Critical Analysis of Indian Film Noir

C R I T I C A L A N A L Y S I SO FI N D I A N F I L M N O I R

Devarsi GhoshRoll: PGDJ15052New Media StreamMentor: M.S Ganesh Viswanathan

Sumitted in !artial "ul"illment o" the re#uirements "or thePost$raduate Di!loma in New Media Journalism "rom the%sian &olle$e o" Journalism' &hennai "or the a(ademi( )ear2015*1+.

%&,N-/DGMNS

I thank my mentor M.S Ganesh Viswanathan for guiding me through every step of thedissertation.I thank my friends, Sumit Chakraborty, Ritayan Basu and nkita Sarkar for staying by my sideand working on the dissertation in the !ast few days before submission and thus, a!! my worriesand tension were somewhat shared by the trio and I did not pani" as I ra"ed against time. I thank whoever "urated the books for the !ibrary as the Cinema se"tion was rea!!y he!pfu!though it did not have Gyan #rakash$s

Noir Urbanisms: Dystopic Images of the Modern City

andif I had that at my disposa!, the dissertation, may be, wou!d have been s!ight!y better.%ast, but not the !east, I thank

Anna

and

Akka

from the tea&and&"igarette sha"k in front of theIndian Institute of 'ote! Management for he!ping me be sane through the entire pro"ess.

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&-NNS

ntrodu(tion 1&ha!ter 1: he arl) ra 340s to +0s 5&ha!ter 2: he Middle ra 3+0s to 60s 17&ha!ter 7: Parallel &inema ra and Pre(ursorso &ontem!orar) 8oma) Noir

3

Parinda

and

Iss Raat Ki Subah Nahin



20&ha!ter 4: 8oma) Noir and &ontem!orar)ndian Neo*Noir 26&on(lusion 778ilio$ra!h) 74

or

or

or

NR-D9&-N

(he ethos of fi!m noir organi"a!!y doesn$t !end itse!f to the Indian "inemati" !anguage)parti"u!ar!y, popu!ar Indian "inemati" !anguage that derives its essen"e from theatre,dan"e drama,

nautanki

and Indian mytho!ogy*, however, fi!mmakers, time and again,right from the days of

Mahal

)+-* have dabb!ed in fi!m noir, regard!ess of how distantthey might seem from western noir fi!ms in terms of treatment, if not aestheti". o!!owing

Mahal

, Chetan nand, Guru /utt and Ra0 1hos!a "hurned out noir fi!ms in the23s and 43s. But with the introdu"tion of "o!our fi!m in Indian "inema, these rigid!y fi!mnoir

movies dried up as Bo!!ywood did not have the time or patien"e for the brooding andwor!d&weariness so "entra! to noir "inema. In "ame Ra0esh 1hanna with his roman"es andso"ia! drama fi!ms and mitabh Ba"h"han$s angrier, a"tion&oriented fi!ms that took a5more proa"tive approa"h to !ife$s woes6.

1

7ven then, as mainstream as 1hanna andBa"h"han$s fi!ms were, they often borrowed noir tropes, more so in Ba"h"han$s "ase)i!ms !ike

Red Rose

starring 1hanna as a psy"hopath and Ba"h"han$s

Zaneer! Dee"ar

and

Andha #anoon

where the superstar p!ayed the vigi!ante figure trying to fight and"ome to terms with the "rimina! so"iety around him*. Indian fi!m noir took a "urious turn in the 3$s with erstwhi!e (e!ugu fi!mmaker RamGopa! Varma making the semina! 'indi8Bo!!ywood neo&noir fi!m

$atya

)+9*. 7ar!ier Vidhu Vinod Chopra )

$a%aye Maut

,

#hamosh

,

&arinda

*, Sudhir Mishra )

Iss Raat #i$ubah Nahin

* and Govind :iha!ani )

Aakrosh

,

Ardh $atya

,

'hakshak

* had f!irted rather su""essfu!!y with fi!m noir but it was with the arriva! of

$atya

and other dark thri!!ersfrom the Varma fa"tory, that noir su""essfu!!y entered the Indian mainstream fi!m s"ene.Varma and the then&young writers and fi!mmakers that he mentored su"h as nurag1ashyap, Sriram Raghavan and Visha! Bharadwa0 went on to be"ome ma0or fi!mmakers

1

or

in the ne;t de"ade and thanks to them and fe!!ow fi!mmakers !ike /ibakar Baner0ee and :avdeep Singh, Indian fi!m noir

"ame of age

—

Ma(bool

,

)k *asina 'hi

,

D

,

No$moking

,

+ohnny ,addaar

,

Manorama: $i- .eet Under

,

$hanghai

,

'alaash

,

Detecti/e 0yomkesh 0akshy

,

0adlapur! 0ombay 1el/et

and so on. Regiona! "inema in India has a!so offered a variety of noir fi!ms. (wo of the first noir fi!ms in Benga!i were Satya0it Ray$s

Chiriakhana

, an adaptation of a Byomkesh Bakshystory and gradoot$s

$abar Upare

, both starring Benga!i matinee ido! <ttam 1umar. Inre"ent times, 'o!!ywood and foreign !anguage "inema, easi!y avai!ab!e through /V/sand the internet, have offi"ia!!y or unoffi"ia!!y 5inspired6 a !arge number of Benga!i noir fi!ms = whi!e most of them are not worthy of mention, fi!ms !ike Sri0it Mukher0i$s

0aishe $rabon!

niruddha Roy Chowdhury$s

0uno *aansh

, Suman Mukhopadhyay$s

*erbert

, >$s

,andu

and Indrani! Roy Chowdhury$s

)kti 0angali 0hooter ,olpo

have been both "riti"a! and "ommer"ia! su""esses.i!mmakers down south have a!so tried their hands in making noir fi!ms. ?ne of the most popu!ar e;amp!es in re"ent times is (hyagara0an 1umarara0a$s

Aaranya #andam

)@3+3*,"redited for resurging the neo&noir genre in (ami! "inema. ?ther (ami! noir fi!ms in"!ude

Andha Naal

)+2-*,

Dharmam 'halaikaakkum

)+4A*,

1alla/an 2ru/an

)+44*,

Ragasiya &olice 334

)+49*,

C5I5D $hankar

)+3*,

6uarter Cutting

)@3+3*,

2naayum Aattukkuttiyum

)@3+A* and

'hoonga 1anam

)@3+2*.ust two years ba"k, Ra0eev Ravi, the "inematographer for a!! the movies )e;"ept

Ugly

* by nurag 1ashyap, the maveri"k of "ontemporary 'indi neo&noir "inema, dire"ted asma!!, !ow&budget Ma!aya!am "rime "aper

Nan $te/e 7ope%

)@3+-*. (he previous year,Mohan!a! starred in the mu"h&!oved and high!y popu!ar

Drishyam

)@3+A*, whi"h has

2

or

sin"e been remade into four different !anguages & 1annada, (e!ugu, (ami! and 'indi. (woimportant Ma!aya!am movies made in the 93s are

Irakal

)+93* and

Aparan

)+99*.In the fo!!owing "hapters, I sha!! dis"uss the evo!ution of the noir genre in Indian "inema.I sha!! "hart how Indian noir fi!ms have "hanged and evo!ved from the -3s to the presentday in terms of their heroes8protagonists, fema!e "hara"ters, vi!!ains, treatment of "rime8"rimina!s and the !aw and portraya! of so"io&po!iti"a! rea!ities vis&D&vis the time period in whi"h the fi!ms were made.I sha!! a!so fo"us on how Indian noir fi!ms are different from their Eestern "ounterpartsin treatment of noir storyte!!ing tropes and devi"es.%ast, but not the !east, I$!! dis"uss the "hanges in the urban !ands"ape and the so"ia!rea!ities of urban man and woman of different so"ia! "!asses as seen through the fi!m noir !ens starting with fi!ms of the /utt&nand&1hos!a era right down to the present day fi!msof 1ashyap&Bharadwa0&Raghavan.

