered a cult even today, and is the introduction reference of many young cinegoers who naively ask – Balraj Sahni who? To share the screen space in Wqat with the big stars of that time – Sunil Dutt, Raj Kumar and Sadhna, not to forget the talented new-kids-on-the-block Shashi Kapoor and Sharmila Tagore – and still steal the show from right under their nose and emerge as the most talked-about performance is a proof in itself of his acting prowess and professional standing.
He also worked in many other memorable movies of that era, like Seema, Bhabhi, Kabuliwala, Haqueeqat, Ek Phool Do Maali, Hanste Zakhm etc., but most of his movies saw him playing him an integral part in the movie as a patriarchal character. His sensibilities didn’t allow him to do the typical running-around-the-trees and wooing-the-heroine roles. However, to be fair, his age was also not conducive to engage in such frivolities.
Few would even expect the actor portraying such rustic and ‘earthy’ roles to be a highly sophisticated, westernised and well-read in real life that Balraj Sahni was. He was the typical Indian intellectual, having studied abroad, and had a stint at Tagore’s Shantiniketan as the English teacher. He had also worked with Mahatma Gandhi for the independence-movement, and later in life, channelized his leadership qualities to revitalise the Indian People’s Theatre Organisation (IPTA), which used to be patronised by the likes of Prithviraj Kapoor, Ritwik Ghatak, KA Abbas and Utpal Dutt. He felt the need of addressing the plight of the common man through his profession, and brought out the suffering of the masses through stark and vivid portrayal of his plays and “nukkad-naataks”.
He died of a massive heart-stroke in 1973, and gave us not only some of the most memorable realistic character-portrayals on Indian cinema but also an awakened sense of realism through his sensibilities and social-awareness. His shoes have still not been filled by any worthy successor, and we await the day when a ‘Yugandhar’ like him will bless us once again.
courtesy----satyendra jha
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