In 1973, when Angry Young Man was making its mark and teenage Bobby was selling wet dreams at the box office, avatar Krishna Kaul was busy documenting the inner and outer journey of his non-hero hero Sanjay. 27 down (1974).
Filmed partly on the Bombay-Varanasi train, introspective study of a train conductor whose vibrant dreams are undermined by a stubborn father, driving the artistically minded young man to live a life of regret on the regimented railway . Parallel cinema movement in the Bombay film industry.
Made on a shoestring budget, provided by the Film Finance Corporation (later NFDC), Avtaar and Apurba Kishore Bir captured the anarchy of Bombay’s working class with a hand-held Arriflex 2C camera. long before We imagine everything as lightThe black and white frames shot with block lenses created enduring images of the conflicting states of love, loneliness and longing in the sea of crowded platforms of Bombay VT Railway Station.
One swallow doesn’t bring warmth, but in the case of Avatar, his unique work of art is receiving love and adding new layers even after five decades, when his promising career ended tragically due to a freak drowning accident. Had gone.
characterization
Rakhi’s impeccable beauty and determination as a working woman continues to confound discerning minds, Om Shiv Puri’s performance as a lonely and manipulative father fills you with disgust, and MK Raina’s a suave Portrait of a man of temperament, struggling with a complicated destiny and an indecisive mind. The throat tightens.
Now, 50 years after Avtaar’s death, his nephew Vinod Kaul is piecing together the tumultuous life of his free spirit by delving into the fading memories of family members, friends and critics. The efforts of Kaul, a former senior executive producer of Rajya Sabha TV, led to the screening of the restored version of the film at the International Film Festival of India-2024 in Goa.
Vinod Kaul and AK Bir were also present along with Rakhi at IFFI Goa. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Kaul says, like Sanjay, Avtaar also had a weak relationship with his father. “When he was looking for inspiration, he asked the librarian of a Delhi library to give him 50 books which had the lowest readership and he chose Ramesh Bakshi’s Hindi novel, eighteen sun plantsFor customization.
Like its protagonist, Avatar also had to cross many literal and metaphorical bridges in his life. The irony is that neither of them could reach the destination. Recalling Avtaar’s journey, Kaul says that when his father threw Avtaar out of the house, he took shelter on a railway platform and worked at a tea stall to sustain himself. “He did not let challenges dampen his spirit. He shifted to Ambala, worked in a hotel and graduated from the Open School and secured a Class IV job in the Ministry of External Affairs.
A checkered career
The job provided him with the opportunity to serve in America, which, in turn, opened a window for filmmaking courses in New York. “He worked as a copyholder for the Associated Press and when the editor caught him reading Arthur Koestly’s books darkness at noonHe realized that Avtaar was very well-educated and offered him the job of a news brief writer. Avtaar worked there until 1964 before joining the British Information Services in New York,” says Kaul.
In America, Avtaar also met his wife Anne. He returned to India in 1970, when he was appointed by Merchant Ivory Productions as an assistant director for their film. bombay talkie,
Avtaar Krishna Kaul at a young age. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Bir is full of anecdotes about the challenges faced while shooting on moving trains and crowded platforms without attracting the attention of the crowd. He says that the style of shooting and Avtaar’s insistence on a makeup-free look created doubts in Rakhi’s mind. She asked Avtaar to show her the crowd before proceeding and entered the theater with apprehension. As the crowd opened up, she was thrilled to see her portrayal. The veteran actor made a rare public appearance when the film was screened at IFFI.
Bir recalls that during the shooting on a platform from the bogie of Bombay-Varanasi Express, army men had pulled him thinking him to be a Pakistani spy. “On another occasion, the railway police in Bombay stopped our shooting, expecting a bribe. Every time we had to approach senior officials and show them papers that it was a government-funded project,” says Bir.
multifaceted filmmaker
Raina, who conversed with Avtar in Kashmiri, calls the filmmaker one of the pioneers of New Wave cinema. “His training in New York as well as his deep interest in literature, music, theater and Indian culture made Avtaar an original voice.”
“When he died, he had three scripts in his hands and if he had, he would certainly have been an influential filmmaker.” he misses her 27 down It was described as “FFC’s little miracle” by a leading film magazine as the film ran for several weeks at Mumbai’s Opera House and Bengaluru’s Blue Diamond.
A still from Avtaar Krishna Kaul’s film 27 Down. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Meanwhile, like 27 down Fresh off the festival circuit, Kaul is searching for his Aunt Anne and is eager to take his second script of Avatar to the world. “It is titled Chandu, which is again a story of a child’s unfulfilled dreams. I have come to know that he probably approached Sanjeev Kumar for another film.
published – January 17, 2025 01:36 am IST