Note: Due to la( o" availailit) o" most amil and Mala)alam noir "ilms 3a "ew areavailale ut without n$lish sutitles'  shall not e anal);in$ re$ional noir(inema ut "o(usin$ solel) on <indi lan$ua$e noir "ilms.=

3

or

&ha!ter 1: < %R/> R% 340s to +0s

In the <nited States, fi!m theorists, "riti"s and historians have never "ome to a singu!ar "on"!usion about the meaning of the termF fi!m noir. Ehi!e the term might immediate!y"on0ure in one, an image of a hard&boi!ed dete"tive, smoking !ike a "himney, !ooking outof a "riss"rossing window pane trying to so!ve a mystery, made more mysterious by afo;y femme fata!e, few fi!m noirs, internationa!!y speaking, have this e!ements. Sure,these e!ements were "ommon in the noir fi!ms made in the -3s and 23s, but after a point,it was the dark visua! aestheti" )

mise8en8sc9ne

p!ays a huge part in the noir narrativeHvisua! e!ements !ike !ow key !ighting, shadows, smoke et". are used to "reate a mood of mena"e and foreboding* and under!ying themes of pessimism that got "arried on to futurenoir fi!ms.But when app!ied to 'indi "inema, where does the term fi!m noir fit in Be"ause, nofi!m theorist or historian in India ever "hara"teriJed a period in Indian Cinema as the noir period. :either did anyone "ategoriJe a "ertain se"tion of fi!ms as noir, at !east nota"ademi"a!!y. Indian fi!ms have been identified as Knoir$, Knoir&ish$ or Kneo&noir$ )fi!msthat are noir in sensibi!ity but have modern themes, visua! e!ements, referen"es, et".* byfi!m "riti"s, fi!m writers and fi!m buffs be"ause "ertain e!ements have appeared to be"ommon between western noir "inema and the 'indi fi!ms that I wi!! be writing abouthen"eforth in this dissertation.

4

or

'owever, to identify what e;a"t!y Indian fi!m noir is, is not an easy task. ust !ike in themeri"an !e;i"on, where the term has been defined vague!y, so too does it !oose!yen"ompass a "ertain se"tion of Indian fi!ms with !ow&key !ighting, stories "enteredaround "ops and8or "rimina!s with mora!!y ambiguous protagonists. (herefore, the bestway to "ra"k this nut is by starting with an i!!ustrative e;amp!e & Ra0 1hos!aLs

oh #aun'hi;

)+4-* starring Sadhana and Mano0 1umar.(here are four basi" e!ements in

oh #aun 'hi;

irst, is the fi!mLs distin"tive"inematography and mounting & !ow&key !ighting inside a mysterious K

ha/eli

$. (he shotsare s!ow and unhurried and the s"ore is apt!y somber. (he fi!m "reates the i!!usion of being trapped in a morbid dream )simi!ar to !ain ResnaisL

7ast <ear at Marienbad

*,whether a!one in a graveyard or with a "rowd of dan"ing peop!e.Se"ond is the fi!mLs overa!! mood and pa"e & there is a sense of paranoia, of being pursued or fo!!owed throughout the movie, a sense of impending doom un!ess the heroso!ves the mystery in time. 'owever, un!ike meri"an fi!m noir, the hero here is not a"yni" )obvious!y, it is Mano0 1umar, after a!!* and he does not give out sar"asti" remarksnow and then to ba!an"e the dreary mood. Instead, the hero is an honorab!e man, inno"entof any "rime or affair, heir to a fortune, who sudden!y be"omes a vi"tim. (hough often pun"tuated with ob!igatory musi"a! highs, the fi!m whi"h starts off with a s!ow and"a!"u!ated set&up gradua!!y deve!ops into a fata!isti" "!ima;.(he third e!ement, an e!ement, very spe"ifi" to meri"an fi!m noir movies is the f!ash& ba"k trope, whi"h has been used interesting!y by their Indian "ounterparts.

oh #aun'hi;

revo!ves around a mysterious ba"k story in the protagonistLs ear!ier !ife )It is arein"arnation story*. Sin"e the 'indi fi!m audien"e, at !east then, "omprised most!y of

5

or

pra"ti"ing 'indus, the rein"arnation ba"kdrop served as an a""eptab!e premise to !aun"hthe f!ash&ba"k framework into the movie. (he hero must revisit his past !ife, whi"h is"onne"ted to his present predi"ament, through songs, p!ot deve!opments and se"ret "!ues.%ast!y, the fi!m is "entered around the presen"e and betraya! of the femme fata!e, who is busy most of the time, singing sad but sedu"tive songs. (he hero, through most of themovie, is not ab!e to "orrespond with her. 'owever, her intentions are obvious!y markedwith a sinister undertone. (he femme fata!e remains an ambiguous "hara"ter

= sometimes she is "hased by him, sometimes she pursues him = the mystery is so!vedon!y when her story ar" is "omp!ete.Ehi!e

oh #aun 'hi;

is uintessentia!!y noir in its mood, te;ture, themes and treatment,the first ever 'indi fi!m that "ou!d be "a!!ed fi!m noir is 1ama! mrohi$s

Mahal

)+-*, aromanti" noir simi!ar to ?tto #reminger$s

7aura

)+--*. In many ways,

Mahal

was a pre"ursor to not 0ust

oh #aun 'hi;

but a host of other Indian noir fi!ms, as it was noton!y IndiaLs first rein"arnation thri!!er but a!so !aid the first stone for Indian gothi" fi"tion.

Mahal

, whi"h was 1ama! mrohiLs dire"toria! debut, was in"!uded as one of the K+3 greatromanti" horror fi!ms$ by the British i!m Institute in @3+2.

2

Mahal

was a!so the first 'indi fi!m to e;hibit opu!en"e in its set "onstru"tion, the kindusua!!y asso"iated with histori"a! movies. (he sets were "reated by esteemed art dire"tor B.: (agore. In the movie, the !avish sets are used to an interesting effe"tF at one 0un"ture,the hero is seen wa!king end!ess!y through doorway after doorway, fina!!y ending in agrand "orridor. 'ere, in this seuen"e, mrohi bri!!iant!y visua!iJes in physi"a! spa"e, theentry into, and the entrapment of, the heroLs psy"he in a de!usiona! wor!d from where it is

6

or

impossib!e to es"ape. Soon, 'ari Shankar Nthe heroO wi!! see things Kthrough a g!ass,dark!y$, as his sense of rea!ity be"omes b!urred.

7

:asreen Munni 1abir writes, It$s unknown whether mrohi was fami!iar with'o!!ywood supernatura! thri!!ers of the +-3s, espe"ia!!y those of a"ues (ourneur, shotin the fi!m noir sty!e, its roots in German 7;pressionism. (hese me!odramas had g!oomy,f!awed "hara"ters, ine;orab!y drawn to their ruin.

Mahal

has a "omparab!e moodH and it$sno surprise it is rooted in fi!m noir, for it was shot by the German "inematographer osef Eirs"hing, who used stunning "!ose&ups and shadows to "reate dramati" tension andinfuse mena"e.

7

Eith

Mahal

, the formu!a for suspense fi!ms was et"hed in stone by mrohi. Soon, many"!ones fo!!owed. Besides

oh #aun 'hi;

, there was Bima! RoyLs

Madhumati

)+29* andRa0 1hos!aLs

Mera $aaya

)+44*. (hese fi!ms a""ustomed the audien"e to and "reated anappetite in them for ghost!y K

ha"elis

$

)mansions*, murderous affairs, psy"ho!ogi"a!!yunstab!e "hara"ters and a fema!e figure stro!!ing about as a haunting tune p!ays. very important figure in the growth and evo!ution of fi!m noir in India is Guru /utt andhis Man riday, a"e "inematographer V.1. Murthy. /uttLs f!irtations with fi!m noir beganwith

0aa%i

)+2+*. It was

0aa%i

that "reated the ar"hetype for /ev nandLs ambiguous but "harming tri"kster hero. Bhai"hand #ate! writes, 5/ev nandLs s"reen persona in

0aa%i

of a !ikeab!e s"oundre!, not to forget the "heeki!y p!a"ed beret on his head, wentdown we!! with the audien"e. (he Indian fi!m noir had found its hero. :ot as se;i!y"yni"a! as Robert Mit"hum or sou!y "harismati" as 'umphrey Bogart, /ev nandmanaged to be Ldark enoughL to make many of the desi noirs he a"ted in work. 'e a"ted in

7

or

a spate of fi!m noirs !ike

+aal

)+2@*,

&ocket Maar

)+24*,

C5I5D

)+24*,

Nau Do ,yarah

)+2*,

#ala 0a%ar

)+43* and

+aali Note

)+43*.6

4

Guru /uttLs affinity for fi!m noir and the anti&hero, probab!y has its roots in his"o!!aborative work with his mentor, Gyan Mukher0ee, who had dire"ted

#ismet

)+-A*, a b!o"kbuster starring shok 1umar as arguab!y 'indi "inemaLs first anti&hero.

