Balraj Sahani
Balraj Sahni was one of the greatest actors in the history of Indian cinema, who inspired so many modern superstars .In fact some critics rank him above the super star actors of golden era ( namely Raj kapoor, Dilip kumar, Devanand , Raj kumar, Manoj kumar, Rajendra kumar , Sunil Dutt, Dharmendra , Sanjiv kumar, Jitendra , Rajesh khanaa and Amitabh ) and they could be right as in the last 50 years after his demise, we are perhaps yet to see an actor of Balraj Sahni’s calbre and stature . Balraj Sahni ( birth name Yudhister ) was born on May 1, 1913, into an effluent Punjabi hindu family in Rawalpindi, ( now in pakistan) . He completed his education ( B.A in hindi and M.A in literature ) in prestigious institutions likeGovernment College Lahore and Gordon College . After that he joined his family business and soon got married to Damayanti Sahni ( daughter of his professor) on December 6, 1936. The couple had passion for literature , arts and cinema. However Soon thereafter Balraj got disinterested with his family business and thus they both joined Rabindranath Tagore’s Viswa Bharati university in Shantiniketan, Bengal as teachers. Their Son Parikshit was born there while the daughter Shabnam was born four years later.After that , he joined joined the BBC’s Hindi service at london . At london watching the Russian cinema, he got impressed with the ideas of Marxism . After Returning home in 1943, Balraj and Damyanti soon shifted to bombay in order to pursue their shared passion for acting and joined Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) . Soon his wife got a break in cinema with her first film – Deewar which turned her into a star . Balraj gained entry in cinema in 1946 with film – Insaaf ईंसाफ followed by films Dharti Ke Lal धरती के लाल and Door Chalein दूर चलें , the last film was with wife Damyanti. Meanwhile for his vocal revolutionary marxist ideology; the british indian police jailed him for a few months . And then soon he suffered major set backs as his wife Damayanti suddenly died in 1947 followed by the death of daughter- Shabnam , completely shattering him . The brave Balraj however decided that life has to carry on and thus in 1951 he remarried, to writer santosh chandhok and both remained so till the demise of Balraj . After a series of films like Neecha Nagar नीचा नगर ,Maaldar मालदार Gunjan गुंजन; his 1951 film Humlog हमलोग became a super success for Balraj as an actor . However his acting prowess and super brilliance was established in 1953 in Bimal Roy’s classic film Do Bigha Zamin दो बीघा ज़मीन which film also won the international prize at the Cannes Film festival.Sahani followed it up with another block buster hit film kabuliwala in 1961 based on the story of Thakur Rabindra Nath TagoreHe acted brilliantly in several movies opposite heroines such as Padmini, Nutan, Meena Kumari, Vyjayanthimala and Nargis in films namely Seema and Garam coat ( 1955), Sone Ki Chidiya ( 1958) , Kathputli ( 1957),Lajwanti and Ghar Sansaar (1958). Sutta Bazaar (1959), Bhabhi Ki Chudiyaan (1961).In 1960s he shifted to character roles and gave heart touching performances in films like Haqeeqaut हकीकत (1964) , waqt वक़्त ( 1965) , Neelkamal नीलकमल( 1968) , Hamraaz हमराज़ (1967) , Nanah farishta नन्हाफ़रिश्ता( 1969) , Ek Phool Do Mali एक फूल दो माली ( 1969) , Do Raaste दो रास्ते (1969) , Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani घर घर की कहानी ( 1970) , Pavitra Papi पवित्र पापी with son Parikshit ( 1970) garam Hawa गरम हवा ( 1973) and several others . He is also well remembered for picturisation of the legendary song “Ae Meri Zohra Jabeen” ऐ मेरी जोहरा जमीं on him , in the Baldev Raj Chopra’s directed famous hit movie -Waqt वक़्त (1965). He also starred in the classic Punjabi film Nanak Dukhiya Sub Sansar (1970) as well as in the critically acclaimed Satluj De Kande सतलुज दे कणडे .His role and acting in his last film Garam Hawa गरम हवा has often been called his best performance by critics. Balraj, however, could not see the completed film as he died the day after he had finished the dubbing work of this film .Sahni Sahab also did screenwriting and wrote the 1951 hit movie Baazi बाजी which starred Dev Anand and was directed by Guru Dutt.Sahni Sahab was also a gifted writer; his early writings were in English though later in life he also switched to