How cult Hindi film ‘27 Down’ lit up urban loneliness, in black and white

Released in 1973, the black-and-white Hindi film 27 Down explored urban alienation like no film had done before. And it is the subject of this episode in our series, Yesterday Once More, in which we look at overlooked cult films from the past. In 27 Down, MK Raina and Rakhee are seen in lead roles and the story is set in Banaras and Bombay. This is the story of a young man Sanjay, who is a painter. But his dominating father, played by Om Shivpuri, forces him to leave his studies and become a ticket collector. The train becomes his safety net and comfort pillow. He prefers sleeping and eating on the train. For him, life becomes an endless journey from one train to another. wThings change when he meets a working woman. An accidental encounter leads to more planned meetings. Eventually, they become lovers. Both are entirely different but find comfort in each other. The young man is hesitant but the girl is confident, independent, and resolved. They form a bond but the girl can’t get married as her family is dependent on her. Sanjay is now forced to marry a girl he has nothing in common with. The relationship is hugely dissatisfying. She says he doesn’t love her and she is right. He escapes from home. He then finds sex and comfort in the arms of a dancing girl in Banaras. But disappointment keeps chasing him and he comes back home. The girl he once loved keeps humming in his head like a song on the radio that he can’t forget. Now the question is, “Has he developed a spine to take a decision that will change his life?” It is surprising to know that the film’s budget was only 2 lakhs. Raina was paid Rs. 8000 and Cinematographer AK Bir got Rs. 3000. 27 Down won a National award for best film and best cinematography. This explains that you don’t need big money to make a great film. The movie is based on 18 Sooraj Ke Paudhe, a novel by Ramesh Bakshi. Sadly, Awtar Krishna Kaul died the same week his movie won the National Awards. MK Raina tells us more about Kaul, “He was a Kashmiri boy who went to New York at a very early age and studied cinema for 14 years. He drove a taxi for quite some time to earn money and then got married to an American girl and finally decided that it’s best to make a film in his own country. “He came to Bombay and was hunting for a story. The Film Finance Corporation gave him the finances to make a movie. He went to Darya ganj and asked them to give him novels that aren’t read by anyone. He read 18 Sooraj Ke Paudhe and started writing a script around it,” Raina adds. After a few meetings with Kaul and Bakshi, Raina was handed the script, “I want you to play the lead role in my film,” said Kaul. MK Raina also shares some adventurous incidents that occurred during the shoot, “All of us were making our first film. Everybody was determined and excited. Near Allahabad, the train coach was surrounded by around 100-200 cops. They got suspicious and labelled us Pakistani jasoos (spies). The cameraman gave me the magazine and I hid it in the jacket. I then got out of the train and gave it to the light boys.” Interestingly, 75 per cent of the film was shot handheld. AK Bir, who did the cinematography for the film, shares those memories: “A crowded local train arrived and suddenly they saw a sea of blackheads on the platform. It was a stunning sight. But there was a problem, there was no space for the camera to take an overhead shot.” He adds how they went to the balcony of the station and noticed a broken window. “I asked the director if we could take a shot from the broken place and capture the moment of the crowd. The platform was flooded with people and we carried on the shoot. I was getting absolutely exhausted because holding the camera for 2 minutes in that position wasn’t easy,” he recalls. Rakhee was the only actor who had already worked in mainstream cinema. Bir shares how she was finding their style of filming a little odd. “ I just asked her as far as the character of the makeup is concerned, you don’t need to put on the eyelashes or very heavy makeup. She was slightly affected by this suggestion and continued with the same makeup.” Certain sequences were shot in the natural light on the VT station Bombay. Bir recalls how Rakhee just could not believe that shooting only in daylight was possible. “She wanted to see the rushes because she was very keen to know if what we're doing is correct.” Bir shares that they asked the director for the screening but he was adamant and didn’t want it. However, they were able to convince him. “She came inside the theatre and didn't notice us. She started commenting that God knows what kind of images will come as it was in less light. The rushes started and that is when the scene changed her mind. She became close to us and wanted to know more about our working style.” cinematographer AK Bir shares. Kaul bid adieu to this world and couldn’t even see his masterpiece winning the National Award. Raina recollects how the news of Kaul’s death reached him. He had gone to Jhansi and upon returning, his landlady informed him about the unfortunate incident. He recalls, “I just didn’t know what to do. I went up to my room and opened the door. There was an envelope, it was a letter from him (Kaul). It said that with such difficulty I made this film. They are taking it to the Locarno and Mannheim film festival. They aren’t giving me the ticket to go. My film will be like an orphan. There’ll be no one to talk about it.” 27 Down was awarded the Ecumenical Prize at the Locarno film festival. The film still remains an unforgettable art. Audio Production: Basant Singhal