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Naya Daur (1957 film)

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Naya Daur
File:Nayadaur2.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byB. R. Chopra
Screenplay byAkhtar Mirza
Story byAkhtar Mirza
Produced byB. R. Chopra
Starring
CinematographyM. Malhotra
Edited byPran Mehra
Music byO. P. Nayyar
Distributed byB. R. Films
Release date
  • 15 August 1957 (1957-08-15)
Running time
162 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget₹1.4 million[2]
Box office₹22.5 million[2]

Naya Daur (transl. The New Era) is a 1957 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed and produced by B. R. Chopra. It was written by Akhtar Mirza, and stars Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala, with Ajit Khan and Jeevan in supporting roles. The film narrates the story of Shankar (Kumar) and Krishna (Khan), two best friends who fall for the same woman, Rajni (Vyjayanthimala).

For this film, Dilip Kumar won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor for the third time in a row, being his fourth overall. The film was later dubbed in Tamil as Pattaliyin Sabatham (The Proletariat's Vow) in 1958.[3] Naya Daur also inspired Aamir Khan's Academy Award nominated film Lagaan (2001).

Plot

File:Naya Daur..jpg
Dilip Kumar (left) and Vyjayanthimala in a scene from Naya Daur

The tongawala Shankar and the woodcutter Krishna are best friends in a poor village. At a train station, Shankar meets Rajni, who arrives there with her mother and brother, and fall in love with each other. At the same time, Krishna also sees Rajni and falls for her.

Kundan from the city arrives at the village and wants to modernize and mechanize the business which he does so by getting an electric saw thus making several workers at the mill lose their jobs. When Shankar and Krishna both come to know that they both love Rajni, they plan on deciding on who will marry her; if Rajni offers white flowers when she goes to the temple, she will marry Shankar and if she offers yellow flowers, she will marry Krishna. Manju, Shankar's sister who is in love with Krishna, hears the conversation and stealthily switches Rajni's yellow flowers with white flowers at the temple. Krishna, who sees Manju switching the flowers, thinks that Shankar has told her to do this and it leads Krishna and Shankar into a fight. The saddened Shankar tells Rajni that he would not have fallen for her, if he knew that his friend also loves her. Rajni becomes heart-broken after hearing this tells him that she can not change her feelings for him, but he can if he wants and goes away.

Kundan introduces a bus in the village thus taking away the tongawalas' livelihood. They ask him to remove it, but he refuses. Shankar says that what he has done is for the betterment of himself only. Kundan, however, tells Shankar that if he can drive his tonga faster than the bus then he will remove the later. Shankar agrees to do it but the rest of the tongawalas tell him not to as the bus will be faster. Shankar consents to the race and asks time for three months to prepare for the race. He make a plan to build a road, which is six miles shorter than the road which leads to the temple. The disturbed villagers tell Shankar that he has gone mad with his stubbornness and do not support him with the making of the road, letting him to do it alone.

Shankar starts to lose heart when he starts to build the road alone, but Rajni joins him, saying that she will always be with him, which makes Shankar happy. Soon, the rest of the tongawalas join them to build the road. Krishna joins Kundan's side and asks him to help to make sure that the road does not get complete. The villagers, all together, overcome difficulties along the way and finally finish the building. Krishna decides to take things up in his own hands and breaks the bridge made by the villagers which was the most important path of the road. Manju sees him doing this and confronts Krishna and tells him that she changed the flowers on her own and not on the words of her brother as she loves him. Krishna on hearing this realises his mistake and starts repairing the bridge immediately with the help of Manju.

Finally, the race takes place with Shankar emerging as the victor. Krishna comes to congratulate Shankar and both the friends make up with each other furthermore Shankar and Rajni unite while Krishna and Manju unite with each other.

