Namkeen
Encyclopedia
Namkeen also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
: नमकीन, English: Salty), 1982 Hindi film, directed by Gulzar
Gulzar (lyricist)
Sampooran Singh Kalra , known popularly by his pen name Gulzar , is an Indian poet, lyricist and director. He primarily writes in Hindi-Urdu and has also written in Punjabi and several dialects of Hindi such as Braj Bhasha, Khariboli, Haryanvi and Marwari.Gulzar was awarded the Padma Bhushan in...
, with Sharmila Tagore
Sharmila Tagore
Sharmila Tagore is an Indian film actress. She has won National Film Awards and Filmfare Awards for her performances.She has led the Indian Film Censor Board from October 2004 till March 2011...
, Sanjeev Kumar, 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...
and Waheeda Rehman
Waheeda Rehman
Waheeda Rehman , is an Indian film actress who appears in Bollywood movies and is known for many successful and critically acclaimed movies from 1950's, 60's and early 70's most notably C.I.D. and Guru Dutt classics such as Pyaasa , 12 O'Clock , Kaagaz Ke Phool , Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam...
as leads. It was yet another movie by Gulzar made on some very sensitive but untouched aspects of Indian society especially in rural areas. The story was by Samaresh Basu on whose story, Gulzar had previously made Kitaab
Kitaab
Kitaab is a 1977 Hindi movie. Produced by Pranlal Mehta and Gulzar the film is directed by Gulzar. The film stars Uttam Kumar, Vidya Sinha, Shreeram Lagoo, Keshto Mukherjee and Asit Sen. Musical score is by R. D. Burman.-Plot:...
(1977).
The film won the National Film Award in 1983 for Best Audiography
National Film Award for Best Audiography
The National Film Award for Best Audiography winners:...
for Essabhai M. Suratwala, while Samresh Basu won the Filmfare Award for Best Story. Waheeda Rehman
Waheeda Rehman
Waheeda Rehman , is an Indian film actress who appears in Bollywood movies and is known for many successful and critically acclaimed movies from 1950's, 60's and early 70's most notably C.I.D. and Guru Dutt classics such as Pyaasa , 12 O'Clock , Kaagaz Ke Phool , Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam...
and Kiran Vairale received Filmfare Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress, which they lost to Supriya Pathak
Supriya Pathak
Supriya Pathak Kapur is an Indian actress hailing from a long line of performers. She is famous for her role in the Indian sitcoms Khichdi and Idhar Udhar.-Family:...
in Bazaar.
Plot
Three unmarried sisters live in a remote village in Himachal PradeshHimachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...
with their old mother, Jugni (Waheeda Rehman
Waheeda Rehman
Waheeda Rehman , is an Indian film actress who appears in Bollywood movies and is known for many successful and critically acclaimed movies from 1950's, 60's and early 70's most notably C.I.D. and Guru Dutt classics such as Pyaasa , 12 O'Clock , Kaagaz Ke Phool , Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam...
), a former nautanki
Nautanki
Nautanki is one of the most popular folk operatic theater performance traditions of South Asia, particularly in northern India. Before the advent of Bollywood , Nautanki was the single most popular form of entertainment in the villages and towns of northern India...
(folk theatre) dancer, who sells spices and takes in boarders to make a living. The three daughters are named like flavors in food. The 'salty' eldest daughter Nimki (Sharmila Tagore
Sharmila Tagore
Sharmila Tagore is an Indian film actress. She has won National Film Awards and Filmfare Awards for her performances.She has led the Indian Film Censor Board from October 2004 till March 2011...
), is a reserved spinster, quietly but firmly holding the household together. The 'sweet' middle sister is Mitthu (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...
) who cannot speak, but is revealed to be an intelligent and romantic girl. The 'tangy' youngest one is Chinki (Kiran Vairale), a bold and vibrant teenager, who turns out to be more perceptive than one would credit her to be. Their quiet little haven is occasionally threatened by the alcoholic father Kishanlal (T. P. Jain), a sarangi
Sarangi
The Sārangī is a bowed, short-necked string instrument of India which is originated from Rajasthani folk instruments. It plays an important role in India's Hindustani classical music tradition...
player who was on the travelling troupe with Jugni, and keeps attempting to reclaim his daughters. She left him years ago to protect her daughters from the life of a nautanki dancer which she always struggled to escape.
All four live in a very old house outside the village. Gerulal (Sanjeev Kumar
Sanjeev Kumar (actor)
Sanjeev Kumar was one of the most prominent Indian actors in Bollywood.-Personal life and background:Sanjeev Kumar was born as Jariwala in Gujarat to a Gujarati family. His first home was in Surat and family based in Mumbai. A stint in the film school took him to Bollywood, where he eventually...
) is a truck driver who joins this peculiar household for a brief time as a tenant. Initially stunned by their less than friendly ways and unsocial demeanor, he grows to respect the women as he watches the difficulties they struggle with every day. He finds that even among the crisis of money and facilities, all the sisters are capable of maintaining moral values and diginified behavior towards the outer world. He begins to like Nimki. But somehow Mitthu, whom he sympathizes and befriends, seems to have feelings for Gerulal. When Gerulal needs to move on from that region because of work, he proposes to Nimki. But she turns down his proposal citing the responsibility of her sisters and her mother, and asks him to marry Mithu instead - a request he cannot comply with.