4

In1ismet, Mukher0ee used standard fi!m noir e!ements !ike "hiaros"uro !ighting and ob!iue"amera ang!es./utt, impressed by V.1. Murthy who was an assistant to "inematographer V. Ratra on thesets of

0aa%i!

took him on as his "inematographer for his ne;t,

+aal

. Sin"e then, Murthy be"ame an irrep!a"eab!e part of the /utt team. (ogether, they "reated some of the most!us"ious and ri"h images in b!a"k&and&white for Indian "inema. ndre Spi"er and 'e!en'anson writes, 5(he !egendary "inematographer V.1. Murthy was responsib!e for thehouse sty!e of Guru /utt produ"tions, whi"h, a""ording to Creekmur, showed a deepfami!iarity with meri"an "inema and noir sty!e.6

5

i!m 0ourna!ist Sidharth Bhatia writes in

7i/emint

, 5In the !ast named one N

C5I5D

O, theentire seuen"e of /ev nand hiding first from a "rime boss and then the po!i"e isreminis"ent of ear!y German e;pressionist and 'o!!ywood "rime fi!ms, whi"h ref!e"tedthe "hara"ter$s fee!ing of being hunted.6

+

(heir most fruitfu! "o!!aboration, however, happened in

#aaga% #e &hool

)+44*. It wasa !abour of !ove for both /utt and Murthy. :atura! !ight was used in innovative ways inthe fi!mH for e;amp!e, in a s"ene where Guru /utt and Eaheeda Rehman meet in a emptystudio f!oor, the on!y !ight in the s"ene is a sing!e shaft of sun!ight, whi"h was brought inthe room using spe"ia! mirrors "reated for the s"ene. In a + interview of V.1 Murthy

8

or

by Ras Media Co!!e"tive and C.1 Mura!idharan, Murthy says, 5I got the "arpentrydepartment to make two big mirrors, some four feet ta!!. I p!a"ed them outside the studioand had sun!ight strike on them at su"h an ang!e that it wou!d hit the e;haust fan from theoutside, then another big mirror was p!a"ed on the "atwa!k inside the studio, and thatwou!d dire"t the shaft of !ight in a diagona! pattern straight a"ross the studio. So, we gotsun!ight not on !o"ation, but inside the studio f!oor. It was uite something, na. (i!! thennobody had used sun!ight inside the studio not even in 'o!!ywood fi!ms.6

6

#aaga% #e &hool

was the !ast dire"tor&"inematographer "o!!aboration between /utt andMurthy. (he movie f!opped around the time "o!our fi!m was making inroads into Indian"inema. !so, around this time, the studio system began "o!!apsing and fi!ms be"amevehi"!es for stars. Su"h artisti" "o!!aborations that took so mu"h time, effort and patien"ewas possib!e where 5a"tors, dire"tors, te"hni"ians and produ"tion stuff were part of anintegrated unit, who knew one another, had a modi"um of respe"t for ea"h other$s professiona! ski!!s and had the time to spend with ea"h fi!m on a regu!ar basis.6

6

Eith therise of superstars !ike Shammi 1apoor, Ra0esh 1hanna and /harmendra, who were ab!eto manipu!ate "onta"ts a""ording to their wi!!, the "raft and e;pertise of fi!m studios began to be undermined. In the p!a"e of the studio system, a new ne;us between produ"er, distributor, finan"er and star emerged whi"h di"tated what kind of fi!m wou!d be made. :ow, a "inematographer$s innate ski!! and wi!!ingness to "reate a new kind of image was not the priority, but his abi!ity to enhan"e the s!ight!y overweight hero$s profi!e to make him !ook rough and tough was more important. (hus, produ"tion teams!ike /utt&Murthy, Bima! Roy&/i!ip Gupta )who "o!!aborated on

Madhumati!

famous for

9

or

its noir&ish, "hiaros"uro "inematography* and Ra0 1apoor and the Mistry brothers"o!!apsed.

6

Simu!taneous!y, with the new phenomena of s!ow speed "o!our fi!m, whi"h, in the beginning, had !ow e;posure !atitudes and disma! "ontrast ratios for"ed "inematographersto regress to more "onventiona! framing and !ighting, thereby hindering them frome;p!oring the visua! possibi!ities of "inema. Soon, the rigid!y fi!m noir movies of Guru/utt, Ra0 1hos!a and Chetan nand dried up as Bo!!ywood did not have the time or patien"e for the brooding and wor!d&weariness so "entra! to noir "inema. In "ame Ra0esh1hanna with his roman"es and so"ia! drama fi!ms and mitabh Ba"h"han$s angrier,a"tion&oriented fi!ms that took a 5more proa"tive approa"h to !ife$s woes6.

1

7ven then,as mainstream as 1hanna and Ba"h"han$s fi!ms were, they often borrowed noir tropes,more so in Ba"h"han$s "ase )i!ms !ike

Red Rose

starring 1hanna as a psy"hopath andBa"h"han$s

Zaneer! Dee"ar

and

Andha #anoon

where the superstar p!ayed the vigi!antefigure trying to fight and "ome to terms with the "rimina! so"iety around him*. In the ne;t"hapter, we$!! take a !ook into what happened to 'indi fi!m noir in the !ate 43s and 3s, a period in Indian "inema, not parti"u!ar!y known for its "inemati" bri!!ian"e, if you, of "ourse, keep aside the :ationa! i!m /eve!opment Corporation of India )hereafter, :/C*&funded #ara!!e! Cinema.

10

or

&ha!ter 2: < MDD/ R% 3+0s to 60s

Corey Creekmur, in the book

International Noir

)@3+-* writes, 5 "y"!e of popu!ar 'indifi!ms, a!most a!! set in )then* "ontemporary Bombay, regu!ar!y featured many of the"hara"teristi" e!ements of 'o!!ywood fi!m noir, in"!uding heroes )most "onsistent!yembodied throughout the period by the suave star /ev nand* who skirt the border of !ega! and i!!ega! a"tivityH !ike their "ounterparts in meri"an fi!m noir, these are men whoare streetwise but "an "onfidentia!!y negotiate swanky night"!ubs featuring a!!uringfemmes fata!e )often e;p!i"it!y EesterniJed through signifiers su"h as "!othing, smoking,and the use of 7ng!ish* as we!! as the semi&i!!i"it temptations of a!"oho! and gamb!ing.6

?

/ev nand was perhaps the one and on!y "onsummate noir hero of Indian "inema.Starting with

0aa%i

in +2+, /ev, through his produ"tion "ompany, :avketan i!ms, produ"ed a series of noir fi!ms through the 23s and 43s. Most of these were dire"ted byhis brothers Chetan nand and Vi0ay nand. ?ne of the first and most memorab!e of these "o!!aborations was +2-$s

'a-i Dri/er

dire"ted by Chetan nand. (he fi!m wasChetan nandLs first ma0or "ommer"ia! su""ess. !though, "onsidered as a "rime thri!!er today, the "rime p!ot of

'a-i Dri/er

takes a ba"k seat to the noir e!ements that form a vita! part of the heroLs wor!d

—

for e;amp!e, his hangout den with the dan"er and sma!! time"rooks. (he fi!m is enri"hed with V.RatraLs shadowy "inematography, whi"h p!ays aroundwith !ight and shade, S./ BurmanLs evo"ative and the we!!&e;e"uted outdoor seuen"es,

11

or

whi"h were fi!med a!! throughout Mumbai. t su"h, the "ity is an important "hara"ter,and this fa"t is mentioned in the opening "redits. ?ne "ou!d argue that we!! before

$atya

)+9*,

'a-i Dri/er

was the first KBombay :oir$ movie )more about Bombay :oir !ater*.

