Abhijaan

Abhijaan / The Expedition (1962) : Brief Review -

A Classic Film Noir from Satyajit Ray which left Major influence for Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver. I had to mention Taxi Driver (1976) because it's a largely popular Hollywood flick and i think its reference will help Abhijaan to get more viewers. Although, it is not a remake of it, the Central character is highly similar and influenced by the one played in Abhijaan and most importantly it was almost one an half decade before Taxi Driver. If someone says Taxi Driver is a remake or adaption of Abhijaan then just shoot that guy, don't believe it. Abhijaan is far more conventional and character friendly than Taxi Driver which was more about the central character and his psychics. So, Abhijaan is about a Taxi Driver of Kshatriya cast who has been doomed by the people close to him. The only two things he is left with are his self Pride and his vintage Chrysler. He travels to other town and finds himself a chance to make big money through wrongdoings and then what happens is all you get to see in the film. The film gives the famous Ray flavour in its composition, flow and dialogues, and use of symbols. In a lead role, Soumitra Chatterjee is simply awesome. He lives the character on screen and his grasp over the intensity is terrific. 1962 has to be a memorable year Waheeda Rehman as she had Guru Dutt's Sahib, Biwi Aur Ghulam just before Abhijaan and got to play two of the most important roles of her careerin single year. The supporting cast is very good. Dialogues, cinematography and screenplay are just as nice as it should be. Ray's direction doesn't disappoint even though the film looks little longer. It's a trademark Satyajit Ray Classic. It has got everything what you seek from him and everything in the right quantity. Overall, a Classic Film Noir by the Master and a Must See for Noir lovers.

RATING - 8/10*

By - #samthebestest.

Ray is the western face of Indian film-making. He also has a personal talent that is reminiscent of David Lean - intelligent, sophisticated, impeccable - that shows you exactly the right things, exactly what you felt you wanted to see. The story is of a taxi driver who sets himself up in a village with the help of a drug baron. Moral anguish ensues.

It's a long film and gives itself plenty of time to tackle a host of ethnic, social and personal issues: love, envy, pride, impetuosity, lust, hope, despair, corruption - too many to heap onto one man really - and we get a bit tired of 'Singhji' after an hour or so. It's odd because he is bad-tempered for a lead character whereas the 'bad guy', the corrupt businessman, is extremely good natured and likable.

The theme is the struggle to get ahead, embodied in the taxi driver's efforts to get past the cars ahead of him, or beat a train to its destination. The scenes on the dusty roads are among the most interesting as villagers and cows hurl themselves out of his way. Any intelligent film automatically contains humour, but the little chap playing the mechanic - familiar from other Ray films - is there for good measure.

Everything is in conflict here: caste against caste, boss against employee, business against business, woman against man - it's a tough old world. Ray put famed Bollywood goddess Waheeda Rehman among the low-life and the effect is startling. She takes a long time to make an appearance, but towards the end she spices up the film like a hot curry and it's worth the wait because you can't take your eyes off her.

Something of an Indian classic.

Have you seen the movie 'Drive'?! This is the Manbhum version of that. Much noir, much adventurous. The original bengali title means adventure as well. Ray's first work with Rabi Ghosh, and like most of his work, he is a scene stealer. Fanboys have theory about how Ghatak's 'Ajantrik' led Ray to make this which latter inspires Scorsese's 'Taxi Driver'. Tarashankar's story is so much hard boiled, in heat, literally, of the nature and the direction did justice to it. This is one of the best adapatation I would say. The famous 'Mama Bhagne' rock formation is very much symbolic with the story, the lead's inner struggle and even took the mythology behind it to foreshadow the twist. Another set of fanboys would remember this for Waheeda Rehman, one of the most beautiful actresses of our country.

I saw this movie a long time ago but it still sticks with me. It is one of those movies you don't forget once you have seen it, and also don't think too much about. Its a simple pastoral romance written by one of the greatest Bengali writers, Tarashankar. Ray always knew the importance of the story, and he chose wisely from writers like Bibhutibhushan, Tagore and others. In this movie, made in a retro sepia tone which promotes a feeling of otherworldliness and decrepitude at the same time, Ray sticks to the storyline and elicits some great performances from Soumitra, Waheeda Rahman, Robi Ghosh and the magnificent Charuprakash Ghosh, a Ray favorite, who nails the difficult role of the seedy bania as counterpoint to Soumitra's ramrod Punjabi taxi driver. The strange admixture of the arid rural landscapes, ramshackle Chevrolet cabs, drunken depot operators, nepotist petty officials, prostitutes, smugglers and Christians comes together in a sweeping narrative that never rests for a moment in its grand mission - to tell a story to a spellbound audience.

I saw this somewhat slow, B&W 1962 film at London's National Film Theatre a couple of years ago, during their excellent Satyajit Ray retrospective. It displays the qualities which most Ray fans like about his earlier films: the camera is thoughtful, and the time it takes to reflect on the characters is useful time for the viewer to do the same. The story is interesting as well, and much of the scenery and dialogue provides a fascinating insight into 1960s Bengali life, e.g. references to quinine (an antimalarial compound whose chemical derivatives, which are more potent, are used in modern prophylactic antimalarial preparations). Highly recommended as an introduction to Ray's best era. I personally haven't seen his Apu trilogy e.g. Pather Panchali, but I know that they have been criticised for being too sentimental. Abhijaan is nothing of the sort: it is a well-made exploration into an eventful period of a 1960s Indian taxi driver's life.