Main Azaad hoon (1989)

मैं आज़ाद हँ

Main Azaad hoon ("I am Azaad"), one of a very few Javed Akhtar films that Shabana Azmi appeared in, is an interesting rumination on how an ordinary - and anonymous - man can be moved to tremendous sacrifice by the plight of his fellow human beings.   

Publisher Gokulchand's (Manohar Singh) newspaper is not selling, and his columnist Subhashni (Shabana Azmi) is facing the ax.  To boost the paper's sales - and to save her job - quick-thinking Subhashni concocts and publishes a letter from a fictional man named Azaad - the name means "independent" - who threatens to kill himself in protest against social injustice throughout the state.  Azaad is an immediate sensation throughout the city, and Subhashni pens more letters, creating an entire backstory for the fictional man.  Gokulchand is delighted with the result in the paper's bottom line, and to keep the charade going he authorizes Subhashni to find a suitable man they can pay to play the role of Azaad.  Subhashni discovers a charismatic vagabond (Amitabh Bachchan) who is willing to take on the role in exchange for a few good meals and a generous handful of rupees.  Azaad's mystique grows, and everyone with a grievance seeks his aid, from slumdwellers in search of clean water to striking factory workers clamoring for a living wage.  Azaad is moved by these causes, and soon he is acting from his heart instead of merely acting the part that Gokulchand and Subhashni have paid him to play.  And his heart is tested when the power players who created him try to use him as a pawn for their own advantage.

Main Azaad hoon's script is little too wordy; there were places where the story dragged.  But Javed sahib's award-winning dialogues deliver with the expected style the film's statements against manipulation of the common man by those in power  - like when one character, an elected official, says that the key to politics is to "make promises to the poor, and make deals with the rich."   Subhasnhi's character arc in particular is compelling.  She starts out just as manipulative as the power players - she is very shrewd in fact, acting in calculation of her own interests only, and is not moved until she sees Azaad willing to commit himself to the fullest for the rights of others.

Indeed, there are parallels to Shabana Azmi's own experience built into Subhashni's story that are so striking I had to wonder if Javed sahib didn't write the script with his wife in mind.  Subhashni begins with the view that her newspaper column is strictly entertainment for the masses.  As the film wears on, she struggles to keep entertainment separate from social responsibility, just as Shabana Azmi herself did, and, again like Shabana, ultimately follows her heart in the direction of activism.  The film contains parallels between Azaad and Amitabh Bachchan too - in one scene, Azaad emerges from his rooms to find an overwhelming crowd of supplicants awaiting darshan; I have read about such crowds at Amitabh's own home, especially in the early 1980s.

Javed Akhtar once said that Hollywood films are short stories while Hindi films are novels. But the characterizations and scope of Main Azaad hoon are, in some ways, more like the former.  Rather than offering reels of epic backstory, Azaad's true origin and life story remain a complete mystery.  We learn a little about Subhashni's father - he was a hero, a freedom fighter on the eve of independence - but no friends or relatives of hers are present in the film.  By filmi standards, the two principals are unanchored and lonesome (though Azaad has a sidekick who makes a few appearances) - these loners are given their sense of purpose by devoting themselves to a wider community to which neither fully belongs. 

Comments

[Jabberwock]

"Javed Akhtar once said that Hollywood films are short stories while Hindi films are novels. But the characterizations and scope of Main Azaad hoon are, in some ways, more like the former."

Interesting observation, given that the basic plot structure of Main Azaad Hoon is borrowed from Frank Capra's 1941 film Meet John Doe. Thankfully they haven't simply lifted the original script but have tried to work in an Indian context.

Incidentally, this film made a lot of news back when it was going to be released, because it was the first time that Amitabh was appearing in a "non-mainstream" role (at a time when the lines were very clearly drawn in Hindi cinema and he had been doing only commercial roles for years). I remember how curious we all were at the prospect of seeing Amitabh doing a (relatively) "realistic" film without the obligatory six song sequences.

[memsaab]

I'll have to add this to my list of must-see...