@

Eith the introdu"tion of "o!our fi!m, the moody noir movies ui"k!y disappeared from'indi Cinema. Pet, :avketan i!ms "ontinued to produ"e fi!ms in a simi!ar vein, the most prominent of them being Vi0ay nandLs

+e"el 'hief

)+4*.

+e"el 'hief

is one of the beste;amp!es of 'indi noir fi!ms, around this time, when su"h fi!ms were not being made.Suresh 1oh!i, writes in the book

*ousefull: 'he ,olden <ears of Indian Cinema!

with passion for not 0ust the fi!m, but a!so its makerF 5(he father of 'indi thri!!ers, Vi0aynand, se!dom got his due. 'is te"hni"a! prowess was se"ond to none. Vi0ay had a finegrip over "amera do!!ys. Side tra"king was another spe"ia!ity that he put to great use in

+e"el 'hief

, a thri!!er peppered with some memorab!e songs. :ot to forget the fast Joomouts and interp!ay of montages that "reated s!i"kness a!most peer!ess for its age. ?ne of the most "inemati"a!!y aware dire"tors of his times, Vi0ay !oved to "reate a spatia!re!ationship between his "hara"ters and surroundings. 'is b!o"king was uniue. 'ewou!d surprise you with his sudden Jooming out on!y to revea! a mysterious figure!urking in the foreground.6

10

Mr. 1oh!i a!so goes on to des"ribe Vi0ay nand as a rare dire"tor who s"ripted andedited his narrative who was at his best

in +e"el 'hief

. 'e writes, or him, "inemawas not as mu"h about the arrangement of the words in a senten"e, but the passage withinwhi"h the senten"e was "ontained. 'e brought out the phi!osophi"a! depth of R1 :arayanLs

,uide

and then sett!ed to de!iver this 'it"h"o"kian ta!e too.

10

12

or

'owever,

+e"el 'hief

was one of the rare fi!m noir movies to have "ome from this period. /ev nand$s fi!ms had taken on a g!itJy, g!amorous ua!ity even though theydea!t with "rime e!ements but "rime a!one doesn$t make noir. :everthe!ess, one su"h /evnand fi!m from this time,

+ohny Mera Naam

)+3*, did serve as an inspiration of sortsto Sriram Raghavan$s

+ohnny ,addaar

)@33*, a fantasti" neo&noir "at&and&mouse thri!!er "entered around an amora! protagonist Q one of the best Indian thri!!er fi!ms ever made. Ehi!e the "!assi"a! visua! aestheti"s of fi!m noir might have gone for a toss in the age of "o!or fi!m and Manmohan /esai$s masa!a entertainers, fi!m noir e!ements )themati"e!ements to be pre"ise* did "reep into some of the ma0or fi!ms of this era, parti"u!ar!ymitabh Ba"h""han$s angst&driven a"tion dramas !ike

Zaneer

)+A*,

Dee"aar

)+2*and

Andha #anoon

)+9A*.'owever, it is a mu"h !esser&known Ba"h"han fi!m,

&ar"ana

)++*, dire"ted by yotiSwaroop that "an go down in the anna!s of Indian fi!m history as a prime e;amp!e of

desi

noir from the 3s. (he fi!m is e;p!i"it!y referen"ed in

+ohnny ,addaar

. In fa"t, the p!otof

+ohnny ,addaar

is somewhat disti!!ed from that of both #arwana and ohny Mera :aam. (he protagonist of ohny Gaddaar, Vikram, is a young, ambitious "onman whosudden!y gets greedy and stea!s a bag fu!! of money from his partner, thereby 0eopardiJing a business p!an for his gang. (he rest of the fi!m is about how Vikram wi!!go to prevent his gang, or anyone e!se for that matter, to know about his se"ret "rime.

5

(he movie p!ays on a te!evision at a mote! desk )a throwba"k to a!! the fi!ms beho!den tothe psy"hoti" desires of su"h gatekeepers after !fred 'it"h"o"kLs

&sycho

)+43** andsupp!ies Vikram with his se"ret identity, LohnnyL, whi"h heL!! use to "ommit the "rime.(he movie is fi!!ed with other "hara"ters using pseudonyms at various points, mimi"king

13

or

+ohnny Mera Naam

, where the hero p!ays a spy who dons mu!tip!e identites to infi!trate a"rime gang. 5(o de"ode RaghavanLs

+ohnny ,addaar

, one has to enter the !ogi" of nandLs fi!m, whi"h is eua!!y besieged with a different kind of "ounterfeiting, a shadow p!ay of

in cognito

.6

5

t the same time,

&ar"ana

whi"h a!so p!ays on te!evision gives Vikram the idea for his"rime. 'e fo!!ows the footsteps of the Ba"h"han "hara"ter who is a "onniving "rimina!who "overs his tra"ks by f!ying se"ret!y from Bombay to :agpur to get on the 1o!kata& bound train that took off from /adar. %ater, in

+ohnny ,addaar

, the po!i"e inspe"tor in"harge of so!ving the "rime "ra"ks the "ase by re"a!!ing

&ar"ana

.

5

(he spirit of fi!m noir "omes from the streets, from the smoke that rises off manho!es,from the guttura! grunts of rough men fighting it out in street "orners for a !iving.Superstar mitabh Ba"h"han made a "areer out of p!aying the Langry young manL in the3s and 93s. 'is vengefu! forays in some of the top "ommer"ia! b!o"kbusters of his timewere 0ustified by the rea!ity that so"iety had be"ome rife with "orruption, whi"h, in turn,had "orroded !aw enfor"ement and thus, it was hard for the "ommon man to have a""essto 0usti"e. In su"h "ir"umstan"es, the on!y way to "!eanse the "ity, in Bo!!ywood "inema,that is, wou!d be to go the vigi!ante way.Ba"h"han fi!ms during this period were very mu"h a produ"t of its time. Severe so"io& po!iti"a! prob!ems emerged in the 3s in India. 7thni" vio!en"e, droughts !eading to foodshortages in addition to demands for better hea!th "are and edu"ation was driving the"ountry to the edge. ?n top of that, the war with #akistan, e"onomi" diffi"u!tiesthroughout the "ountry and freuent "!ashes between the estab!ishment and !eft&wingstudents and union members had turned India to a boi!ing "au!dron. In +2, when Indira

14

or

Gandhi was being asked in various uarters to step down as #rime Minister after she wasfound of brea"hing e!e"tion ru!es, she responded with de"!aring a KState of 7mergen"y$,under whi"h +3,333 po!iti"ians, students, 0ourna!ists and a"tivists were arrested withouttria!. It was around this time, a new kind of fi!m emerged were the hero wou!d providevigi!ante 0usti"e to a "orrupt "ity. (he romanti" hero of so"ia! dramas was !ong gone andthe hero of the 3s was a "yni"a!, brooding man who was either fighting organiJed "rimefrom the side of the !aw )

Zaneer

* or fighting so"ia! in0usti"e by being a "rimina! himse!f )

Dee"aar

*. ayson Beaster&ones writes, 5:ot surprising!y, the po!iti"a! turmoi! of the+3s was very mu"h a presen"e in the musi" and fi!ms of this era. (e0aswini Ganti)@3+A*, Ra"he! /ywer )@333*, and other fi!m s"ho!ars have noted that this period sawnew kinds of representations in Indian fi!ms. Rather than being a for"e of deve!opmentthrough so"ia!ism, for e;amp!e, the fi!ms of the +3s and beyond introdu"ed negativedepi"tions of the Indian state, parti"u!ar!y "onf!ating po!iti"ians with so"ia! and e"onomi""orruption writ !arge.6

11

(he produ"tion of Ba"h"han starrer&a"tion dramas of this era, with an arguab!y so"ia!ist bent, "ontinued we!! into the 93s. fter the (e"hni"o!or e;travaganJa of Shammi 1apoor and Ra0esh 1hanna in the 43s, the "inemati" !anguage of the 3s fi!ms were beginning totake new shapes, in !ight of not 0ust the po!iti"a! "inema but a!so the para!!e! "inemamovement that was b!ooming around this time )More on para!!e! "inema in the ne;t"hapter*. ayson Beaster&ones writes, 5(his kind of fi!m reuired a new kind of ba"kground musi" and a new kind of fi!m song. Musi" was signifi"ant!y !ess important tothe narrative in this era than in previous era. In parti"u!ar, the angry young man fi!ms of