Cast

Daisy Irani featured as a child artist.[7] Kumkum and Minoo Mumtaz made special appearances as dancers in the song "Reshmi Salwar Kurta Jali Ka".[8]:83

Production

Naya Daur was directed and produced by B. R. Chopra under his banner B. R. Films, which was established by him in 1955 and had produced the commercially and critically successful family drama Ek Hi Raasta, starring Meena Kumari and Sunil Dutt, in the next year.[9]

During filming, the Naya Daur production was involved in a highly controversial and widely publicised court case. Initially, the actress Madhubala was cast as the female lead. An advance payment was given to her and shooting began and continued smoothly for 15 days. B.R. Chopra, the director, wanted the unit to travel to Bhopal for an extended outdoor shoot. Ataullah Khan, the father of Madhubala, objected to this and claimed that the entire Bhopal schedule was a ruse to give Dilip Kumar the opportunity to romance his daughter (Kumar and Madhubala were in a relationship at the time). With Madhubala no longer completing the film, Chopra sued for the cash advance she received from him. Madhubala supported her father, while Kumar testified against Madhubala and her father in favour of B.R. Chopra in open court. The case was lost by Madhubala and her father amid much negative publicity. During the case, the film was released and declared a success. Chopra eventually dropped the court case.[10]

Music

Naya Daur
Soundtrack album by
O. P. Nayyar
Released15 August 1957
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length69:37
LanguageHindi
LabelSaregama
ProducerO. P. Nayyar
O. P. Nayyar chronology
Mai Baap
(1957) 		Naya Daur
(1957) 		Tumsa Nahin Dekha
(1957)

All the songs were composed by O. P. Nayyar and the lyrics were penned by Sahir Ludhianvi. Playback singers were Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle, Shamshad Begum and S. Balbir.

Song Singer
"Aana Hai To Aa" Mohammed Rafi
"Dil Leke Daga Denge" Mohammed Rafi
"Main Bambai Ka Babu" Mohammed Rafi
"Yeh Desh Hai Veer Jawanon Ka, Albelon Ka" Mohammed Rafi, S. Balbir
"Mangke Saath Tumhara, Maine Mang Liya Sansar" Asha Bhosle, Mohammed Rafi
"Ude Jab Jab Zulfen Teri, Kunwariyon Ka Dil Machle" Asha Bhosle, Mohammed Rafi
"Sathi Hath Badhana, Sathi Hath Badhana" Asha Bhosle, Mohammed Rafi
"Reshmi Salwar, Kurta Jaali Ka" Asha Bhosle, Shamshad Begum

Tamil Songs

All the songs in Tamil were composed by O. P. Nayyar and lyrics were penned by Kambadasan. Playback singers are T. M. Soundararajan, Seerkazhi Govindarajan, P. Susheela & T. V. Rathnam.

No. Song Singers Lyrics Length (m:ss)
1 "Vaaraai Neeye, Vaa Potri Vaa" Seerkazhi Govindarajan Kambadasan 03:25
2 "Dil Leke Daga Denge" T. M. Soundararajan 01:26
3 "Naan Bambaaiyin Baabu" T. M. Soundararajan 02:58
4 "Thaainaadu Idhe Veeram Migundhorkke" T. M. Soundararajan & Seerkazhi Govindarajan 03:12
5 "Vaazhvil Un Korikkai Pole" T. M. Soundararajan & P. Susheela 03:28
6 "O! Undhan Mugil Surul En Munkoondhal" T. M. Soundararajan & P. Susheela 02:58
7 "Vaazhga Vaazhga Paattaaliye" T. M. Soundararajan & P. Susheela 04:30
8 "Angiyodu Nijaar Anindhu Vandhaaye" T. V. Rathnam & P. Susheela 04:06

Release

Naya Daur collected around ₹54 million, becoming the second highest-grossing film of 1957 behind Mother India.[11] This was equivalent to $11.34 million in 1957,[a] or $123 million (₹9.111 billion) adjusted for inflation.

