Neecha Nagar (1946)

Director: Chetan Anand
Writers: Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, Hayatullah Ansari
Stars: Rafiq Anwar, Uma Anand, Kamini Kaushal    
Runtime: 122 minutes    

PLOT: An expressionist look at the gulf between the rich and poor in the society when the residents of the fictitious Ooncha Nagar want to divert a sewage creek through the houses where the Neecha Nagar resides.

REVIEW: The Winner of the Palme d'Or at the 1946 Cannes Film Festival, Neecha Nagar is a stirring tale depicting how the fortunate classes of society are eternal beneficiaries of all ventures and even turn the sufferings of the underprivileged into profitable schemes.

The film centers on a wealthy and capacious landlord, Sarkar (Rafi Peer) who lives in a lavish manor high up on a mountain while the poor toil and starve in the valley below. The villagers of 'Neecha Nagar' harbor hate for Sarkar and their hatred is aggravated upon knowing the plans to direct a sewage creek into the village to make room for a real estate venture. The villagers protest this move with their leader, Balraj (Rafiq Anwar) leading a movement against the plan. It follows a clichéd Bollywood path after that as Sarkar's daughter; Maya (Uma Anand) joins the protest against her father's will, only to fall in love with the adamant Balraj. The sewage creek causes widespread illness among the Neecha Nagar citizens, and the privileged factions see it as an opportunity to set up a hospital to turn a quick profit in return for their treatment. The actors all deliver spirited performances and the musical score is exceptional as it is the debut film of sitar maestro Pundit Ravi Shankar as a music director. The movie is a recommended watch for all as it inspires to work towards solving problems still rampant today in countries all over the world and succeeds to flawlessly convey its noteworthy message.

Reviewed by Mohaiminul Islam