We talk about pan-Indian films today, but 50 years ago, Shyam Benegal made Ankur (1974), in Hindi, setting the film in rural Hyderabad, and featuring Kannada actors Anant Nag and Shabana Azmi in the lead roles. The film marks the debut of Anant Nag and Shabana Azmi, as well as Priya Tendulkar. Shabana went on to win the National Film Award for Best Actress. It is said that Shabana was not Benegal’s first choice for the role. She thought she looked sophisticated and beautiful enough to play a village girl. However, the first-time actress defied all expectations and gave the most powerful performance taught in film schools today. The film was a film that broke the landscape of cinema in India. It also marks the debut of Shyam Benegal as a director. Can’t believe such a layered film is made by a first time director. Some consider it to be Benegal’s best work, and this is saying, considering his glorious repertoire. He won the National Film Award for Second Best Feature Film for Ankur.
Unlike his famous cousin Guru Dutt, Benegal never sought relevance in commercial cinema. Ankur, written by him, (with dialogues by Satyadev Dubey) is said to be based on a true account. At its most basic level, it is a tale of upper caste oppression of dalits in a village. Surya (Anant Nag), though educated in a modern city, reverts to feudal norms, making life difficult for the villagers just because he can. He is the son of the landlord. His relationship with Lakshmi (Shabana Azmi) starts from the fact that he has watched his father take a second wife. In fact, the second wife had more status in the village because she was awarded the best land from her father. His first act of cruelty was to cut off the water source to his land as an act of revenge. He has a difficult relationship with his father (Mirza Qadir Ali Baig). They are never shown as seeing eye-to-eye. One of them felt that he always resented his father’s lifestyle. So it is very ironic that he made a worse mistake than his father. And while his father is quite open about his own affairs, Surya appears to be a coward and avoids all relationships when the going gets tough.
The film clearly shows the rampant casteism that existed in the past and still exists today. Nothing has changed, even after 50 years. The villagers grumbled more about a lower caste girl making food for an upper caste man than her relationship with him. When Saru (Priya Tendulkar), Surya’s wife enters the house, she is shocked. He refused to drink the tea made by Lakshmi because he was from a lower caste. He knows about the relationship and unlike Surya’s mother who suffers, does not tolerate it and wants to get rid of Lakshmi. He was blinded by jealousy when he found out Lakshmi was pregnant and made sure she left the house.
Ankur continues to examine our sexual drive quite candidly and without judgment. Surya is dating Lakshmi because he is married to a girl who has not returned. Rajamma’s other character has a relationship because she wants to have a child. Her need is similar to that of Lakshmi, who also wants to have children and is in a relationship with Surya partly because of that need. Ankur means seed in Hindi, and it is the main motif of the film. The desire to be ordained may lead Lakshmi astray. Though it may mean the seeds of revolution. At the end of the film, a village boy, who has always had a good relationship with Surya, is shown throwing a stone at one of the windows of Surya’s house and running away, showing that fire is against the cruelty of the upper class. on.
It is also a love story. Despite being deaf and dumb Kishtayya (Sadhu Meher) loves his wife Lakshmi (Shabana Azmi). They get along despite their disabilities. It was this love that turned him from alcoholism and made him come back. He even forgave her for her infidelity. She is brutally whipped by Surya and this proves to be a breaking point for Lakshmi, who denies any feelings for Surya and curses him, and takes her husband home to nurse him. Sadhu Meher won the National Film Award for Best Actor for his role. He can move the audience even without any dialogue and this is telling. He is a lost gem who never got any accolades in Hindi cinema.
The film, known for its vivid and realistic camerawork, also marked the beginning of the association between Benegal and DOP Govind Nihalani. The latter started his career as a cinematographer in Ankur and went on to collaborate in several films with Benegal, notable among them being Nishant (1975), Manthan (1976), Bhumika (1977), Kondura (1978) and Junoon (1979). He directed himself in Aakrosh (1980).
Another mainstay is editor Bhanudas Divakar, who also opened the innings with this film and was a constant in Benegal’s films. He won a Filmfare Award for Benegal’s Junoon.
Benegal, along with Shabana, became one of the mainstays of parallel art cinema in India. But the first collaboration will always be discussed. The film has not lost its relevance and remains watchable. Alcoholism, poverty, caste, communalism, political unrest depicted in the film are universal problems that have not gone away. The filmmakers present a story of tangled human relationships and resolve the issue. By the way, despite being branded as an art film, this film made money at the box office. The film’s producer, Lalit M. Bijlani, who produced the film for just five lakhs of rupees, went on to earn one crore by releasing it. The film’s commercial success paved the way for Benegal to be financed by individual producers, as well as government companies like Gujarat Milk Co-Op Marketing Federation Ltd, Association of Corporations and Apex Societies of Handloom, and NFDC throughout his career.