Some years later, Gerulal is shocked to find Chinki performing at a village nautanki. From her he learns how drastically things changed after he left - Mitthu lost her mental balance and committed suicide, Jugni died of the shock and Chinki, with not much left to choose from, joined her father's troupe. Gerulal rushes back to Jugni's crumbling old house to find Nimki, alone and aged beyond her years, almost a reflection of her mother. This time, he takes her away with him.
Themes
The main characters of the movie are Gerulal and Nimki. Gerulal was depicted as a thread who brought together all the sporadic pearls of that family. Nimki is a person who is always ready to sacrifice and she always puts her interests after her sisters and mother. This is why she refuses to marry Gerulal. All in all, a woman may be weaker than a man physically but she is far greater emotionally.Cast
- Sanjeev Kumar: Gerulal
- Sharmila TagoreSharmila TagoreSharmila Tagore is an Indian film actress. She has won National Film Awards and Filmfare Awards for her performances.She has led the Indian Film Censor Board from October 2004 till March 2011...
: Nimki - 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...
: Yashomati - Kiran Vairale: Chinki
- Waheeda RehmanWaheeda RehmanWaheeda Rehman , is an Indian film actress who appears in Bollywood movies and is known for many successful and critically acclaimed movies from 1950's, 60's and early 70's most notably C.I.D. and Guru Dutt classics such as Pyaasa , 12 O'Clock , Kaagaz Ke Phool , Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam...
: Jyoti (Jugni) - Ram MohanRam MohanRam Mohan is a veteran in the Indian animation industry, who started his career at the Cartoon Films Unit, Films Division, Government of India in 1956...
- T.P Jain: Dhaniram
- Kamaldeep
- Bhag Singh: Bhuvan's mother
- Ranvir
- Ashish Chatterji
- Baldev Mehta
- Yash Sharma
Production
Originally Rekha was cast in the role of Nimki, which was later played by Sharmila TagoreSharmila Tagore
Sharmila Tagore is an Indian film actress. She has won National Film Awards and Filmfare Awards for her performances.She has led the Indian Film Censor Board from October 2004 till March 2011...
.
Release
The film was released on DoordarshanDoorDarshan
Doordarshan is an Indian public service broadcaster, a division of Prasar Bharati. It is one of the largest broadcasting organizations in India in terms of the infrastructure of studios and transmitters. Recently, it has also started Digital Terrestrial Transmitters. On September 15, 2009,...
, India's National TV network in 1982 as it did not find any distributors, as did another film of the decade Libaas (1988), which never had a commercial release. Film's DVD version was released in 1998 , and had a different ending, with ending of the original cut, where Girulal comes back to find an almost empty home, edited out.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was composed R.D. Burman and lyrics by Gulzar, and featured songs by playback singers Kishore KumarKishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar , born Abhas Kumar Ganguly, was an Indian film playback singer and an actor who also worked as lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter.Kishore Kumar was one of India's greatest performers of the late 20th century...
and Asha Bhonsle. Though Raah Pe Rahte Hai sung by Kishore Kumar got noticed, and stood out for its lyrics being based on the life for truck drivers, it was Baankee Chalee Zhaankee Chalee and Phir Se Aaiyo Badaraa Bidesee, both sung by Asha Bhonsle that remained film's memorable songs.
- "Baankee Chalee Zhaankee Chalee" – Asha Bhonsle
- "Phir Se Aaiyo Badaraa Bidesee" – Asha Bhonsle
- "Aisaa Lagaa Koee Suramaa Nazar Maa" – Alka YagnikAlka YagnikAlka Yagnik is an Indian singer who is ranked among the best Hindi playback singers of all time. She is a seven-time winner of the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award as well as a two-time recipient of the prestigious National Film Awards...
- "Badee Der Se Meghaa " – Asha Bhonsle
- "Raah Pe Rahte Hai" – Kishore KumarKishore KumarKishore Kumar , born Abhas Kumar Ganguly, was an Indian film playback singer and an actor who also worked as lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter.Kishore Kumar was one of India's greatest performers of the late 20th century...
Awards
- 1983 National Film Award
- Best AudiographyNational Film Award for Best AudiographyThe National Film Award for Best Audiography winners:...
: Essabhai M. Suratwala
- Best Audiography
- 1983: Filmfare Award
- Best Story: Samresh Basu
- Best Art Direction: Ajit Banerjee
- Best Supporting Actress: Waheeda RehmanWaheeda RehmanWaheeda Rehman , is an Indian film actress who appears in Bollywood movies and is known for many successful and critically acclaimed movies from 1950's, 60's and early 70's most notably C.I.D. and Guru Dutt classics such as Pyaasa , 12 O'Clock , Kaagaz Ke Phool , Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam...
as Jugni: Nominated - Best Supporting Actress: Kiran Vairale as Chinki: Nominated