Punjabi and became a writer of repute in Punjabi literature.His book Mera Rusi Safarnama मेरा रूसी सफ़रनामा which he had written after a tour of the Soviet Union in 1969 earned him the “Soviet Land Award”. He contributed many poems and short stories in magazines and also penned his autobiography “Meri Filmi Aatmakatha मेरी फ़िल्मी आत्मकथा “ . He was an extremely well-read and left leaning politically conscious person . He was also honoured with the Padma Shri Award in 1969 . Balraj’s brother Bhisham Sahni was a well-known writer who wrote the book Tamas. His son Parikshit Sahni also became a famous actor and father -son duo worked together in films Pavitra Papi and Hindustan ki kasam . Perhaps in last fifty years after his demise ; the people haven’t yet seen any actor of his talent and brilliance. Balraj Sahani will always be remembered for his acting brilliance, natural acting , perfect physique , unique , sober voice and gentleness . The tributes to him is in the next parts .
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Seven stars–
In the film Balraj Sahni was a pivotal part of a plot which portrayed the great and infamous famine of 1943 of Bengal amidst the world war-2 which killed lacs of farmers and their family members out of hunger . The movie was critically acclaimed for the artistic flair that Balraj’s role projected to show the turmoil of the farmers and how circumstances shaped their lives.
(2) Bimal Roy’s film Do Bigha Zamin दो बीघा ज़मीन ( 1953) :-Balraj played the role of a farmer forced to become rickshaw-puller (Shambu Mahato )to earn so that to save his land from the village jamindar . Balraj portrayed the exploited rickshaw-puller, as though he was the very person himself, penetrating the very soul of the character. It is now part of cinematic legend that balraj had practised running barefoot on the scorching streets of kolkata and cultivated blisters on his soles to fit into the character of a hand-pulled rickshaw wala . With unparalleled craft Balraj portrayed how circumstances govern the course of man’s life , with the variance in his facial expressions from scene to scene becoming a realistic blending of joy , grief, anguish, despair, frustration, hope of a peasant on screen with artist like balraj taking intensity of it’s feelings to an extreme level .Be it the scene of the court pleading for his innocence or reprimanding his son ,or pulling a handcart for survival or when he learns the trauma his wife is facing in village in his absence and finally when he loses his land ; the balraj sahani is completely entrenched into the character and brilliantly portrayed the very body and soul of peasants during those times . Balraj simply took the art or skill of acting to heights rarely achieved .
(3) Garam Coat गरम कोट ( 1955) :-It was an emotional Family Drama centred on the life of Girdharilal (played by Balraj Sahni), a Kind hearted and hardworking clerk living with his wife- Geeta (played by Nirupa Roy) . He fails to fulfill his children’s wishes and of his own to buy a new coat despite hard work and part-time jobs and he then unsuccessfully tries to commit suicide and slowly starts losing his mental balance . Things get complicated- when he finds Geeta suddenly having lots of money . He wrongly suspects her of prostitution , tries to strangulate her in rage and rushes for suicide in front of the train, the story then moves up till a happy ending . The story is built in the midst of economic turmoil of the post-partition North India, experiencing a near collapse in human values and broken social fabric . Balraj does complete justice, penetrating the very skin of the character and is powerful in scenes of anguish and desperation.
(4) In Anuradha अनुराधा ( 1960) :-Here Sahani enacts role of a idealistic Doctor ( Nirmal ) who is loved by Anuradha ( enacted by Lela Naidu) , a rich singer who leaves her comfortable urban life to live with him in a very discomforting atmosphere of a village . The story line is bit lengthy. In his role as a doctor practicing in a village; Balraj manifests idealism and compassion to soaring heights with his brilliant acting and portrayal of dedication towards service and idealistic values . The film won President’s Gold Medal for Best Feature Film in 1960 and nomination for golden bear at 1961 Berlin international film festival.
