FIFTY YEARS OF AVTAR KAUL’S ( 1939-1974) FILM ‘ 27 DOWN’

                                                                 

                                                             ( A K Bir with Rakhee Gulzar )

                                                               (Avtar  Kaul on the sets )

FIFTY YEARS OF AVTAR KAUL’S ( 1939-1974)  FILM ‘ 27 DOWN’

 

“Jo rukay to koh-e-garaan thay hum,

jo chalay to jaan se guzar gaye

Rah-e-yaar hum ne qadam qadam,

tujhay yaadgaar banaa diya........"      (Faiz Ahmed Faiz)

 

(For when we stayed, we rose like massifs,

And when we strayed, we left life far behind;

fellow-traveller, every step that we ever took

became a memorial to your life.)

 

Some very rare filmmakers get recognition from their first venture apart from earning the love and affection of the audience. And then if this filmmaker meets some unfortunate fatal accident, the nation feels shocked and sad. This is what exactly happened with Avtar Kaul. Kaul was snatched in the prime of his youth by the roaring Monsoon waves of the Arabian Sea when he tried to save a drowning friend. This all happened when he was to receive the Award for his debut film under the New Wave Cinema banner. Had he lived, he would have done to Indian cinema what Abbas Kiarostami did to the Iranian cinema or Jean-Luc Godard did to the French cinema.

 

2024 marks the 50th anniversary of Avtar Kaul's passing and the 50th anniversary of the '27 Down' movie. To commemorate this occasion, the film was screened at the IFFI Goa 2024, with the presence of lead actress Rakhee and A K Bir, the National Award-winning cinematographer of '27 Down'. Vinod Kaul, the nephew of Avtar Kaul took it upon himself to play the lead role in commemorative events of his illustrious uncle. I feel beholden to Vinod  Kaul for some photos and details for this write-up.

 

AVTAR KAUL: THE MAN BEHIND THE FILM

 

Avtar Kaul was born on 27th September 1939 in Srinagar, Kashmir, into a family of 6 siblings. He studied both in Kashmir and Delhi before moving to the United States in 1960 where he joined ‘The Institute of Film Techniques’ in New York and completed his diploma there in 1963. From 1964-1968, he was enrolled in the City University of New York for a Bachelor's degree in Film Making. Although he came from a humble family, he put all his energy into the idea of realisation of his big dream of filmmaking.  Vinod Kaul, nephew of Avtar Kaul informs this:-

 

 “As a student, Avtar Kaul wrote two short films, one on the problems of ageing called The Golden Years and the other on communication gaps called The Turning Point. He was also the director of a short film on deafness called ‘The Sounds of Silence’.To make ends meet, during his studies, he had a variety of odd jobs unrelated to filmmaking until in 1964 he was employed by The British Information Services, New York as a Production Assistant and later promoted to Editor for their informational and cultural programmes for the television. After working there for a few years, Kaul returned to India and was hired in 1970 by the Merchant Ivory Productions, as an Assistant Director for their film Bombay Talkie. He has left behind a finished screenplay called,’ Chandu’, whose script also centres on human relationships trailed by the expectations of society and family. The screenplay tries to discover the attitudes and pressures fostered on the protagonists by social forces and their reactions to them. ”

 

My friend Yusuf Bhat told me this:-

 

" Avtar was a very friendly person. I vividly remember he had taken two rooms in the YMCA, Mumbai Central and used to run his office from there. He used to live probably in Meher Apartments, Anstey Road those days. Initially, Avtar Kaul had selected me as the editor of the movie. I had signed the contract. The movie was named 58 Down. The name was subsequently changed to  '27 Down.' The film had Bansi Chandragupta as art director. Then Narinder Singh, the sound recordist was also very brilliant. Avtar was much more focused. He made everyone give 100% to the film. He wanted me to be present at every shot whether indoor or outdoor. I had little time for that. Then we had arguments in the editing room.  The negatives were handled by me at the 'Famous Cine Laboratory ', Taradeo. He was thoroughly professional in his approach.  He didn't agree to some suggestions. I moved out of the project. But he was a great man. I was paid full remuneration as per the agreement. I believe I was paid 3500/- by him. That was a big amount those days.  I am talking of 1972. Late Ravi Patnaik edited the film after I left.27 Down got the Filmfare Award but Avtar Kaul didn't live to receive it."

 

As a filmmaker, Avtar was a hard taskmaster. He didn’t even spare his brother. “He would shout at me if I made a mistake,” said Pradhuman Kaul.

 

Tragically, Kaul's life was cut short in a fatal accident in Bombay at just 35 years old, ironically on the same day his National Awards were announced. He never got to witness the accolades his film received, leaving behind a poignant legacy in the world of cinema. July 20, 1974, Avtar Kaul was invited to dinner at a sea-facing Bungalow in the Walkeshwar area of South Mumbai. A K Bir was at his rented apartment with a few friends. That night, Bir got a call from Delhi, informing him that 27 Down had won two National Film Awards. It was a time to celebrate. A K Bir remembers this:-

“We were expecting Avtar to come and celebrate. However, at around 1 am or so, I got a call from the police, asking me to identify a body.”

 

They learnt that Avtar Kaul had gone to the beach. He was sitting on the parapet along with a friend who lost balance and slipped into the roaring Arabian Sea. Kaul dived into the sea to save his friend, but neither survived. The roaring Monsoon waves proved fatal. Avtar was taken first to one hospital and then to another, and he died on the way. Pradhuman Kaul wasn’t in Mumbai at the time the tragedy struck the family. He had returned to Delhi to look after his ailing wife.  Pradhuman remembers:-

 

“It was shocking for all of us. We had heard that he was getting the Award just the previous night.”

