Bimal Roy’s Do Bigha Zamin

Bimal Roy’s Do Bigha Zamin (India, 1953, 119 mins), Hindi with English subtitles is being screened in Martin Chautari on 29th Nov at its premises at 3 pm.

Shambhu (Balraj Sahni) celebrates the arrival rains, after two years of drought with his son Kanhaiya and wife, Parvati (Nirupa Roy). His joy is short-lived, as the zamindar wants Shambhu’s land for putting up a factory. The zamindar manipulates and bribes the local officials into declaring Shambhu a defaulter, for not having repaid loans taken from the zamindar.

Determined in holding on to his land at any cost, Shambhu goes to Calcutta to try and make money to repay the zamindar. Just when things seem to be working his way, Shambhu meets with an accident and is confined to bed. As the deadline for the repayment draws near, Shambhu is determined to take up pulling the rickwhaw again. Alarmed, Kanhaiya writes to his mother asking her to come to Calcutta. On receiving the letter Parvati sets out to Calcutta, and then…

Into a cinema devoted chiefly to gaiety and adventure, Do Bigha Zamin introduced an element of seriousness and naturalism. The influence of Italian neo-realism can be seen in this feature by the major Indian director Bimal Roy. Roy’s use of the familiar musical and melodramatic style enabled audiences to comprehend his films; at the same time the new naturalistic elements prepared the ground for the more uncompromising and formally innovative political cinema of the 1970s.