15

or

the s"reenwriter duo Sa!im&aved )Sa!im 1han and aved khtar* fo"used mu"h moreattention on dia!ogue than on musi".6

11

?ne of the !ast fi!m noir movies, a!beit a shoddi!y s"ripted one, of this period is theRa0esh 1hanna&starrer

Red Rose

)+93* dire"ted by #.Bharathira0a. or on"e in his "areer,1hanna steers away from his romanti" and me!odramati" image and p!ays a misogynist,who, after sharing his bed with young !adies, ki!!s them. (he fi!m, a remake of the samedire"tor$s (ami! movie,

$igappu Roakkal

)+9*, is a pure B&movie, with its use of garish f!uores"ent "o!ours, 'it"h"o"k&ian "amera ang!es and montages and fast "uts.%ooking ba"k at the movie in @3+4,

Red Rose

might appear as an in"onseuentia! moviein the s"heme of things, but in addition to its fi!m noir sensibi!ities, its "ampy essen"emakes it an a!!&time favorite for fi!m buffs and "riti"s. ourna!ist ai r0un Singh, author of

+aane 0hi Do <aaro: $eriously .unny $ince 3=>?

writes, 5Ehat makes Red

Rose

terrib!e and sort&of&e;"e!!ent at the same time is the way it "ombines disparate e!ementsFon one hand, it$s a "heap rip&off of psy"ho!ogi"a!&horror "!assi"s !ike

&eeping 'om

and

&sycho

, presented in the B&movie sty!e of the Ramsay BrothersH on the other hand, you"anLt fu!!y appre"iate this movie without referen"e to the !ong&defun"t superstar personaof Ra0esh 1hanna.6

12

In the 93s and in the ear!y 3s, ti!! the re!ease of the semina! Indian gangster noir fi!m,

$atya

, dire"tors asso"iated with #ara!!e! Cinema movement !ike Govind :iha!ani andthen&young fi!mmakers !ike Sudhir Mishra and Vidhu Vinod Chopra made "omparative!y)in re!ation to the 3s* grittier, darker and more rea!isti" noir fi!ms. (hese paved the wayfor the fi!m noir boom in the !ate 3s that began with

$atya

. In the ne;t "hapter, I$!! de!ve

16

or

into the fi!m noir movies of the 93s that were a "ru"ia! inf!uen"e to "ontemporary Indianneo&noir "inema.

&ha!ter 7: P%R%/// &NM% R% %ND PR&9RS-RS -&-NMP-R%R> 8-M8%> N-R 3

Parinda and Iss Raat Ki Subah Nahin



It a!! started with Govind :iha!ani$s "op drama

Ardh $atya

)+9A*. :ever before wasurban grime and ma!e angst treated with su"h understanding and sensitivity. 5Govind :iha!ani "hanged the dire"tion of gangster fi!ms with rdh Satya, a fi!m that "an be seenas a forerunner of Mumbai :oir.6

17

:iha!ani, through

Ardh $atya

)7ng!ish trans!ationF'a!f&(ruth*, painted Bombay in an entire!y new !ight. Ehi!e this fi!m did not have the private eye, the femme fata!e or other standard fi!m noir tropes, the darkness of noir pervaded every ree! of the fi!m. (he movie, whi"h derives its name from a poem of thesame name, is deep!y e;istentia!ist in nature. (he protagonist nant Ve!ankar )?m #uri*wanted to study !iterature. But his father )mrish #uri*, a "onstab!e, for"ed him, throughhis fier"e and overpowering persona!ity, to be"ome a "op. Being a no&nonsense personwho refuses to be undermined by anyone, it isnLt !ong before nand butts heads with!o"a! mafia and its !eader )e;"e!!ent!y p!ayed by debutante Sadashiv mrapurkar*. (he

17

or

fi!m, though not f!aw!ess, has a wi!d energy and vita!ity, suppressed under the "a!me;terior of the s"enes, something that was never before seen, ti!! then, in 'indi Cinema. Ehi!e Govind :iha!ani was being "hampioned as one of the best fi!mmakers in India, inthe 93s, to have "ome out of the #ara!!e! Cinema movement, a new dire"tor, by the nameof Vidhu Vinod Chopra, was uiet!y making sma!!, independent neo&noir fi!ms, that wereuite ahead of its time, and even, today, ho!d up we!! to "ontemporary standards, giventhat the "inemati" !anguage of "rime and thri!!er fi!ms have be"ome more advan"ed sin"ethen. Chopra$s se!f&finan"ed, feature fi!m debut

$a%aye Maut

)+9+* is a psy"ho!ogi"a!thri!!er in the vein of !fred 'it"h"o"k$s

1ertigo

, based on his own (II dip!oma fi!m,

Murder on Monkey *ill

.In the fi!m, the protagonist, Ma!!ika, heiress to a !arge forture, is running for her !ife froma hired gun and a mora!!y ambiguous man, <day ):aseeruddin Shah* who is !ater revea!ed to be a deranged menta! patient. Simi!ar to noir fi!ms with supernatura! e!ements!ike

7aura

,

Madhumati

,

Angel *eart

and

Night of the Demon

, the eerie, haunting s"ore"oup!ed with the ri"h, shadowy "inematography is evo"ative of Mi"hae! MannLs fi!ms of the 93s su"h as

Manhunter

. !so, after a !ong time, in a 'indi thri!!er fi!m, we have afema!e hero who is proa"tive and "a!"u!ative. It is a man who takes on the ro!e of theamora! sedu"er )<day*, whose intentions are diffi"u!t to figure out ti!! the end of themovie.Chopra$s ne;t,

#hamosh

)+92*

!

a whodunit, simi!ar to gatha Christie$s

And 'hen 'hereere None

, is a fi!m&within&a&fi!m, where a"tors and a"tresses p!ay themse!ves and themovie$s meta, se!f&referentia! tone makes it way ahead of its time. (here are terrifi"

18

or

visua! moments in the fi!m, for instan"e, Shabana Jmi$s s!eepwa!king s"ene and the"!ima"ti" reve!ation where the murderer$s fa"e is seen through a dim!y&!it window. (he fi!m is set in the pi"turesue town of #ehe!gaum )in 1ashmir* where a fi!m "rew hasgathered to shoot a movie. (hings go awry when an a"tress )and a wannabe heroine*"ommits sui"ide for no apparent reason. t this point, a mi!itary man who is sure that the!ady had been murdered enters the p!ot, ki"k&starting a series of events that resu!t in a fewmore ki!!ings, with the b!ame shifting from one person to another. s the story progresses, we rea!iJe that a!most a!! the "hara"ters are mora!!y ambiguous and have anhidden agenda. <g!iness and de"eit define most of them, irrespe"tive of what their pub!i" veneers suggest.

14

#hamosh

does with the fi!m industry, what "!assi"a! fi!m noir does with urban so"iety i.eho!d a mirror to the dark side. (he fi!m is a "austi" "ommentary on 5on how the fi!mindustry operates && the darkness behind its daJJ!e, its deep&rooted "hauvinism and itss!eaJy, e;p!oitative menta!ity.6 Ca!!ing the song!ess

#hamosh

, 5a pie"e of e;emp!aryfi!mmaking, fi!m 0ourna!ist, Sukanya Verma writes, (hereLs no p!a"e for romanti"ang!es, poeti" f!irtations, !i!ting musi", 1ashmir darshan, no p!easantry whatsoever in his"risp!y&edited )by then wife Renu Sa!u0a to whom he dedi"ates the fi!m a!ong withMangesh /esai* vision of a stark s"ript. Instead Vanra0 BhatiaLs ominous ba"kgrounds"ore, assisted by /adasaheb #ha!ke re"ipient 1ersi %ord and "omposer <ttam Singh)

Dil 'o &agal *ai

,

Dushman

*, is designed to suit the temperament of dread andanti"ipation.6

15

Ehi!e these sma!! gems stand out in the dis"ourse of Indian Cinema as Knotab!ee;periments$, two game "hanging noir fi!ms from this time are Vidhu Vinod Chopra$s

19

or

Bombay "rime epi"

&arinda

and Sudhir Mishra$s

Iss Raat #i $ubah Nahin

)+4*, two of the first fi!ms that !ater gave rise to the "ategory KBombay :oir$ = a series of gritty"rime fi!ms "entered in the "ity of Bombay, that, whi!e going the typi"a! "ops&pimps&!ow!ifes&gangsters route, are deep!y rooted in the "ity$s history and geography, and over the years, so many su"h fi!ms have been made, that an entire sub&genre has deve!oped,simi!ar to S"andinavian :oir. %a!itha Gopa!an writes in

A Companion to .ilm Noir!

