Jagriti Movie Review: A Moving Tale about Childhood

Jagriti (1954), directed by Satyen Bose and produced by Filmistan, is a path-breaking film of its time. A film shorn of stars, it takes as its main actors children, and goes on to relate a moving story about juvenile delinquency, not a theme readily adapted by Hindi filmmakers, who are to date, obsessed with romance, sex, and crime. Children have generally been used a prop in Hindi films. It is a rare movie which dares to deal with children and keep its focus on them. Jagriti is one such rare film. Since it was made in the Fifties, the film is infused with the spirit of truth and idealism, much inspired by the new Indian Republic's great leaders and freedom fighters like Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru.

Jagriti is a small film by any standrads, shorn of stars and with only four songs --- quite a risky proposition for those times as well. However, despite its obvious handicap, the film turned out to be a major hit of the year. Not only did it do well at the box office but also went on to grab the Filmfare Award for the Best Film and Best Supporting Actor (Abhi Bhattacharya). It proved the victory of content over stars and style. The film's music also went on to become very famous. In fact, in the good old days, Jagriti was a favourite at Doordarshan and its songs found a pride of place in Chitrahaar during Independence Day, Republic Day, and the like. The film too was telecast at least once a year by DD. All four of the songs in the movie, composed by the legendary Hemant Kumar, are gems and still ring true -- De Di Hamein Azaadi, Hum Laayein Hain Toofan, Chalo Chalein Maa, and the evergreen Aao Bachon Tumhein Dikhayein Khanki Hindustan Ki, which was written by the venerable poet and lyric writer Pradeep. The songs rank among the best that Hemant Kumar has composed. Incidentally, the film's producers, Filmistan, gave this singer-composer his first break in Hindi films with Anandmath in 1952.

What makes Jagriti stand out even today, besides the fact that it is a mainstream film with children as its protagonists, is its humane quality and its simplicity? The film also has a larger purpose as it tries to infuse the values and ideals of Independent India in its young citizens. The so-called message is conveyed most simply through the character of the new school superintendent played by Abhi Bhattacharya. If all this talk of values and ideals makes one think that this is one serious film, then it's only partly true. The film has a humourous touch to it as well as it describes the pranks and mischief of the children at the hostel. Lastly, it is a moving narrative about the transformation that one good teacher can bring about in the life of a student. Abhi Bhattacharya plays that one teacher, every student remembers for the impact that he made on their lives.

The film is a Hindi remake of director Satyen Bose's Bengali film Paribartan, made in 1949. Bose even acted in that movie, playing the role made famous by Abhi Bhattacharya in the Hindi version. Bose had no formal training in films and yet went on to become one of the leading filmmakers of his time. He went on reveal an ease with the medium and made his mark not just as a director, but also as script writer. He was a director who managed to stay away from the conventional and carve his own path. He made many notable films like Bandish, Dosti (1964), Jeevan Mrityu (1970), Bandi (1957), Mere Bhaiya (1972), but is perhaps best known and remembered as the director of Chalti Ka Naam Gadi, starring Madhubala, Ashok Kumar, Kishore Kumar and Anoop Kumar. His film Dosti too won him innumerable awards and international recognition. In his later years, he went on to form a fruitful association with Rajshri Productions. Bose also had a flair for working with children and that is amply revealed in this film as well as his later films like Bandish, Masoom and Mere Lal.

Jagriti's story centres around a rich, rebellious kid Ajay (Raj Kumar Gupta), whose bad behaviour prompts his mother and grandfather to send him to a boarding school. However, Ajay refuses to mend his ways and keeps devising new and devious ways in which to get into trouble and harass the school authorities. He is constantly in trouble even with the new superintendent Shekhar (Abhi Bhattacharya). While at school, Ajay forms an unusual bond with one of his classmates Shakti (Rattan Kumar), a cripple. Shakti is a model child, good in studies, bright, intelligent and very compassionate. He urges Ajay to reform and is perhaps the only who has some sort of a sobering influence on him. Meanwhile, Shekhar manages to win over the students with his unorthodox methods. He imparts valuable lessons to them about life and India's rich heritage, customs and values. Ajay is the only student who refuses to be bowled over by the new teacher. He tries to flee from the hostel but Shakti tries to stop him and dies in an accident, while doing so. A guilt-stricken Ajay holds himself responsible for Shakti's death and now resolves to turn over a new leaf. He does everything that Shakti wanted him to do and become. There is a total transformation in his character and he tops his class in the annual examinations as well as in sports. Meanwhile, it is time for Shekhar to move on and spread his brand of teaching to other Shaktis and Ajays.

Bose manages to extract the most natural of performances from his entire cast. The children specially are very natural and spontaneous. What lends strength to the film is the performance of the two actors who play the role of Shakti and Ajay. They are the ones who literally carry the film on their tender shoulders. Rattan Kumar, who plays the crippled Shakti was quite a veteran. He had already established his reputation as a sensitive actor in path-breaking films like Raj Kapoor's Boot Polish (1954) and Bimal Roy's Do Bigha Zameen (1953). He turns in another moving performance as Shakti. Ajay, played by a young actor called Raj Kumar Gupta, is quite the angry young man of the film. He enacts his role of the rebellious, badly behaved child with full conviction. The scenes between the two boys are quite tender and moving as is Ajay's grief at the death of his best friend. The two actors complement each other perfectly in the looks department as well ? the tender, sweet looking Rattan opposite the angry looking Gupta.

The other actor who stands out is Abhi Bhattacharya in the role of the kindly superintendent. It is a character which is well written and shows him administering the hostel and teaching the children without coming across as too preachy. The emphasis never shifts from the children and Abhi Bhattacharya proves to be the perfect supporting cast. It is character of a compassionate man, committed to his cause of educating children through love and understanding.

That ultimately is the message of the film as well. Jagriti talks about compassion, about the meaning of true education, and true friendship. And it does all of this in the most moving and simple manner. It is an endearing film and has the ability to reduce the most hardened of people to tears in places. It is all of this which goes on to make the movie one of the most endearing classics of all times.