Avtar Kaul’s untimely death was a great setback to his brother Predhuman. He was deeply disturbed and could not do anything in the cinema after that. He returned to Delhi and worked for a while with a theatre group and later joined an insurance company. Avtar Kaul's wife, Anne, had lost her father around the same time, and couldn’t travel to India for the funeral. Anne returned to the US halfway through the shoot.

 

THE FILM: 27 DOWN

 

.The film was released at a time when Amitabh Bachan had started his ascent up the star ladder, Shyam  Benegal had released  'Ankur ' and M.S. Sathyu had arrived with his Garam Hawa. It was during this period, that the Film Finance Corporation helped Mrinal Sen to produce Bhuvan Shome, Basu Chatterjee to make   Sara Akash and Mani Kaul for his Uski Roti. The trend that came to be known as 'Parallel Cinema 'had already become visible.  Avtar Kaul was keen on adding his name to this Parallel Cinema. With the encouragement of FFC chairperson BK Karanjia, Kaul set out in 1972 to make his first film. He started looking for a good script. Apart from directing the film, Avtar Kaul (1939-1974) also arranged finances from FFC (later known as NFDC). He wrote the script and dialogues and personally selected the talented cast comprising of M. K. Raina (1970 batch NSD graduate and a man from theatre), Rakhee Gulzar, Sadhu Mehar (He shifted to Oriya cinema),   Om Shivpuri, Rekha Sabnis and Sudhir Dalvi. He arranged the music from Bhuban Hari ( Hari Prasad Chaurasia and Bhubaneshwar Misra).

 

The film is based on the Hindi novel Athara Sooraj Ke Paudhe, by Ramesh Bakshi. Avtar Kaul picked up the book from the Delhi bookshop. He liked the novel and decided to make a film based on the novel. That is how 27 Down was born. He sounded his younger brother, Predhuman Kaul about the project. Pradhuman Kaul quit his job with the Indian Air Force to help with a production that was a challenge for the brothers. Predhuman Kaul remembers this:-

 

“I had never seen a shoot before that. We shot on more than 40 actual locations. The film could be made only because the people involved in the film were all young. The most prominent crew member was Raakhee, who was already a movie star. Avtar initially wanted to cast director Bimal Roy’s daughter Aparajita in the lead role. Rakhee came on the recommendation of FFC’s BK Karanjia. She accepted the role because she liked the storyline."

 

Avtar Kaul signed Bansi Chandragupta as art director for the project. Bansi Chandragupta worked with Satyajit Ray,  Jean Renoir, Mrinal Sen, Shyam Benegal, Basu Chatterjee, Ismail Merchant, James Ivory and Aparna Sen. Narinder Singh, the well-known sound recordist was also signed for the project. Narinder Singh had also worked with Mrinal Sen.

 

The film had many first-timers including A.K. Bir, the Film and Television Institute of India-trained cinematographer who was 22 years old at the time and had never shot a feature. The crew faced many problems. Raakhee was a known face, and the crew had to show her travelling in trains or walking through crowds. Shooting with her in public spaces and platforms was difficult.  For some shots, the unit had to seek the help of the police. However, everything kept rolling and moving in a positive direction. And Avtar had complete confidence in M.K. Raina who had already graduated from NSD and was noticed for his acting skills in some popular Hindi plays. The shooting at the busy VT station in Mumbai was done secretly. Nobody knew that a film was being shot. M. K. Raina in his dress appeared like a genuine TTE (Travelling Ticket Examiner).  Even people were seeking information on trains from him. When people learned about shooting, the team 27 Down had packed up. The camera was placed away from the public gaze.

 

The film explores urban alienation, something no Hindi film has done before. It follows the life and tribulations of Sanjay played by M K Raina. Sanjay wanted to study art but had to take up a job with the Railways as his father wanted the son to have a stable life. It is during one of his journeys on the Bombay suburban line that he meets LIC agent Shalini, played by Rakhee. They develop a fondness for each other and soon Sanjay is ready to express his love, but his feelings are not reciprocated. His marriage is fixed by his father, and it turns out to be his biggest obstacle. Some years later, he runs into Shalini on another train journey and realises that they are very different people now. The film uses the metaphor of the journey of life to capture the stops and connections a person makes in it. The idea of a missed station and the world of possibilities it could have brought is symbolic of missed chances in a person’s life. 27 Down is a beautiful, introspective and poetic film about a person’s attempt to escape societal norms, to search for and embrace his desires and values. Rail becomes a metaphor for a linear life, with a predictable beginning and end.

Upon completion, the film received two prestigious National Film Awards in 1974 - Best Feature Film in Hindi and Best Cinematography. In the International festivals, it received the prestigious Ecumenical Prize at the Locarno Film Festival and the Film Dukaten Award at IFFMH Munich, Germany. The film premiered at The Festival of Singular Films on September 23rd 2024, at GES-2, Moscow, as part of The Retrospective Programme celebrating the film's lasting legacy.

 

Even after 50 years, this film remains timeless in its treatment having not resorted to melodrama. The relationship between two young people is dealt with a sensitivity that was rare for its time, mirrors the best of what can be seen today and is equally compelling and relevant to today's audience. In the last shot of the movie, the monologue, over a frozen close-up of Sanjay goes like this, “Now I have neither to run nor to return. Now I don't want to reach anywhere. I just wish to walk." Let me conclude with lines from a poem of Bulgarian poet Nikola Vaptsarov  (1909-1942):-

 

“History, will you mention us

in your faded scroll?

For the hardship and affliction

we do not seek rewards,

nor do we want our pictures

in the calendar of years.

Just tell our story simply

to those we shall not see,

tell those who will replace us –

We fought courageously.”

 

(Avtar Mota)

 

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