[carla]

Jabberwock, thanks very much for the comments. It's interesting to know that this film was Amitabh's first relatively non-mainstream effort. There were five or six song sequences as it happened but they were all repetitions of the same song - a solidarity anthem that he sang to stir the spirit of social change among his followers. It didn't make the final cut in my review (I like to try to keep them brief) but I had wanted to lodge that small complaint about the film - by the end I really didn't want to hear that song again.

Memsaab: You know I will always be happy to watch it with you. Two hours with you and Shabana Azmi would be about as fine a two hours as I could hope for.

[Ramesh]

(like I said in an email to you)

Sorry to bust your opinionated bubble somewhat, but your javed sahib only reworked(stole) the screenpaly of a rajinikanth film (Naan mahaan alla) which the producers had bought rights to remake into hindi.

[ajnabi]

I've only heard good things about this film, but for some reason it hasn't been in my (ever lengthening) queue over at Netflix. I'll have to go see if I can remedy that.

[the ppcc]

Looks incredibly interesting! Like Remington Steele meets Frank Capra meets... Amitabh Bachchan?! Fab!

[shweta]

While I havent seen the Frank Capra original, I truly did enjoy this film. It was definitely a different movie for Amitabh to try, and a throwback to the slightly non mainstream ones he began with- Rema aur Shera, and Saat Hindustani. It makes me wonder if his talent was never truly explored properly- with all the showmanship, perhaps the actor never got much of a chance :)

[carla]

ajnabi: Does Netflix have this one? Netflix's collection of Hindi films has grown like crazy over the past couple of years. I remember looking for Shabana Azmi movies three years ago, and they had about 6 titles, three of which were Hollywood films she had been in like *Madame Souzatska* and *Son of the Pink Panther*.

PPCC: I think you might like this one, though you'll probably find it a little slow and talky.

Shweta: I wonder about that too. I am a huge fan of Amitabh's films pre-stardom; I especially love films like *Saudagar* where he plays a really morally bad character so compellingly. It's quite different from the Angry Young Man who may have been lawless, but always had a good solid heart. I am going to have to check out *Reshma aur Shera* and *Saat Hindustani*, neither of which I have seen.

[shweta]

And I must see "Saudagar," which I didnt know about at all! While SRK made a habit of -ve roles, I find pre-90s heros playing -ve parts v interesting. Thanks for the recommendation :)

[ajnabi]

Carla, it does have it--on DVD and available for Instant Viewing as well.

[quarkLore]

I remember watching it after a long time and I liked the movie copied or not.

The ending matching with ending of "V for Vendetta" seemed uncanny, even if superficial.

A friend of mine, not a great critic, said that the garb that Amitabh wore was like a Russian labour. I don't know how true or false it is but it was surely a lot different from what you see in real or reel life. The discourses that all the characters have between them where indeed very good.

I particularly liked the sequence when Shabana's boss unravels her plans. The face contortions in that guy's acting is awesome. ( I do not remember his name but he was laudable in Mahesh Bhatt's Daddy too)

"Parallel" or perpendicular I like movies which can bind me, are coherent (vis-a-vis real, what I mean is they are not flimsy yet create a non-conflicting world of their own).

I shall see the Frank Capra original too.

[maajhi]

क्या बात है फ़िल्मीगीकजी, आजकल आप न रीव्यूज़ लिखती हैं न हिन्दी सीखने की बातें करती हैं? कुछ नए इण्ट्रेस्ट्स् आगे आए हैं क्या? ज़रा हमें भी तो बताएँ …

[carla]

Maajhi thanks for thinking of me. There is no new interest taking up my time. In fact I am simply very tired and a little depressed, working on staying focused on my job and having trouble finding the energy for the things I ordinarily love to do. I am not doing much of anything.

I have a review half-written and a few more in the wings, and I am still watching movies and will try to get caught up soon.

[The Comic Project]

A copy of Meet John Doe, I liked this film. "Azaad, itne unche mat udo" - Manohar Singh acting was great.

Please blog more often :-)

www.thecomicproject.blogspot.com

[Jugnu]

I loved the background music in this movie. The same background music is also used in JP Dutta's Hathyaar. Does anyone know if the background music is inspired/copied from somewhere?