#blastfromthepast
ROTI KAPADA AUR MAKAAN (48 years)
18th October 1974
For those who read my tribute to Amitabh Bachchan on his birthday may remember that I had mentioned that my tryst with him began with this movie.
A star-spangled melodrama about love, betrayal and unemployment, RKAM saw Manoj return to the role of the Every-man Bharat,( after Upkar, Purab Aur Pashchim & Shor) The conscience of the nation pricked by the growing corruption in our society and by the inability of the common man to cope with the pressures of compromised living. While Upkar was inspired by Lal Bahadur Shastri’s slogan Jai jawan jai kisan, RKAM found its inspiration in Indira Gandhi’s Garabi hatao slogan.
The plot is very well thought out and is directed to perfection by Manoj. It revolves around Bharat (Manoj) who after studying for years and getting a degree can´t get a job; He has two younger brothers at home Vijay (Amitabh Bachchan) and Bharat (Dheeraj Kumar), an ailing father, worried mother and a young sister. He also has a girlfriend (Zeenat Aman) who wants Bharat to get a job and fulfil her dreams in life. These dreams consist of a nice house, lots of travelling and a nice car. She loves Bharat for his honesty - the one thing that he is proud to have. Bharat has a fight with his brother Vijay after which he leaves home and vows to return only after he has become something. In the meantime Sheetal (Zeenat) gets a job and starts falling for the charms of the lovely Mr. Kapoor (Shashi Kapoor). Bharat loses Sheetal to Mr Kapoor. He finally gets a job at a construction site where he meets Moushmi Chatterjee. She is a victim of rape and is now bringing up the son that happened after the incident and a happy-go-lucky Sardar (Prem Nath). Bharat loses his father after an incident and gets done for jail after he tries to steal the medicine for his father. His father passes away and Bharat vows to become a rich man even if that means losing his honesty! How Bharat becomes a rich man, gets all his needs in life but loses his self-respect is what forms the rest of the story. In the meantime Vijay returns as a die-hard army officer and his other brother becomes a police officer. Little do they know that their idol of a brother has become a corrupt don.
In terms of performance everyone gives a great performance and lives up to their role. Manoj Kumar has never been a mind blowing actor-but it´s his character and mannerisms that enabled him to succeed
Amitabh Bachchan as Vijay ROCKS! He exudes his regressed anger which was later coined as "Angry Young Man".His role is shorter than Manoj´s but his character is one that the audience instantly LOVE! Right from his entrance his dialogues and delivery is just pure dynamite. His re-entrance into the movie as an Army Officer with one arm is also great. Infact when the movie re-released Amitabh Bachchan was on the forefront of the posters and publicity.
Zeenat Aman as Sheetal was pretty good too. She oozed oomph and in “Hai Hai Yeh Majboori”. She acts gracefully and her scenes with Manoj are great special mention in the climax. Shashi Kapoor is good in his role too; he doesnt have much to do but looks good as the law abiding citizen.
Moushumi Chatterjee was very competent in her role. She looked gorgeous and was amazing in the emotional scenes. Just witness the scene where she loses her kid and dad in the sewers. Madan Puri made a pretty ace villain and everyone else in the cast did their part well. Prem Nath also performs well and deserves a special mention. Dheeraj Kumar as the third brother throws in the Deewar angle which came 4 months later.
Music had always been a strongpoint in Manoj Kumar films and remains the same here. All songs are chartbusters.
The song Mehngayi Mar Gayi from the film still rings true. With the spectre of welfare freebies turning inflationary, it can be considered a song of all times.
My favourite "Aur Nahin Bus Aur Nahin" and "Main Na Bhoolonga" are lovely renderiyng and Lyrics.
Technically the film is also pretty good and he introduces fight master Veeru Devgan here.
Also Nariman Irani is the Cinematographer and the germ of "Don" was born during the second shooting schedule of this film as Chandra Barot was assistant to Manoj Kumar.
Roti Kapda Aur Makaan remains one of the highlights from classic Indian cinema with strong themes, affecting performances and timeless music from the greats.
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