Main Azaad Hoon
Encyclopedia
Main Azaad Hoon is a 1989
Hindi film, an Indian adaptation of 1941 Frank Capra
film, Meet John Doe
by Javed Akhtar
about an opportunistic journalist who concocts a fictitious man "man of the masses" in an fictitious article to boost newspaper sales, but when the article gets huge response finds an unemployed man to sit in as him. The film was directed by Tinnu Anand
, and starred Amitabh Bachchan
and Shabana Azmi
.
The film also featured a popular title song written by noted poet Kaifi Azmi
and sung by the lead actor himself, Amitabh Bachchan.
The film won the Filmfare Award for Best Dialogue for Javed Akhtar
.
) working for a daily newspaper and mostly in controversy due to her bold and open mouthed articles against corrupt politicians.
Afer a change in the ownership of the newspaper, she realizes that she stands to lose her job along with many others, especially who are not likely to subscribe to the new management's policies. Feeling betrayed she spews out her venom by penning her column with a fictitious letter ad verbatim, which is supposedly written to her by someone named Azaad. This letter openly criticizes a cross-section of media and the establishment vocalizing unacknowledged and uncomfortable facts. The letter also says that the author of the letter would commit suicide from a high-rise building on 26th January, the Republic Day of India, if certain conditions are not met with.
In this new development, the new owner, Seth Gokulchand (Manohar Singh
), senses an opportunity. He thinks of a scheme to promote his newspaper and coaxes Subhashini to establish a column in the name of Azaad and write about the ills of present society and administration. The task for them now is to find a face and character for Azaad, should the question arise about the real identity of the author of the column and the letter.
One day she come across a jobless and nameless vaudevillian character, Amitabh Bachchan
), who happens to be drifting by Rajnagar along with another bum friend of his. Subhashini offers him a job asking him to pose as Azaad. The bum sees a chance in it to make a few quick bucks. With this in mind that he has nothing to lose, he accepts the job. Subhashini makes use of the whole propaganda machinery at her disposal to create a public figure for Azaad. Azaad is steadily introduced in the media and local issues, made to attend various public rallies. His native, down to the earth charm finds instantaneous appeal with the people of the town. This draws gullible public to his frequent public addresses. Word spreads like wild fire and soon people from the surrounding rural areas drain in to attend his public appearances. This gathers momentum and soon Azaad becomes a cult figure. Seth Gokulchand initiates the idea of making Azaad a much wider-publicised figure to Subhashini. She very efficiently works on the idea writing articles on Azaad, on Azaad's ideas. This results into Azaad becoming a kind of a nation-wide hero, and is soon perceived as a threat by the local politicians as a potential national leader.
Later he learns through the media that he has been used however he decides to sacrifice for nation and he also falls for Asha. Azad becomes a leader of masses and corrupt politicians challenge him the prove his love for people and nation, he jumps from a 30 story structure under construction building to prove that and dies.
Bollywood films of 1989
A list of films produced by the Bollywood film industry based in Mumbai in 1989:-Highest grossing:The top five grossing films at the Indian Box Office in 1989:-1989-releases:- External links :* at the Internet Movie Database...
Hindi film, an Indian adaptation of 1941 Frank Capra
Frank Capra
Frank Russell Capra was a Sicilian-born American film director. He emigrated to the U.S. when he was six, and eventually became a creative force behind major award-winning films during the 1930s and 1940s...
film, Meet John Doe
Meet John Doe
Meet John Doe is a 1941 American comedy drama film directed and produced by Frank Capra, and starring Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck. The film is about a "grassroots" political campaign created unwittingly by a newspaper columnist and pursued by a wealthy businessman. It became a box office hit...
by Javed Akhtar
Javed Akhtar
Javed Akhtar is a poet, lyricist and scriptwriter from India. Some of his most successful work was done in the late 1970s and 1980s with Salim Khan as half of the script-writing duo credited as Salim-Javed...
about an opportunistic journalist who concocts a fictitious man "man of the masses" in an fictitious article to boost newspaper sales, but when the article gets huge response finds an unemployed man to sit in as him. The film was directed by Tinnu Anand
Tinnu Anand
Tinnu Anand is an Indian actor and director from Bollywood, who is most known as the director of Amitabh Bachchan's movies including, Kaalia , Shahenshah , Main Azaad Hoon and Major Saab .He is the son of veteran writer Inder Raj Anand and uncle of director Siddharth Anand.Anand recently...
, and starred Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
and Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. An alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India of Pune, she made her film debut in 1974 and soon became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema, an Indian New Wave movement known for its serious content and...
.
The film also featured a popular title song written by noted poet Kaifi Azmi
Kaifi Azmi
Kaifi Azmi was an Indian Urdu poet. He is considered to be one the greatest Urdu poets of 20th century. Together with Pirzada Qasim, Jon Eliya and many others he participated in many memorable mushairas of 20th century.-Early life:...
and sung by the lead actor himself, Amitabh Bachchan.
