50 years of Deewaar: 'Main Aaj bhi Phenke Hue Paise nahin uthaata'
24th January 1975 - marked the genesis of Hindi Cinema's most cherished anti-hero, Vijay Verma, played by the superstar Amitabh Bachchan. You may call him anti-hero or the angry young man - wronged by his near and dear, wronged by his own destiny.
For me, it's the most accomplished film of Yash Chopra which is revered till date for its powerful script (Salim-Javed, the Angry Young Men), stupendous screenplay, piercing dialogues and towering performances.
The dialogues particularly spawned a series of memes but it was the brooding and intense performance of Big B that made Deewar an epitome of clash of convictions , it's title referring to the ever-widening rift between the two brothers - Vijay and Ravi , the latter played by the formidable Shashi Kapoor. He had won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor for portraying the honest cop torn between his duty and family bond. Bachchan, much to the shock and dismay of many, didn't win any award for this iconic performance, losing it to Sanjeev Kumar( for Aandhi).
When his senior( late Manmohan Krishna) asks him to treat his duty like a doctor, he convincingly retorts , "Aaj tak koi bhi doctor apne jism pe operation nahin kiya". Ravi Verma's dilemma was palpable and conscientiously solved, in the following sequence, by an impoverished retired school teacher, played by late A.K Hangal.
Deewar was embellished with a plethora of defining scenes."Aaj Khush Toh Bahut Hoge Tum" ...Vijay's grudgeful lash at God for the precarious condition of his ailing mother( Nirupa Roy) was an in-depth articulation of her gritty character , summarizing the tough ordeals she had to face in life for no fault of hers.The atheist in him, finally submits ," Mere Gunahon ki Sazaa Mere Maa ko mat do". It is impossible to replicate such a bravura performance on celluloid by any actor of today's generation.
Bachchan didn't have a single song picturized on him. Vijay was meant to be a serious personality. His chemistry with Parveen Babi didn't affect the gravitas of the character, rather explored the softer side of it. The tension was relieved intermittently by the bubbly Neetu Singh , playing Shashi Kapoor's girlfriend as the two crooned to RD Burman's memorable chartbusters - 'Keh Doon Tumhein' and 'Maine Tujhe Maanga Tujhe Paaya Hai'.
The fraternal fracas manifested in the most iconic and explosive piece ever witnessed on screen - "Bhai Tum Sign Karte Ho Ya Nahin!", Ravi's resentful rage meets Vijay's scorching anguish , accentuated by the brunt of his tattoo reading , " Mera Baap Chor Hai" .
But do you remember the most painful scene when the latter cremates his father, the camera focussing on his tattooed lower arm? You would have also bitten off your nail as he loses his lucky mascot to sewage, Billa 786, while on the climactic chase scene. Vijay breathes his last on the lap of his mother on the stairs of the temple.
Deewar was a masterclass in movie-making by the doyen of Hindi Cinema, Yash Chopra , who later digressed from simmering dramas to romances in the mountains of Switzerland.
(Inputs by Ahwaan Padhee)