5It is the "ity itse!f, Bombay, thathas re"eived "onsiderab!e attention in re"ent s"ho!arship in Indian "inema studies. s the"entra! produ"tion site for popu!ar "inema, Bombay "inema is used by MaJumdar NRan0ani MaJumdarO to des"ribe a range of fi!ms that dep!oy the spa"e of the "ity invarious genres. MaJumdar "!aims that utopian idea!s of urban spa"e evoked by theoristswith the modern "ity in 7urope as the mode! = #aris, Ber!in, %ondon = emerge in the"ity fi!msH monumenta! sky!ines in panorami" shots, speed of dai!y routine, p!easures of anonymity, and so on emerge as the themati" preo""upations in fi!ms sin"e Bombay"inema "ame into being. s is the "ase with the theorists of modernity whose paeans tothe utopian !ongings of the "ity were a!ways a""ompanied with disen"hantment, thisdisen"hantment was re"ast in the +3s onwards as "rime and gangster fi!ms, as in .#/uttaLs

*athyar

)+9*, ChopraLs

&arinda

, :.ChandraLs "e!ebration of the !umpen pro!etariat, and Manmohan /esaiLs star&fo"used "y"!e of urban "rime.6

5

Shooting, in gangster fi!ms, is more often than not, done in rea! !o"ations = a!!eys,"!austrophobi" "onstru"tion sites or "ity do"ks. (he gangLs meeting spots for operation5!ook !ike abandoned fa"tory sites, sometimes !ike ha!f&"onstru"ted bui!dings6. Chaseseuen"es are designed to traverse through 5the density of the "ityLs pub!i" spa"es.6

20

or

Instead of 5sanitiJed aestheti"s6 and bright !ighting that saturates the mise&en&s"ne of thehome!y interiors in fami!y fi!ms, in fi!m noir, we find the urban spe"ta"!e "omp!ete!ydestroyed with e!ements !ike !ow&key photography and use of shadows.

5

Ran0ani MaJumdar writes in

0ombay Cinema: An Archi/e of the City

, 5

&arinda

Ls a!!eys,"!osed spa"es, ordinary sites, e!evators, dark stair"ases, pee!ing wa!!s, and streets areubiuitous. (he "ity is dark, "rowded, and ruth!essH its human form is nna Np!ayed by :ana #atekar, nna is a

,odfather

&!ike "rimina! donO. nna is the "enter of the "ity andhis so"ia! net "onne"ts him to the po!i"e, other underwor!d riva!s, fa"tories, po!iti"ians,and more. nnaLs e""entri"ty or madness is "entra! to the way the "ityLs !aw!essness andde"ay are portrayed. %ike other noir fi!ms,

&arinda

offers a "ombination of the themes of e;"ess, the biJarre, "rue!ty, madness, inno"en"e and a fas"ination with death. Centra! tothe narrative of death is the noir&!ike darkness of the "ity.6

1+

Seven years after the re!ease of

&arinda

, Sudhir MishraLs high!y underrated

Iss Raat #i$ubah Nahin

)+4* re!eased. It is a strange, a!most surrea!, e;istentia! fi!m about a"han"e meeting between an advertising professiona! ditya ):irma! #andey* and Raman

bhai

)shish Vidyarthi*, a gangster. (he fi!m is "entered around one !ong night in the "ity,where a series of vio!ent, emotiona! and intense events happen. ditya who is married to#oo0a )(ara /eshpande* a!so has a mistress, Ma!vika )Smriti Mishra*. Conseuent!y, their marriage is on troub!ed waters. (he emotiona! "haos gets out of "ontro! when the threeend up in a "han"e en"ounter with Raman

bhai

in a bar, where ditya ends up s!appinghim a""identa!!y. Mayhem unfo!ds in the "ity as a!! the "hara"ters get invo!ved in a "at&and&mouse "hase. Mumbai "omes a!ive in that one night through its streets, do"kyards,a!!eyways, rai!way tra"ks, dirty bathrooms, run down hospita!s, neon !ights and swanky

21

or

bui!dings by the sea side. Ran0ani MaJumdar writes in

orld .ilm 7ocations: Mumbai!

5

Iss Raat #i $ubah Nahin

"ombined the wor!d of rest!ess and !ost sou!s with a no"turna!"artography of the "ity, imbuing the narrative with a sense of thri!! and adventure.6

17

Ehi!e these two fi!ms !aid the groundwork for Bombay :oir8Mumbai :oir, Ram Gopa!Varma$s

$atya

)+9* was the u!timate "u!mination of Bombay "rime "inema and theanti&estab!ishment, anti&big studio, e;perimenta! fi!mmaking )e;emp!ified by the worksof Chopra, :iha!ani and Mishra* that had been going on for so !ong. Many peop!easso"iated with the movie !ike nurag 1ashyap, Saurabh Shuk!a, Visha! Bhardwa0,Makrand /eshpande and Mano0 Ba0pai !ater went on to be"ome some of the best writers,dire"tors and a"tors asso"iated with Bombay :oir8"ontemporary 'indi neo&noir. ?mar hmed writes in

$tudying Indian Cinema

, 5n une;pe"ted "ommer"ia! su""ess,

$atya

"onfirmed Ram Gopa! Varma as a ma0or fi!m&maker and !ed "riti"s to "oin the termLMumbai :oirL in re!ation to a "y"!e of fi!ms whi"h appeared as a resu!t of the fi!mLsung!amorous representation of the underwor!d.6

16

Satya, whi"h was shot on a !ow budget with new fa"es and theatre a"tors, in rea!!o"ations, a!most in a do"u&drama sty!e, a!ong with

*yderabad 0lues

)dir. :agesh1ukunoor* and

0ombay 0oys

)dir. 1aiJad Gustad*, re!eased in the same year, inspired a!ot of fi!mmakers to es"hew big studio funding and make independent fi!ms. Some fi!mtheorists hai! this period, e;tending into the @333s, for the resurgen"e of para!!e! "inema.

$atya

"hanged the thinking of the industry as Bo!!ywood sudden!y be"ame open to theidea of sma!!&budget independent fi!ms, espe"ia!!y be"ause

$atya

made a !ot of money.o!!owing

$atya

, Varma gra"ed us with a number of ua!ity neo&noirs !ike

#aun;

)+*and

Company

)@33@*, and together with nurag 1ashyap and Sriram Raghavan, "arried

22

or

on the noir !ega"y into the ne;t de"ade. (he @333s "an be rightfu!!y "a!!ed the time whenIndian :oir "ame of age. In the ne;t "hapter, I sha!! de!ve into "ontemporary Indian neo&noir "inema i.e the period from Satya to the present day.

&ha!ter 4: 8-M8%> N-R %ND &-NMP-R%R> ND%N N-*N-R

5It ... stru"k me that you a!ways hear about these gangsters on!y when they either ki!! or when they die. But what do they do in between (hat was the first thought whi"heventua!!y resu!ted in

$atya

.6

1?

wrote Ram Gopa! Varma in @339. or the first time in thehistory of 'indi "inema, gangsters were not made to appear !arger than !ife through useof any e;traneous "inemati" devi"e !ike three&point !ighting to enhan"e the a"torLs profi!e,!ow ang!e shot to make him !ook magnanimous or an over&the&top ba"kground s"ore as a"ue to te!! the audien"e L%ook, this is the bad guyL. Gangsters were treated !ike any other person with a nine&to&five 0ob in

$atya

.

23

or

In the "entre of

$aty

a, !ies the age o!d noir trope of an outsider simp!eton entering the big, bad "ity to make a !iving on!y to fa!! into the depths of the "rimina! underwor!d, where hetries to make a name for himse!f, ti!! he fina!!y fa!!s from gra"e.