Critical reception

Naya Daur received positive reviews from critics, with the screenplay and performances gaining the most attention.[13] On 13 September 1957, Filmfare wrote, "A powerful and vibrantly gripping picture, B. R. Films' Naya Daur is a distinctly successful combination of pertinent social education and moral and top-rate entertainment."[14] The critic appreciated Kumar's performance and noted that he "[turns] in a portrayal which is utterly magnificent in every phase and mood".[14] The Times of India called the film "a picture with a purposeful and distinctly impressive theme ... from almost the beginning to the end", saying that it "remains a briliant, beautiful and very entertaining".[15] Bombay (present-day Mumbai) newspaper Bharat Jyoti found the film to be "one of the most ambitious and unusual subjects ventured in India".[15] Screen said that it was "one of the most important films made in this country" at the time.[15] A critic from the magazine Eve's Weekly believed that it "truly a [Mahatma] Gandhi among films".[15]

Amrita Bazar Patrika saw that Chopra "has delivered a commendable film" with Naya Daur, and found the film "combines ... purposeful and [picturesque] theme[s]".[15] Reviewing it in Lucknow, the daily Pioneer described the film as "the straightforward natural drama [that] develops grip as the story unfolds itself and scales the very height of dramatic expression."[15] The Hindu's critic felt that it implied Gandhi's quote, "There is no room for machinery that would displace human labor and concentrate power in a few hands."[15] Sport and Pastime praised the film for "provides wholesome entertainment with a purpose", stating, "Naya Daur is a picture of which the industry should be proud of."[15] The Indian Express noted, "What strikes one most in this film is its sense of mission and the remarkable, almost infectious enthusiasm of practically everybody in it ..."[15]

Re-release

Naya Daur was colourised[16] and re-released in 2007, along with the re-release of another film starring Dilip Kumar, Mughal-e-Azam.[17] However, this re-release failed commercially.[18]

Legacy

Aamir Khan's Academy Award nominated film Lagaan (2001) was inspired by Naya Daur.[19][20]

Notes

  1. ^ 4.7619 Indian rupees per US dollar from 1951 to 1965[12]

References

  1. ^ "Naya Daur". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Raghavendra, Nandini (12 May 2007). "Naya rang, naya daur". The Economic Times. Times News Network. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  3. ^ Pillai, Swarnavel Eswaran (2015). Madras Studios: Narrative, Genre, and Ideology in Tamil Cinema. India: SAGE Publications. p. 84. ISBN 9789351502128.
  4. ^ a b c d Raheja, Dinesh (31 August 2002). "Naya Daur: A Utopian ideal". Rediff.com. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  5. ^ Morgan, D. (3 August 2007). "Naya Daur is relevant even today". Rediff.com. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  6. ^ "Leela Chitnis: A lady who spoke with her eyes". Hindustan Times. Press Trust of India. 18 October 2003. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  7. ^ "Metrolife filmi fundas". Deccan Herald. 18 May 2010. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2021. Alt URL
  8. ^ Vanita, Ruth (22 February 2018). Dancing with the Nation: Courtesans in Bombay Cinema. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-15-01334-44-3.
  9. ^ Dwyer, Rachel (26 December 2005). "Matinee moghul". India Today. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  10. ^ "Flashback When Dilip Kumar and Madhubala dragged each other to court". mid-day. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  11. ^ "Box Office 1957". Boxofficeindia.com. Archived from the original on 18 September 2010. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  12. ^ "Pacific Exchange Rate Service" (PDF). UBC Sauder School of Business. University of British Columbia. 2016. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 May 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  13. ^ Gangadhar, V. (13 February 2005). "Naya daur second show". The Tribune. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  14. ^ a b ""Naya Daur" is a delightful drama highlighted by briliant music". Filmfare. 13 September 1957. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i "B. R. Chopra does it again!: Naya Daur". The Indian Express. 25 October 1957. p. 3. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  16. ^ Chatterjee, Sharmistha (26 June 2003). "Naya Daur gets coat of colour". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  17. ^ Mukherjee, Ram Kamal (30 April 2007). "Naya Daur in colour". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  18. ^ Sinha, Meenakshi (8 February 2011). "Classic in colour: 50 years on, 'Hum Dono' fails to light up BO". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  19. ^ "I'm not aware if Big B & SRK have copied me". Filmfare. 30 April 2013.
  20. ^ South Asian Cinema. South Asian Cinema Foundation. 2001. p. 86.
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