A Genre-bending Satire that became a Classic
The first time I watched Jaane Bhi do Yaaro was at the age of 22. Pretty late, I know. I watched the film through a visit arranged by our college to NFAI. We were first given a brief about NFAI and the film itself, and then the film began. The starting frame of the film was its poster. What would you do if I showed you a poster of a cult classic film? You would try to recognize the actors, which is exactly what I did. I did recognize a few of them, like Naseeruddin Shah, Neena Gupta, Om Puri and Pankaj Tripathi but unfortunately, not all of them. But once the film began, it became a roller coaster. I was on the edge of my seat, saying NO, DAMN, WOW, OH, and whatnot, clapping most of the time.
With this small anecdote, let us embark on the journey called Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro. This film is a treat indeed. Released in 1983, the film was made under a small budget of 5 lakh rupees. The film was only released in 4 cinema halls and was considered a flop until common households gained televisions, and Door Darshan started showing it.
Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro entails the story of 2 struggling photographers who get mixed up in a sinister conspiracy. What sets Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro apart is the character treatment, the story presentation, and how it claps back to the society showing the ugly truth of this nation in a dark, dramedy manner with satire sprinkled all over.
Portrayed brilliantly by Naseeruddin Shah and Ravi Baswani, characters Vinod and Sudhir are outliers in a system that thrives on blatant lies and corruption fuelled by self-interest. They prove to be naive men who get played time and again, highlighting the rotting system of the nation.
The film glides upon various social evils such as corruption, poverty, media bigotry, exploitation of power, news cycle, etc., which makes me think about the 'Generational Gap Factor.’ A film made in 1983 highlights the problems that are still very relevant, making it obvious that people have only grown old and not improved... Not so much gap, after all, is there?
Coming to the media bigotry in the film, the editor of the Khabardaar magazine, played by Bhakti Barve, highlights that with the right price and motivation to survive in this world, even the fourth pillar of democracy can come crippling down. This was shown by emphasizing a quote by Robert Frost - "The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep." In my view, this quote also points out that the nation has miles to go before achieving proper stability in its functioning or becoming an idealistic world per se.
Taking a musical turn the use of music in the film is done to generate hope and cater to the naivety of the common man. The use of the song 'Ham Honge Kamyab' is at various places to build up strength in the MCs, only to bring them down back to hell when they try to break free from the webs of evil.
This commentary of a film is a masterpiece in comedy that does not rely on cheap tricks and vulgarity in scenes to induce laughter but achieves it purely with its writing. What I find most fascinating is that when these scenes were written on paper, people must have thought of them as absurd or even stupid. Still, the sheer commitment to the acting, the scene, and the writing made us, the viewer, believe in the absurdity of the scene and deem it true at the moment. For example, the scene with two people on the phone in the same room seems absurd. I mean, how does one not understand that the person is talking on the phone from the same room? It was the conviction of the actors that made us believe that, yes, this can happen IRL.
Portrayed brilliantly by Naseeruddin Shah and Ravi Baswani, characters Vinod and Sudhir are outliers in a system that thrives on blatant lies and corruption fuelled by self-interest. They prove to be naive men who get played time and again, highlighting the rotting system of the nation.
The film glides upon various social evils such as corruption, poverty, media bigotry, exploitation of power, news cycle, etc., which makes me think about the 'Generational Gap Factor.’ A film made in 1983 highlights the problems that are still very relevant, making it obvious that people have only grown old and not improved... Not so much gap, after all, is there?
Coming to the media bigotry in the film, the editor of the Khabardaar magazine, played by Bhakti Barve, highlights that with the right price and motivation to survive in this world, even the fourth pillar of democracy can come crippling down. This was shown by emphasizing a quote by Robert Frost - "The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep." In my view, this quote also points out that the nation has miles to go before achieving proper stability in its functioning or becoming an idealistic world per se.
Taking a musical turn the use of music in the film is done to generate hope and cater to the naivety of the common man. The use of the song 'Ham Honge Kamyab' is at various places to build up strength in the MCs, only to bring them down back to hell when they try to break free from the webs of evil.
This commentary of a film is a masterpiece in comedy that does not rely on cheap tricks and vulgarity in scenes to induce laughter but achieves it purely with its writing. What I find most fascinating is that when these scenes were written on paper, people must have thought of them as absurd or even stupid. Still, the sheer commitment to the acting, the scene, and the writing made us, the viewer, believe in the absurdity of the scene and deem it true at the moment. For example, the scene with two people on the phone in the same room seems absurd. I mean, how does one not understand that the person is talking on the phone from the same room? It was the conviction of the actors that made us believe that, yes, this can happen IRL.
Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, in the end, is a cult classic loved and adored by pop culturists. It is somewhat depressing with a hint of sickly humor, a film that seems relevant to date. The film underlines the fact that there are no heroes in the system, only villains and victims, and that the joke is not on the system but on the common man, who gets caught up in this sinister web of lies, corruption, and existence. As portrayed correctly in the last scene of the film, the justice in the nation is dying due to the rigged nature and week mindedness of the pillars of democracy, being moved by Money... But then again, this is just my view. I know what you are going to say, "Shant, Gada-dhari Bheem, shant!"
Which Genre would you specify this film in? Make sure to comment down below!
Which Genre would you specify this film in? Make sure to comment down below!
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