$atya

, owing to its !ow budget, was shot in rea! !o"ations in Bombay = some of the dirtiest, grimiest spots tohave ever gra"ed the s"reens of Bo!!ywood with sma!!&time but ta!ented a"tors, and its"inemati" !anguage was new, bubb!ing with energy, something midway between art&house "inema and "ommer"ia! "inema. Sin"e then, Satya has inspired "ount!essfi!mmakers, not 0ust those making "rime movies in Bombay, but it a!so insti!!ed a news"ript&driven, toned&down approa"h to Bo!!ywood fi!mmaking in genera!, whi"h after there!ease of

Dil Chahta *ai

and

7agaan

in @33+, began to produ"e, what we know today asKmu!tip!e; fi!ms$.Ran0ani MaJumdar writes in

orld .ilm 7ocations: Mumbai

, 5It was however, the grittyand edgy wor!d of Ram Gopa! VarmaLs

$atya

)(ruth, +9* that rea!!y brought the termMumbai :oir into mu"h wider "ir"u!ation.

$atya

staged noirLs typi"a! sense of Lmora!ambiguityL whi!e a!so drawing mu"h more e;p!i"ity on the visua! "odes of the gangster genre.6

17

o!!owing

$atya

, Ram Gopa! Varma estab!ished himse!f as the master of Indian neo&noir with the re!ease of

#aun;

)+* and

Company

)@33@*. Ehi!e

#aun;

was a "hamber fi!m, invo!ving 0ust three "hara"ters in a "at&and&mouse game,

Company

was a spiritua!seue! to

$atya

based on the dreaded terrorist /awood IbrahimLs L/L Company. In between

$atya

and

Company

, another important noir fi!m was re!eased = MaheshMan0arekar$s

1aasta/: 'he Reality

)+*, 5be!ieved to be !oose!y based on the !ife of underwor!d gangster Chota Ra0an.6

1@

)(?I* 1nown for one of the finest Lbad boyL

24

or

performan"es de!ivered by San0ay /utt,

1aasta/

, !ike

$atya

, portrayed gangsters aseveryday human beings, and on the !ines of "!assi" fi!m noir, showed the rise and fa!! of agangster who is too wi!d for the "ity to hand!e.Various individua!s asso"iated the Ram Gopa! Varma around this point of his "areer wenton to make a name for themse!ves in the movie business and being mentored by Varma,they made fi!ms simi!ar to his sty!e. (wo of the best dire"tors to have "ome out of theVarma stab!e are nurag 1ashyap and Sriram Raghavan = together, they have madesome of the best, most innovative neo&noir fi!ms in re"ent memory.(he then&@4&year&o!d nurag 1ashyap, who "o&wrote

$atya

with Saurabh Shuk!a, be"ame a high!y sought&after writer in Bo!!ywood after the su""ess of the fi!m. 'e thenwent on to write some of the best "op dramas and thri!!ers in Bo!!ywood before makinghis dire"toria! debut with

&aanch

, whi"h due to "ensor board prob!ems, has goneunre!eased.

&aanch

, based on the +4& oshi&bhyankar seria! murders in #une hadsome of the best noir imagery at that point in Bo!!ywood. (he story was set around a bun"h of angst&ridden youngsters, who have a sma!!&time band of their own and are eager to make it big in the "utthroat media industry of Bombay and in a bid to do so, end upkidnapping a friend and ki!!ing him, resu!ting in a series of gruesome murders one after the other. #aan"h broke away from the series of gangster noir fi!ms, 5triggering a seriesof psy"ho!ogi"a! thri!!ers.6 5<n!ike gangster fi!ms, whi"h often offer a street&side view of vio!en"e,

&aanch

shows the s!ow, inevitab!e, inner destru"tion of the dreams of post&g!oba! su""ess. (he f!ashy, g!amorous wor!d of musi" produ"tion that boomed viate!evision after g!oba!iJation has !itt!e p!a"e in

&aanch

. Instead we see greed, pettydreams and uninhibited ambition that seems to have no !imits.6

1+

25

or

#etty greed and uninhibited ambition a!so forms the "entra! "ru; of Sriram Raghavan$s

+ohnny ,addaar

)@33*. Raghavan, who had "ut his teeth ear!y in neo&noir with thedo"udrama

Raman Ragha/

)+@*

based on the rea! !ife seria! ki!!er of the same whooperated in Mumbai in the 43s, made his feature fi!m dire"toria! debut with

)k *asina'hi

)@33-*, a psy"ho!ogi"a! thri!!er produ"ed by Ram Gopa! Varma.

)k *asina 'hi

was a pu!py revenge drama that was dark and b!oody and starred Saif !i 1han in a "omp!eteimage makeover as a suave, smart and ruth!ess "onman. 'e fo!!owed it up with

+ohnny,addaar

=

a KB$ movie by his own admission = a dark but en0oyab!e thri!!er pepperedwith referen"es to hardboi!ed "rime fi"tion and Indian noir fi!ms of the 43s and 3s. Raghavan$s fina! feature fi!m,

0adlapur

)@3+2*, was, however, his darkest. bandoningthe meta&kits"hy treatment of

+ohnny ,addaar

, Raghavan treated the story of a manavenging the murder of his wife and son over the "ourse of fifteen years as a b!ood&soaked, raging fireba!! of mayhem and vio!en"e. (he wife and the son$s murder in thefi!m is pure!y a""identa! and at su"h, the dire"tor seems to ask us, 5/oes the !a"k of persona! motive for their death make the !oss more a""eptab!e, if ine;p!i"ab!e6

20

0adlapur

doesnLt ask the uestion dire"t!y, in a heavy&handed, message&movie way, buta!!ows it to simmer deep down in the sub"ons"ious. (his make the fi!m ambiguous, with!ines between the hero and the vi!!ain b!urring )at points, the ro!es seem to be reversed,with the ki!!er "oming off as a sympatheti" man with emotions and the avenging heroturning out to be a mer"i!ess for"e from he!!* time and again, and even with the near&+@3&minutes run&time, what shou!d have been a brisk fi!m, is heavy on the senses. :oir, bydefinition, raises e;istentia! uestions and

0adlapur

poses uite a few of them. In thatregard,

0adlapur

may not have the thri!!&a&minute tautness of

+ohnny ,addaar

, but its

26

or

suspense is more subt!y bui!t to hint at the e!usiveness of what makes a person be"ome aki!!er, beyond peniten"e and forgiveness "oda.<n!ike Raghavan$s fi!ms that are either te;tbook noir, either sin"ere!y )!ike

0adlapur

or

)k *asina 'hi

* or in a meta&way )

+ohnny ,addar

*, 1ashyap$s fi!ms imbibe noir$sthemati" and visua! inf!uen"es to te!! stories that are not ne"essari!y about murder,revenge or organiJed "rime = for instan"e, with the e;"eption of

&aanch

and

Ugly

)@3+-*, his fi!ms !ike

0lack .riday

)@33*

is a fi!m on terrorism,

No $moking

)@33* is asurrea!, %yn"hian psy"ho!ogi"a! thri!!er

! ,ulaal

)@33*

is a po!iti"a! drama,

De/5D

)@33*is a drugged&up romanti" tragedy and

'hat ,irl in the <ello" 0oots

)@3++*

is a feminist!ook at the ma;imum "ity through the eyes of a British woman who has "ome to Mumbaito sear"h for her missing father. 1ashyap$s

Ugly

and

0ombay 1el/et

)@3+2*

are morestraight&forward noir. Ehi!e

Ugly

, in many ways !ike

0adlapur

, is a dark, unf!in"hing!ook at what wou!d drive individua!s to go "orrupt and inhumane in the fa"e of tryingmoments,

0ombay 1el/et

is a big&budget ode to the noir fi!ms of 'umphrey Bogart, /evnand, Ra0 1hos!a, the aJJ age and hardboi!ed pu!p fi"tion. 'owever, un!ike

+ohnny,addaar

$s tongue&in&"heek tone,

0ombay 1el/et

is a very sin"ere, perhaps a bit toosin"ere in @3+2, with its noir inf!uen"es = perhaps, that is why, the fi!m didn$t work withneither the audien"es nor the "riti"s. (he Indian audien"e "ou!dn$t re!ate to the 0aJJing upof Bombay into what !ooked and fe!t !ike prohibition&era meri"a. n interesting thing to note in the neo&noir fi!ms of this period is that noir imagery,aestheti"s and themes are uti!iJed by fi!mmakers to te!! various kinds of stories that arefar removed from the usua! "ops&and&gangsters temp!ate. ust !ike 1ashyap, /ibakar Baner0ee imbibes noir inf!uen"es into his dark "omedies !ike

2ye 7ucky 7ucky 2ye@

27

or

)@339, hereafter, ?%%?*

! 7o/e! $e- Aur Dhokha

)@3+3, hereafter, %S/*

and the po!iti"a!thri!!er

$hanghai

.

