‘Ankur’ 50

Harsh Thakor

This year the Hindi film industry commemorates the 50th anniversary of Shyam Benegal’s first feature film, Ankur, released in 1974 which also marked the debut of Anant Nag and Shabana Azmi.

ShyamBenegal here explored new horizons in storytelling. Since Independence possibly no movie transcended realism of social oppression as poignantly. Remarkable that in spite of not being a conventional entertainer, it created magnetic effect on the audience.

Ankur was part of the Shyam Benegal trilogy with Nishantand Manthan, exploring the transition within India from the feudal system that prevailed and continued to prevail.

Ankur was set in the background of feudal oppression in the microcosmic rural world of a village in Andhra Pradesh, in the 1945 period. It was shot in Hyderabad.

In truth the film was made against the backdrop of major rebellions in India like Naxalbari movement, Jayaprakash Narayan movement, Dalit Panther uprising etc. It is filmed in the scenario of the 1970’s peasant rebellions, which gave it a cutting edge.

Today, after 50 years of its release, its theme is as relevant as ever. Caste, class and gender elements continue to plague Indian society as rampantly. To resurrect such a film in a form relevant to modern times, incorporating effect of globalisation and advent of age of mechanisation and surge of Hindu revivalism is the demand of the day.

Ankur is one of the most grounded and captivating Hindi social commentaries. It fuses a set of characters, exploring the intricacies of caste, class and gender in both rural and urban settings, in a most communicative manner. The strength of the film lies in the intensive exploration of characters and their motivations, the contradictory emotions they are dictated by, the stray glances and gestures, landscape details, soul-searching use of folk music and natural sound.

Few Indian films ever as penetratively dug into the various characteristics interwoven to trigger feudal oppression or ignited the spirit of rebellion against feudal oppression, at such a scale.

Ankur pioneered a new style or form in Hindi filmmaking, introducing a style of naturalised acting and making actors dress in realistic costumes. Few films in Indian history epitomised experimentalism, to such an extent.

The language used are the dialect of Dakhni Urdu, commonly used around Hyderabad. The blend of Dakhni and Telugu folk songs discovered new characters.

Without political propaganda or polemics, the movie conveys the social nature of feudal society and the aversion of people towards it.

In classical style Benegal has grafted and dissected the scenes, doing complete justice to the theme. The cinematography was executed with high finesse creating a heart-pulling effect on the audience.
In this movie, the very movements of artists convey the message as much as the dialogues, showing the mastery of the film maker. In the Brechtian manner it does ask the audience to respond without telling the viewer what to do.

The lack of singing and dancing gives this movie the crucial element of realistic edge that differentiates it from many others. From the chirping of the birds to the flow of the water, the sound effects were brilliantly affected, with use of natural sounds and traditional alaaps.

The abject submission of the oppressed to their lot is never projected for sympathy. However Benegal gives his characters time, reason and context to find their voices. With high craft movie illustrates how social conditions transpire inner change within people.

Brilliantly nuanced performances of both Shabana Azmi as Laxmi.and Anant Nag as Surya, with both complementing themselves in perfect chemistry. Both immersed in the very thick of skin of the characters, with inherent malleability and detachment, overcoming romanticism with realism, at a scale rarely touched on the silver screen. Nag instills realism with his sly looks, perfect mannerisms, and deft touches. Azmi with a subtle craft illustrates the struggle of an oppressed woman against bondage.

Surya’s father has a mistress and a son in the village, both of whom are accepted even by Surya’s mother. The priest of the village hardly denotes that he is a man of God, yet holds a commanding position. An overseer is given a free licence in broad daylight while Lakshmi is banished for stealing a few fistfuls of rice.

Surya, played by Anant Nag, is forced to relinquish higher studies to look after his father’s property. He has to shift to the village to take responsibility for the farms and crops. Before shifting, he gets married but leaves his wife behind. In the village, he falls in love with the domestic worker; Lakshmi played by Shabana Azmi and promises to take care of her forever after her husband apparently deserts her.

Finally, Surya’s wife Saru played by the late social activist Priya Tendulkar returns to be with him in the village. Meanwhile, Lakshmi gets pregnant. Surya pleads with her to abort the child because he cannot take the responsibility. She refuses to oblige him. Lakshmi’s husband Kishtayya played by Sadhu Meher, returns back to her at the conclusion of the movie and gives her the money that he earned, while he was away. He assumes that the baby is his and Lakshmi’s.

Ankur’s climax is a powerful statement of the awakened consciousness of the oppressed peasants. A young boy flinging a stone across Surya’s home manifests the rebellious spirit of the younger generation. A striking dicthonomy is reflected of the enthusiasm of the people to protest injustice with the fear lying within them.

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Frontier
Vol 57, No. 8, Aug 18 - 24, 2024