Deewar : The footpath, the City and the Angry young man

by Vinay Lal

Yash Chopra s 1975 film, Deewaar, one of the most iconic and influential works of superstar Amitabh Bachchan, has been (to borrow a line from the film itself) the lambi race ka ghoda , enjoying a nearly unrivalled popularity in the long history of Hindi cinema. Its remarkable plot, crisp dialogues and epic narrative structure, revolving around the familiar story of two brothers whose paths diverge and lead to a fatal collision, have endeared it to millions. And its most famous line, Mere paas ma hai , has been endlessly imitated, parodied and referenced in cinematic and cultural works. However, as Vinay Lal demonstrates in his study of Deewaar, the film lends itself to much more complex readings than is commonly imagined. Examining it in the context of the history of Hindi cinema, the migrations from the hinterland to the city, and the political and socio-economic climate of the early 1970s, he draws attention to Deewaar s dialectic of the footpath and skyscraper, the mesmerizing presence of the tattoo, the frequent appearance of the signature and the film s deep structuring in mythic material. In doing so, he assesses Deewaar s unique space in popular Indian culture as much as world cinema.

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Vikas Singh · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is anything but a book on this iconic Bollywood smash hit. You get no insights into how the movie was shot, or behind the scenes story or even a bit of interesting trivia about the movie. Instead, there is a monologue by author trying desperate to find philosophy and meaning behind the movie where none exists. The forced attempt to compare the movie with Mahabharata and desperate effort to slap a social context in the storyline makes it a hugely boring read. Do not be tricked into buying this book by its brilliant cover. The inside pages have little to do with the film!

[Laya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the movie way too much that I don't think it can ever be 'laboriously over-analyzed'.

[Raghav · Rating 2 out of 5]

More of a social commentary and the effect the film apparently had than about the film. At times feels repetitive.

[Atharva Korde · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for the making of Deewar - behind the scenes, challenges, controversies, trivias - then this book is not for you. Vinay Lal's Deewar is a piece of academic work. It's an insight into how films can be read as texts, and moreover, how they can be perceived in a particular historical and social context. This book is a beginner's guide for students and scholars interested in understanding Hindi cinema through the lens of academia. And by doing so, Vinay Lal presents a fascinating read.

[Mukesh Kumar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Intellectual masturbation, laborious, over long and over stretched are some words that come to mind after finishing this book. Agreed that Deewar was a seminal film in many respect, occupies a rarefied position in Hindi cinema history and was a reflection of the times as well but still, an incisive enough essay would have been sufficient. But a whole book kind of overkills it and sucks out all the joy out of the experiences that one had while watching it. Not recommended.