Deewar review

 

 

 

 

 

 

Director: Yash Chopra
Writers: Javed Akhtar (dialogue), Javed Akhtar 
Stars: Shashi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Neetu Singh ,Nirupa Roy,Parveen Babi,A.K. Hangal

Deewaar begins with a terrible choice: in order to save his family’s lives, Anand Verma (Satyen Kappu), the union leader of the local mine workers, betrays his constituency, surrendering to the mine-owners’ extortionate demands. In return, he is humiliated and hated by his community. Unable to bear the shame, Anand absconds, leaving his wife, Sumitra Devi (Nirupa Roy), and his two sons, Vijay (Amitabh Bachchan) and Ravi (Shashi Kapoor) to defend for themselves.

Ravi, the youngest child, largely escapes the backlash, sheltered from the community by his mother and brother. Vijay, on the other hand, bears the brunt of the trauma; he becomes the target of brutal public humiliation. In a desperate bid to give his mother the material comforts he thinks are her due, Vijay takes to a life of crime. In contrast, Ravi, disgusted by repeated rejections in a job market powered by nepotism, decides to enroll in the police force. Inevitably, the siblings’ differing ideologies lead to an epic moral clash that creates a “Deewaar,” or wall, between them. This wall becomes solid when Vijay’s mother refuses to accept his ill-gotten riches, and forsakes him to live with Ravi. Ultimately, Vijay’s misery compels him to seek redemption, but his attempt to obliterate the wall dividing his family will exact an unthinkable price.

Deewaar offers a true, unadulterated, powerhouse performance unparalleled in Hindi cinema., Deewaar is and will always be Amitabh’s best performance. To some of us, it defines the gold standard in Hindi film acting. It is Amitabh and only Amitabh who turned this movie from a typical over-the-top melodrama with great dialogs but no good songs into a gripping three-hour experience that leaves the audience mesmerized (and in an overwhelming majority of cases, crying uncontrollably as the end credits roll).

As for Salim-Javed…apart from developing what is arguably the tightest script ever written for Hindi film, the pair should have gotten an award for the sheer number of quotable lines in Deewaar. Salim-Javed’s script was also daring detour from the mainstream in more ways than one. Consider the oddities. The leading man has no songs in the movie. There is absolutely no comedy – no Johnny Lever or Asrani anywhere in sight. Meanwhile, the leading lady (played convincingly by Parveen Babi) is a hooker, who — as the narrative explicitly insists — has sexual relations with the hero. True, both characters’ occupations entailed a set of moral values that are less-than-perfect by Indian middle-class standards, but the screenwriters still took an enormous risk by depicting some pretty bold scenes . Yet the power of the script was such that in the end, audiences were rooting for both characters with great sympathy and support. Finally, the leading man is an atheist (albeit superstitious). Not only that, one of the now-famous temple scenes has Amitabh clearly defiant and contemptuous towards God. Quite an audacious step, considering modern heroes are always shown to be terribly pious and god-fearing.

Deewar was not like Sholay at all, even though it was written by the famous duo writers as mentioned. But after the release of this movie, Amitabh Bachchan was recognised as “Vijay.” There are some very memorable scenes and dialogues in this movie such as those when Ravi asks his brother to sign a paper, then the one where the two brothers meet under a bridge where they had spent their childhood and struggling to survive. These are also the same scenes, with perhaps one or two more that can be added, which if one really thinks emotionally about, then it will make you weep. And for those who, in real life, have experienced such events, are able to reflect their circumstances and say “I have been through that as well.

Famous Dialogues from Deewar

•  “Aaj mere paas bangla hain, gadi hai, bank balance hai… tumare paas kya hai.?”
• Mere Paas Maa Hai
• “Tum chahti ho mai bhi kya vahan se choop-chap nikal jata?”
• “Main aaj bhi phenke hue paise nahin uthata.”
• “Haan, mai sign karoonga, lekin pehle oos aadmi ki sign le ke aao, jisne mera baap ko chor kaha tha; pehle oos aadmi ka sign le ke aao jisne meri maa ko gali deke naukri se nikal diya tha; pehle oos aadmi ka sign le ke aao jisne mere haath pe ye leekh diya thaa, Uske BAAD, oos ke baad, mere bhai, tum jo kaagaz pe kahoge oos par me sign karoonga.”
• “Bhagwan…”
• “Maa tu khush to hai na…”
• “Chaabi jebh me rakh, kamine.”
• “Business to aap ko karna nahin aata, sethji. Is building ke aapne 5 lakh jaada maange hote, tabh bhi mai ise le leta.”
• “Nahin maa, main kuchh bhi galat kaam nahin kar raha.”
• “Oof tumhare oosul, tumhare adarsh. Kis kaam ke hai tumhare is oosul jo ek waqt ki roti tak nahi bana sakta?”

To summarize – Overall the movie is a treat to watch. The brilliant dialogue delivery from Amitabh,direction from Yash Chopra. We give a rating of *****(5 star)and categorize this movie as a Must Watch.  you can easily get CDs available for this movie in markets or you simply switch on to TV in one of the lazy weekends.