Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro – Scarily Relevant Today
I want to begin by saying this is not a review but a reflection on this cult classic from 1983. There are perhaps hardly any hindi film viewers who have not seen this film or have some recollection of it, especially of the epic climax scene. At the very least they are aware of this film’s existence. I fell in between these 3 categories until a few days when I decided to revisit it in completion for the first time as an adult.
And boy did I choose an apt time. Think about it…#JaaneBhiDoYaaro is about systemic corruption, crony capitalism & media’s confluence with both. Sounds kind of familiar no? Especially wrt last few years where rich got richer while poor stood in lines at ATMs & media tried to sell fake news of GPS chip enabled bank notes.
This film was made when India was in that lull between two extremely important periods in her history wrt social & eco development ie between 1947 to 1970s & 1991 onwards ie post economic liberalisation. However even in this lull period (80s), India was undergoing intricate changes in how the government was perceived by general public & also how it presented itself via various forms of media. It is important to note that JBDY was made a few years after declaration & withdrawal of a formal emergency & the people of India were very much aware of the freedoms they had lost & gained back. It was not just a comment on those in power but also portrayed the disillusionment of Indians who had seen a great social movement (JP movement) shake the very foundations of a strong govt but fizzle out as soon as they tasted success. Kind of reminds me of another movement which took place a few years ago & led to major political changes before unfolding into something entirely different..
It really is remarkable at how many parallels this movie’s storyline has with the last few years…From compromised media institutions to crony capitalism to ethicality being punished systematically, it’s almost like Kundan Shah made JBDY for today’s India.
PS – This film was funded by the government of India itself via the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC)…just think what would have happened in ‘new’ India.
Direction – Kundan Shah
Cast – Naseeruddin Shah, Ravi Baswani, Pankaj Kapur, Om Puri, Satish Shah, Neena Gupta, Satish Koushik
👩🏾💻 – YouTube