The film won the Filmfare Award for Best Dialogue for Javed Akhtar
Javed Akhtar
Javed Akhtar is a poet, lyricist and scriptwriter from India. Some of his most successful work was done in the late 1970s and 1980s with Salim Khan as half of the script-writing duo credited as Salim-Javed...
.
Plot
The movie begins with a female journalist named Subhashini (Shabana AzmiShabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. An alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India of Pune, she made her film debut in 1974 and soon became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema, an Indian New Wave movement known for its serious content and...
) working for a daily newspaper and mostly in controversy due to her bold and open mouthed articles against corrupt politicians.
Afer a change in the ownership of the newspaper, she realizes that she stands to lose her job along with many others, especially who are not likely to subscribe to the new management's policies. Feeling betrayed she spews out her venom by penning her column with a fictitious letter ad verbatim, which is supposedly written to her by someone named Azaad. This letter openly criticizes a cross-section of media and the establishment vocalizing unacknowledged and uncomfortable facts. The letter also says that the author of the letter would commit suicide from a high-rise building on 26th January, the Republic Day of India, if certain conditions are not met with.
In this new development, the new owner, Seth Gokulchand (Manohar Singh
Manohar Singh
Manohar Singh was a distinguished Indian theatre actor-director and a character actor in Hindi films. He is best known for his performances in films such as Party and Daddy...
), senses an opportunity. He thinks of a scheme to promote his newspaper and coaxes Subhashini to establish a column in the name of Azaad and write about the ills of present society and administration. The task for them now is to find a face and character for Azaad, should the question arise about the real identity of the author of the column and the letter.
One day she come across a jobless and nameless vaudevillian character, Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
), who happens to be drifting by Rajnagar along with another bum friend of his. Subhashini offers him a job asking him to pose as Azaad. The bum sees a chance in it to make a few quick bucks. With this in mind that he has nothing to lose, he accepts the job. Subhashini makes use of the whole propaganda machinery at her disposal to create a public figure for Azaad. Azaad is steadily introduced in the media and local issues, made to attend various public rallies. His native, down to the earth charm finds instantaneous appeal with the people of the town. This draws gullible public to his frequent public addresses. Word spreads like wild fire and soon people from the surrounding rural areas drain in to attend his public appearances. This gathers momentum and soon Azaad becomes a cult figure. Seth Gokulchand initiates the idea of making Azaad a much wider-publicised figure to Subhashini. She very efficiently works on the idea writing articles on Azaad, on Azaad's ideas. This results into Azaad becoming a kind of a nation-wide hero, and is soon perceived as a threat by the local politicians as a potential national leader.
Later he learns through the media that he has been used however he decides to sacrifice for nation and he also falls for Asha. Azad becomes a leader of masses and corrupt politicians challenge him the prove his love for people and nation, he jumps from a 30 story structure under construction building to prove that and dies.
Cast
- Amitabh BachchanAmitabh BachchanAmitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
- Azaad - Shabana AzmiShabana AzmiShabana Azmi is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. An alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India of Pune, she made her film debut in 1974 and soon became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema, an Indian New Wave movement known for its serious content and...
- Subhashni Saigal - Anupam KherAnupam KherAnupam Kher is an Indian actor who has appeared in nearly 400 films and 100 plays. Though mainly appearing in Bollywood films, he has had roles in some films from other nations as well...
- Dalchand Jain - Manohar SinghManohar SinghManohar Singh was a distinguished Indian theatre actor-director and a character actor in Hindi films. He is best known for his performances in films such as Party and Daddy...
- Gokulchand - Ajit VachaniAjit VachaniAjit Vachani was an Indian film and television actor. He had worked in many notable Hindi films as a character actor, including Mr. India , Maine Pyar Kiya and Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa . In all he acted in over 50 Hindi films, besides three Sindhi movies...
- Editor Sharma - M.K. Raina - Newspaper employee
- Ram Gopal BajajRam Gopal BajajRam Gopal Bajaj is a noted Indian theatre director, academician, and a Hindi film actor. He has also been a faculty member and a former director of National School of Drama, New Delhi ....
- Rambhau Kaka (Village Sarpanch) - Raja Bundela - Anwar
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- IG Nagu - Annu KapoorAnnu KapoorAnnu Kapoor is an Indian film actor and television presenter, best remembered for hosting the singing reality show Antakshari.-Career:Annu Kapoor made his debut in the film Mandi directed by Shyam Benegal in 1979. His career has spanned nearly 31 years including a distinctive presence in...
- Munna - Anjan SrivastavAnjan SrivastavAnjan Srivatsav is an Indian film, television and stage actor, associated with Indian People's Theatre Association in Mumbai of which he remained Vice-President for several years...
- Mishra - CM's assistant