2772 and 7$D

"on"ern themse!ves about the "orruption of "ontemporary urban midd!e&"!ass so"iety in /e!hi and dea!s with themes of greed, petty"rime, voyeurism, "!ass mobi!ity, "!ass "ons"iousness, sensationa!ism in media and thespiritua! bankrupt"y of the

nou/eau riche

and those who want to be"ome so. /ibakar Baner0ee dea!s more dire"t!y with fi!m noir in

Detecti/e 0yomkesh 0akshy@

)@3+2*, ahyper&sty!iJed take on what "ou!d be "a!!ed a period fi!m = a dete"tive fi!m set in -3s1o!kata = shot in the a!!eys and streets of :orth 1o!kata whi"h sti!! !ooks !ike how theydid before independen"e.  !ot of fa"tors have "ontributed to the boom of neo&noir fi!ms post @333s. Besides thesu""ess of

$atya

and the inf!uen"e of fi!mmakers !ike Varma and 1ashyap, a !argenumber of internationa! fi!ms today are avai!ab!e to India thanks to /V/s and we!!,internet pira"y. Eith a strong independent fi!m "u!ture emerging, thanks to digita!fi!mmaking, new and young peop!e are making !ow&budget fi!ms. Most of these youngfi!mmakers are from the metros, shoot on rea! !o"ations and are somewhat inspired by the1ashyap&brand of fi!mmaking, for, rightfu!!y or not, he has be"ome the "ontemporary poster&"hi!d of Indian indie&fi!mmakingH at su"h, neo&noir fi!ms are being made by thedoJen. i!ms !ike Vasan Ba!a$s

&eddlers

)@3+@*, mit 1umar$s

Monsoon $hootout

)@3+A*and 1anu Beh!$s

'itli

)@3+2* are a!! produ"ts of this trend )it wou!d be si!!y to "a!! it amovement* and by the !ooks of it, the trend is not stopping any time soon.

&-N&/9S-N

28

or

s a post&!ibera!iJation and post&g!oba!iJation India opened up to new possibi!ities and"onseuent!y, a sea "hange in !ifesty!e, sensibi!ities and ethos, so did the "ountry$s fi!ms"hange. Ehere on"e fi!mmakers p!ayed around with noir aestheti"s to make fi!ms thatwere sti!! rooted in "!assi"a! Indian "inemati" !anguage, over time, this !anguage hasevo!ved to take a grittier, more un&dramati" form. s India be"omes more "yni"a! and far&removed from the ha!"yon days of inno"en"e that "hara"teriJed the fi!ms of yesteryears,Indian fi!ms, today, over various genres

—

and not 0ust thri!!ers

—

have be"ome Knoir$.i!m :oir is a fi!m about the "onsummate outsider in the "ity, trying to make it big, tryingto navigate through the various so"ia! me"hanisms of the "ity, in a bid to find the truth.It$s no wonder that the genre today is being spearheaded by those who are outsiders in the"inema industry i.e unaffi!iated with the big studios and big bu"ks. Sure, they don$t grosshundred "rores, but as !ong as the rebe! e;ists, as !ong as the spirit of Guru /utt, Chetannand, Vidhu Vinod Chopra )before he be"ame a fat "at and began produ"ing fami!y&friend!y tear0erkers*, Ram Gopa! Varma )before his su""ess went to his head* and nurag1ashyap e;ists, so wi!! Indian fi!m noir.

88/-GR%P<>

+.Bhatia, <. )@3+2*. Shadowy past. Retrieved Mar"h +2, @3+4, fromhttpF88www.!ivemint."om8%eisure8a1S'@C0:Vd-ioVhgh:1M8Shadowy& past.htm!@.B!yth, M. )@3+2, May @@*. +3 great romanti" horror fi!ms. Retrieved Mar"h +2, @3+4,from httpF88www.bfi.org.uk8news&opinion8news&bfi8!ists8+3&great&romanti"&horror&fi!ms

29

or

A.1abir, :. M. )@3+@, une -*. #a!a"e ?f /e!usion. Retrieved Mar"h +4, @3+4, fromhttpF88www.out!ookindia."om8magaJine8story8pa!a"e&of&de!usion8@9+332-.#ate!, B. )@3+@*.

0olly"oods top B: $uperstars of Indian cinema

. :ew /e!hiFViking.2.Spi"er, ., T 'anson, '. )n.d.*.

A Companion to .ilm Noir

.4.Bhatia, S. )@3+-, pri! 3*. V1 Murthy U EiJard of !ight. Retrieved Mar"h +, @3+4,from httpF88www.!ivemint."om8%eisure8JMkAGS@%kMsek+A2?b0#?8V1&Murthy&&EiJard&of&!ight.htm!.1aur, R., T Sinha, . . )@332*.

0olly"ood: &opular Indian cinema through atransnational lens

. %ondonF SG7.9.#ettey, '. B., T #a!mer, R. B. )n.d.*.

International Noir

..Ba!i, 1. )n.d.*. /o Chetan nandLs best&known fi!ms stand the test of time RetrievedMar"h +9, @3+4, from httpF88s"ro!!.in8arti"!e84A3+8do&"hetan&anands&best&known&fi!ms&stand&the&test&of&time+3.1oh!i, S. )n.d.*.

*ousefull: 'he ,olden Age of *indi Cinema

). <. Sa!am, 7d.*.++.Beaster&ones, . )@3+-*.

0olly"ood $ounds: 'he Cosmopolitan Mediations of *indi .ilm $ong

. ?;ford <niversity #ress.+@.Singh, . . )n.d.*. ?f Red Roses and 'anky #ankies. Retrieved Mar"h +9, @3+4,from httpF880aiar0un.b!ogspot.in8@3++83-8of&red&roses&and&hanky&pankies&strange.htm!+A.Migue!, '. S. )@3+@*.

orld .ilm 7ocations: Mumbai

. Bristo!F Inte!!e"t Books.+-.Cinemas"ope. )n.d.*. Retrieved Mar"h +9, @3+4, from httpF88"!i"hed&mono!ogues.b!ogspot.in8@3++8398khamosh&+92.htm!+2.Verma, S. )n.d.*. 1hamoshF Revisiting Vidhu Vinod ChopraLs bri!!iant whodunit.Retrieved Mar"h +9, @3+4, from httpF88www.rediff."om8movies8s!ide&show8s!ide&show&+&khamosh&revisiting&vidhu&vinod&"hopras&bri!!iant&whodunit8@3+A3434.htm+4.MaJumdar, R. )@33*.

0ombay Cinema: An Archi/e of the City

. Minneapo!isF<niversity of Minnesota #ress.+.hmed, ?. )n.d.*.

$tudying Indian cinema5

+9.Varma, R. G. )@339*. My tryst with the underwor!d. Retrieved Mar"h +, @3+4, fromhttpsF88rgvJ33min.wordpress."om8@33983838my&tryst&with&the&underwor!d8+.VaastavF (he Rea!ity & (he (imes of India. )n.d.*. Retrieved Mar"h +, @3+4, fromhttpF88timesofindia.indiatimes."om8entertainment8hindi8bo!!ywood8Vaastav&(he&Rea!ity8photostory8-4+--."ms

20.

Bad!apurF  triumph of Indian noir. )@3+2*. Retrieved Mar"h +, @3+4, fromhttpF88www.manswor!dindia."om8"inema8bad!apur&triumph&indian&noir8

30

or

Critical Analysis of Indian Film Noir

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