Haathi Mere Saathi (1971)

Memory Of Elephants

This week's release, Junglee (March 29, 2019), is about a man's friendship with elephants.  Visuals of the pachyderm bring to mind the 1971 hit Haathi Mere Saathi, the film that established Salim-Javed as a hit team of writers and put Rajesh Khanna firmly on the path to 17-hits-in-a-row superstardom, though he signed the film only to get the fat fees that would allow him to buy his bungalow, Ashirwad.

The film was a huge hit, particularly with children, though watched nearly half a century later, it looks a bit clumsy and very melodramatic. Keep in mind, however, that the film was made with real elephants—Maneka Gandhi was not around to make rules about protecting animals on film sets.

The story of the old film was written the well-known producer Chinappa ‘Sandow’ Devar (head of Devar Films) and directed by his brother, MA Thirumugham.  Some reports say Salim and Javed were reluctant to do this assignment, but were persuaded by Rajesh Khanna, who did not want to do a bad film, but needed the money. They also saw it as an opportunity for bigger things, and there were right. After a dozen superhits, Rajesh Khanna could do no wrong by the time this film was made.

Haathi Mere Saathi was about an orphan, called Raju, who was rescued by four elephants when he was a child and as he grows up, they are his only family. The elephants perform with Raju on the street. After a few years, he sets up a zoo called Pyar Ki Duniya, in which a variety of animals live alongside the much-loved elephants, among which the playful Ramu is his favourite.

He falls in love with Tanu (Tanuja), daughter of a rich man, Ratanlal (Madan Puri), who, like all fathers of that age was opposed to the match. However, they do get married, and soon, Tanu starts feeling that Raju cares more for the animals than for her. When their child is born, Tanu is nervous with the elephants around the house, and gives her husband am ultimatum—he has to choose between the animals and his family and he chooses the former.

Ramu tries to bring the couple together and also helps Raju fight the villainous circus owner Sarwan Kumar (KN Singh), eventually sacrifices his life, taking a bullet meant for his master. Audiences in the cinemas reportedly wept with Rajesh Khanna as he sang Nafrat ki duniya ko chhod ke (in Mohammed Rafi’s tear-soaked voice), dragging his elephant buddies corpse to perform the last rites.

Laxmikant-Pyarelal composed some hit songs, written by Anand Bakshi—Chal chal mere haathi, Dilbar jaani chali hawa mastani, Sun ja ae thandi hawa, which contributed greatly to the success of the film. (It was remade in Tamil as Nalla Neram with the legendary MG Ramachandran playing the Rajesh Khanna role).

The sets had to be built at a scale to allow elephants to pass through; the pachyderms came from a circus and were trained to do tricks, but making them ‘act’ was the job of clever editing.  Still, the film had a message of humanity and enough entertainment to make kids watch the film repeatedly and then catch telecasts on Doordarshan.

Films made today are undoubtedly slick, and have computer generated animals. Kids are also smarter and have seen more sophisticated films made for them; but back then, in the age of innocence, the film turned out to be a blockbuster and Chinappa Devar’s investment paid off. It turned out to be the biggest hit of his career (many of his films centred around animals). Rajesh Khanna bought the bungalow from Rajendra ‘Jubilee’ Kumar. Salim-Javed went on to make movie history.

Mujhe Jeene Do (1963)

The Bandit Of Chambal

Once upon a time the dacoit film was a genre by itself in Hindi cinema; this week (March 1, 2019), a bandit film releases after long gap—Abhishek Chaubey’s Sonchiriya, set in the notorious Chambal Valley of Madhya Pradesh.

Sunil Dutt’s Ajanta Arts produced Mujhe Jeene Do (1963), directed by Moni Bhattacharjee, the gritty drama written by Agha Jani Kashmiri, has none of the false glamour and bravado that invariably creeps into films about bandits.

There is no back story to Jarnail Singh (Sunil Dutt)—the viewer was expected to understand what turned this brave and proud man towards a life of crime. Like many other outlaws, He probably lost his land to a cruel zamindar and could not bear the thought of living a life of slavery. Life on the run has hardened him—in the first scene, he kills a man who refuses to sell him ammunition. Even as his wife Champa (Nirupa Roy) carrying an infant in her arms pleads with him to spare her husband’s life, Jarnail drags him to the village square and shoots him dead. This incident unites the entire village and enraged men swear revenge. Meanwhile, the cops led by a Superintendent of Police (Tarun Bose) dedicated to wiping out the dacoit menace, stay one step behind the Jarnail Singh gang.

On their next attack at a wedding in a rich man’s (Sapru) house, where the alluring Chamelijaan (Waheeda Rehman) has been called to perform, Jarnail Singh is smitten by her and kidnaps her. Chamelijaan refuses to sing or dance for him, so Jarnail gives orders that she is to be given no food till she relents.

There are some comic scenes involving Jarnail’s buddy and the gang’s jester Dara Khan (Rajendranath), who can see through his friend’s heart and is overjoyed that at last Jarnail has found someone to guide him to the right path.  Chameli, who is otherwise defiant, melts when Jarnail proposes to her.  She agrees only later, to stop him from killing a gang member Kripal (Siddhu), who was molesting her. Kripal breaks away from the gang and forms his own ragtag bunch.

Chameli gives birth to a son at Dara’s house, where his mother (Durga Khote) and sister (a very young Mumtaz) help.  Soon after this Dara is killed by Kripal’s bullet.  Jarnail is shattered by the death of his best friend. Already his gang is being weakened by police attacks.

For the sake of his family, Jarnail wants to a give up this nomadic way of life.  He tells Chameli to take their son and settle down to a decent life in a village. Chameli chooses a home next to Champa’s and finds a friend in her; she also pretends that she is a widow.

At school, Chameli’s son inadvertently gives out his identity, and the village mob attacks her home.  She is saved by Champa, who believes that innocent family members should not be lynched for Jarnail’s crimes.

Jarnail agrees to surrender, the cops and villagers gather outside the village to wait for him as he rides in alone and throws down his gun. Kripal shoots him before he can reach; before dying, Jarnail atones in a way, by saving Champa’s son who has run into the crossfire.

The film was an authentic portrayal of the lives of dacoits. The unit of Sunil Dutt’s Ajanta Arts shot in actual bandit territory in the Bhind-Morena ravines in the Chambal Valley, at some risk to their lives. They had to shoot under police protection.

The songs composed by Jaidev and written by Sahir Ludhianvi were brilliantly integrated into the narrative—such beautiful numbers as Ab koi gulshan na ujde Raat bhi hai kucch bheegi bheegi, Nadi naare na jao Shyam, Maang meri bhar le rang, Tere bachpan ko jawani ki dua deti hoon.