Cine Brothers

The director is a pivotal figure in the making of a feature film. The singular focus ensures the homogeneity of the plot and of the story of the film. The redoubtable Dilip Kumar in his twilight years used to dabble in the work of his director. The Hindi version of Sagina Mahato is mentioned as a reference.

Two directors coming together and making a movie is rarely heard of. The Belgian Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne brothers are an exception. They are notable film makers in the cine world. They won their first major international film prize when Rosetta won the Palme d'Orat in the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. The story of Rosetta is about the strong resolve of a seventeen year old girl to keep her job. Living in a trailer she is burdened with an alcoholic mother. Her strong will to spurn off amorous liaison comes from her contempt for her mother's loose ways.  Realism of Rosetta is overpowering.

They won the Palme d'Or a second time for their film 'LEnfant (The Child), putting them in an elite club. The story of L'Enfant is of a baby born to an unwed teenage couple. Their poignant desperation with the baby is a stark reality of western society; their film The Kid with a Bike won the Grand Prix at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.

Films in our region also had two cine brothers - Ehtesham and Mustafiz. They however made films separately. These two brothers made notable contributions during the founding years of Dacca film industry. Ae Desh Tomar Amar is Ehtesham's first movie made in 1959. The movie is a landmark in Dacca film industry and in that, Shabnam and Shubhash Dutta made their debut appearance. His next movie was Rajdhanir Booke. Those who lived the time remember Shuvash Dutta's role of a Rickshawala in Ehtesham's Urdu movie Chanda singing Hum Rickshawala Bechara. Ehtesham's most popular Urdu movie was Chakori (1967). It was possibly matinee idol Nadeem's debut appearance.

Mustafiz's first movie was Harano Din. Shabnam was in a stellar role. Chand Aur Chandni was Mustafiz's popular Urdu movie. Nadeem and Shabana were in the leading roles. The songs of the movie had lilting tune. Masud Rana sang Teri yaad aa gayi. In Mustafiz's another Urdu film Daag, Mehdi Hassan sang a soulful tune Tum zid to karrahi ho. In Ehtesham's popular film Chakori Mujeeb Alam sang Wo mere samne mere khabo ki taabir bane baithe hai.

The local film industry of the time owes much to these cine brothers. While Belgium's Dardenne brothers are lauded for their focus on reality, Ehtesham and Mustafiz made the local film industry vibrant with popular films of public adulation.

There were cine brothers in Bombay film industry. Ashok Kumar and his two other brothers, actor singer Kishore Kumar and Anup Kumar, acted in the film Chalti Ka Naam Gari. The director was however Satyen Bose. It was a comedy film.

The other Bombay cine brothers were Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor. They did not, however, act together but they were trendsetters and endearing cine presence.

Film industry is a community bonded together by professional brotherhood. They are a family loved by a wide following. It is a tinsel world where dreams are made into films.