There is a general perception that Hindi films lag behind Hollywood productions in suspense-thrillers. While this may be true, yet one must say that some of our creations have given dazzling moments of cinematic “shock” and wonder with their brand of native storytelling. Remembering Alfred Hitchcock on his birthday, this long time admirer must confess that after seeing most of his creations, it is evident that just as Hitchcock also made several shoddy films, some Indian film makers too made suspense-thrillers that would have done any grandmaster proud!
Looking back the best of Hindi films in the genre brings Kamal Amrohi’s “Mahal” to the fore. A stupendous “screen visualiser” whom people normally relate to as a director of romance, Amrohi made his inspiring craft in an era when Indian cinema was devoid of advanced technical equipments of shooting and editing. Yet Amrohi embellished the black and white “screen treatise” with a haunting beauty that transcends time and one is left remembering only the enthralling and mystifying scenes: the lifting of the chandelier, the striking of the clock tower, Ashok Kumar’s discovery of his own visage and Lata Mangeshkar’s goose bump inducing “Aayega Aayega, Aayega Aanewala, Aayega, Aayega”.
Bimal Roy was a conscientious film maker and his “Madhumati” is an everlasting jewel of our film legacy. The way Roy lit up his scenes and moves the camera is a “joy forever”, rendering the story with an unearthly glow and a heart tugging appeal. Through nimble revelations and an assured skill not possessed by many, Roy leads viewers on an eerie path, thus turning the evocative serenading of Dilip Kumar by Vyjayanthimala’s ghost as well as the Dilip Kumar – Pran conversation in the climax scene as mesmerising yet disconcerting pieces of cinematic brilliance. While each frame of the film enhances the build-up of drama and suspense, the juxtaposition of the present and the past, with the help of dissolves, is equal to any great creation of world cinema, tempting one to ask, if any westerner ever created something as lyrically perplexing anywhere?
Many may not have heard of Biren Naug but his “Bees Saal Baad” still evokes nostalgia amongst film devotees. Erudite Bengali scholars ascribe it to Hemendra Kumar Roy’s novel “Nishithini Bivishika” yet its poignant appeal springs forth from the manner in which Biren, acclaimed art director of “Pyaasa” and “Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam”, unravels the tale of retribution in a slow deliberate fashion with a sting in the tail: Manmohan Krishna as the villain stuns the cinegoers as he was the perennial good man of our film screen! Hemant Kumar produced the film but it is his music that gives the film its laudable, magnetic charm. Naug’s second and only other directorial effort “Kohraa” was also a fine illustration of suspense but despite fine song picturisations, it lost out since its plot had too many similarities with the earlier film in terms of retribution and settings. Even the novelty of Lalita Pawar as the criminal lost its appeal since audiences were now prepared for a parallel surprise and yet there is no denial that it was a film that did enormous justice to its genre and there are many who still love it for its form and substance.
Shadows and silhouettes
Realising nature’s power to proffer undecipherable shadows and silhouettes within its foggy sheets, Raj Khosla served a movie menu that made him a trail blazer in Bollywood. His reputation is well preserved through “Woh Kaun Thi” and “Mera Saya” that used antiquated double roles with phenomenal degree of success. Though bizarre, yet the films’ revelations manage to astonish audiences in the respective climaxes, achieving what Hitchcock categorised as “coincidences that really disturb” and, hence, shock audiences. Few would believe that “Woh Kaun Thi” is without any dissolves but its scenic transitions are so smooth that you hardly feel their absence just as “Mera Saya”, with its seamless movement between past and present, creates no hindrance in understanding the court drama.
It is a pity that Baldev Raj Chopra did not take the suspense-thriller genre with greater seriousness despite his envious skills. His “Kanoon”, with Rajendra Kumar and Ashok Kumar in impressive portrayals, was a masterly “essay” of cinematic fiction. Taut, pithy and incisive, “Kanoon” grabbed attention with its powerful script; if its crime scenes are heart rending, its court scenes are gripping to say the least. The accusation by the lawyer (Rajendra Kumar) against the judge (Ashok Kumar) is still one of the most explosives scenes of Indian cinematic history, followed by one of the most powerful and remarkable pieces of silence ever captured on celluloid. Though his “Dhund” paled in comparison, nevertheless, it too was a fascinating saga to watch and applaud. Despite its unusual story (drawn from an Agatha Christie novel) and fine performances by Danny and Navin Nischol, the film suffered because of its length. If only the film had been chopped down to two hours, it would have been a volatile capsule of edgy drama.
Similarly, Chopra’s younger sibling Yash Raj too gave glimpses of his extraordinary prowess with “Ittefaq” and it is sad that he too gave no serious attention to this genre. Like “Kanoon”, this too was shot indoors, exemplifying the dexterity of the director in his shot takings to provide an edge of the seat thriller for audiences. Likewise, Vijay Anand too mesmerised viewers with “Jewel Thief” and “Teesri Manzil”, two of the slickest and well made thrillers to bless the Indian screens.
Apart from the story telling, what overwhelms is the manner in which Vijay Anand executes the fight and song sequences, imbibing them with gloss as well as rhythm that keeps pace with the story; Anand’s editing is worthy of a genius.
Yet it is a mystery why he and his noteworthy colleagues never made more films of similar genre even when they were eminently suitable for the stage of espionage and danger. Perhaps that’s a mystery which may never be told on screen!