(5) Kabuliwala काबुलीवाला (1961) :-It was yet another landmark film of Balraj sahani portraying as an immigrant pathan dry fruit seller in calcutta and his poignant quest to return back to his homeland and to reunite with his little daughter left behind in afghanistan . Balraj in his role as kabuliwala infuses touches of life to a tragic theme and blends despair and innocence with acting prowess in heights rarely touched. His expressions are child like at times, denoting innocence. Balraj was like a clone of a real Kabuli wala . The film was based on a short storey of Rabindranath tagore. The above films were classical but Balraj also did numerous commercial films of which Seema , Haqeeqat and Waqt are quite note worthy.
(6) In film Seema सीमा 1954) :-Balraj’s handling of Nutan in an orphanage ( as Mohan ) manifests compassion at it’s peak . one can’t forget the sheer calmness he displays even in most disturbed times.
(7) Haqeeqat हकीकत ( 1964) :-In this memorable film his scenes with Priya Rajvanash , reminds one of the purity of a blooming rose , taking sensitivity to deepest depths. He expresses intensity at its absolute zenith when marshalling his troops to fight on with enemy during the Sino-Indian war of 1962 .
(8) Waqt (1965) Balraj’s portrayal as a rich businessman and his acting in the evergreen song “ Aey meri zohra jabeen ऐ मेरी जोहरा जबीं “ is immemorial. He had a small role in the film but he stood like a colossus on the screen. In the court room scene, he is standing in one corner while other big co- stars Shashi Kapoor, Raaj Kumar, Sunil Dutt etc are in another , but he overshadowed all of them in terms of impact on the public.
Balraj Sahni was one of the greatest actors in the history of Indian cinema. As per several film critics and hordes of film enthusiasts; the legendary and Iconic actor Balraj Sahani was a step ahead of the then famous actors and heroes in terms of acting brilliance when portraying the common man and his sufferings and that it was only Balraj sahab’s left leaning political ideologies that to an extent had undermined his genius acting skills. Balraj Sahab undoubtedly is the name that comes to endless minds when the discussion is about the legendary Indian actors, who set the bar and goal post of acting to an unprecedented high mark. Few actors could as directly convey a message as Balraj sahab could do on the screen. He explored realms untouched in acting defying all conventions in Hindi cinema . Whether it was despair, frustration ,anger or joy ; he was as natural as the fluttering of flower petals when they have slight sense of detachment . Balraj sahab took malleability ( ability to mould in different shapes ) to heights rarely scaled on the silver screen. Often, his very own eyes were enough to convey the story.Balraj sahab depicted characteristic grace and dignity playing his roles while blending the technical fineness of a surgeon or architect with the creativity of a painter or a poet . His art had the fragrance of blooming roses blooming, the intensity of thunder and flow like continuous change of currents in sea .From depths of despair, the very next moment he could be brimming with joy. Balraj sahab on screen was as natural as the fluttering of a leaf or ripples of water in a stream. In joy he was like a blooming lotus while in sadness he would look like a dying leaf . It can’t be forgotten how he lived with the slum dwellers in Bombay and Rickshaw pullers in Calcuta to before the shooting to infuse realism to his roles . Perhaps No actor put so much efforts in living the very life of the character he had to play. Above all ; Balraj Sahni was a non-conformist ( not conforming to prevailing ideas or practices) and lived away from the filmy glamour world. Further as being an intellectual and a writer, he had mastered the craft of acting without caring the standard and set norms of the film industry. Besides , he was a fine human being , would treat the common people like his own with his un – parallel human touch and exuding quality of humanism to such high scale.He never wanted or hankered for publicity for himself unlike several others , as he had confidence in his abilities and thus never needed anything like that . It is so sad to see that legendary Balraj sahab never really got the credit he deserved. Salutes and hats off to Balraj Sahab – a master craftsman.
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