FOR many Hindi film buffs, the 1950s and 1960s are considered the golden age of Hindi cinema; a time when some of the best directors, writers and actors came together to create seminal films that are considered classics even half a century later. It is, therefore, not surprising that these films form the subject matter of an entire volume. In House Full: The Golden Age of Hindi Cinema, which has been compiled and edited by Ziya Us Salam, we are treated to ringside seats to the making of a variety of films produced during this ‘golden age’, and provided an insight into why that period was such an important one for Bollywood.

What differentiates this volume from others of its type is the emphasis that has been placed on the filmmakers that dominated the era as opposed to the actors who brought the stories to life. This is a welcome change, given that most books about Bollywood — not to mention film publications — place an extraordinary emphasis (not necessarily undeserved) on the actors, whether it is Dilip Kumar, Rajesh Khanna or Amitabh Bachchan.

House Full is divided into chapters according to filmmakers and their work. Filmmakers whose films have been highlighted include the likes of Bimal Roy (Do Bigha Zamin, Devdas, Bandini and Sujata), Guru Dutt (Pyaasa, Kaghaz Ke Phool, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam), V. Shantaram (Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje and Navrang), and Shakti Samanta (Howrah Bridge and Aradhana). Other chapters include ‘period films’ such as Anarkali, Mughal-e-Azam and Taj Mahal as well as stand-alone films ranging from Leader to Satyakam. In between are short pieces about filmmakers recounted by their associates, which make for some engrossing and informative reading.

Due to the fact that House Full doesn’t stray from its subject matter — which is films and filmmakers — it may prove to be less entertaining a read than a book that highlights the ‘gossip’ that makes Bollywood all the more fascinating. However, the book does reveal a lot of anecdotes that even the most obsessive Bollywood enthusiasts may not have been privy to.

For instance, in his article on Mughal-e-Azam, Salam reveals that Madhubala’s role was actually meant for Nargis, while Dilip Kumar had initially been rejected for Salim’s role. K. Asif, the director of the film, was so dedicated to creating a ‘realistic’ film that he made Madhubala, who was suffering from a heart condition, wear real iron chains during the making of the film while Dilip Kumar had to wear shoes made of actual gold because “Asif felt the hero would have that swagger only if he puts on gold shoes!” Not one to be left out, Prithviraj Kapoor insisted on walking barefoot on hot burning sand for the opening sequence of the film.

Another interesting article is one that concerns Shakti Samanta’s Aradhana. Salam (who has written most of the articles) reveals that the hit song, ‘Mere Sapno Ki Rani’, which focuses on Rajesh Khanna driving a jeep while he romances Sharmila Tagore, who is on a train, was actually shot in Darjeeling with Rajesh Khanna while his leading lady was in Bombay.

Among the short pieces about filmmakers, one of the more interesting ones is ‘The Man with a King-sized Heart’ in which Lekh Tandon remembers Raj Kapoor’s characteristic generosity which he exhibited during the shooting of Boot Polish. The silent-era actor Master Nisar was looking for work and Kapoor went out of his way to accommodate him. He cut out a song ‘Mur Mur Ke Na Dekh’, which was eventually used in Shree 420, from Boot Polish and created a new song which Master Nisar could act in.

Of course, in a selection of this kind there is always the chance that the readers will disagree with the editor’s judgment. To this end, while Salam does, to a large extent, cover the most seminal films of the time, there are some missing, such as Raj Kapoor’s Sangam, Govind Saraiya’s Saraswatichandra and Raj Khosla’s Do Raaste.

Another drawback of the book is that most of the films have been discussed in detail, sometimes giving away their entire plots and story lines — this is especially tiresome for people who are planning to watch these films for the first time.

However, these drawbacks aside, House Full successfully brings to light the fact that the 1950s and 1960s were truly the golden decades of Hindi cinema, and lends credence to Mahesh Bhatt’s words in the foreword:

“Those were the days when writers lived life before they wrote, unlike the glib well-fed writers of today who may have sizzle but no substance ... we may have gained political independence in 1947 but the truth is we are still culturally colonised. The best of us have become poor imitations of the West. The time has come for us to hold still and drink deep from the wells of the past ... in order to go ahead, we need to go back.”

After all, the fact that Dhoom 3 is one of the biggest grossers of 2013 while the likes of Mother India and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam were the biggest films of their times speaks volumes about how audiences’ tastes have changed.

House Full: The Golden Age of Hindi Cinema

(FILM)

Edited by Ziya Us Salam

Om Books International, India

ISBN 9789380070254

252pp.