Zindagi (1940 film)

2021-11-24T18:22:31Z

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{{Use Indian English|date=November 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Zindagi
| image = Zindagi (1940) cover of booklet.png
| image_size =
| caption =
| director = [[Pramathesh Barua]]
| producer = [[Birendranath Sircar]]
| writer = Javed Hussain and [[Kidar Nath Sharma]]
| narrator =
| starring = [[K. L. Saigal]]<br />[[Jamuna Barua|Jamuna]]<br />[[Pahari Sanyal]]<br />[[Sitara Devi]]
| music = [[Pankaj Mullick]]
| cinematography = Pramathesh Barua
| editing =
| studio = [[New Theatres]] Ltd.
| released = {{Film date|df=yes|1940}}
| runtime = 120 minutes<ref>{{cite web|url=http://filmheritagefoundation.co.in/zindagi-life-1940-120-mins/|title=Zindagi (Life), 1940, 120 mins - Film Heritage Foundation|date=28 August 2014|access-date=28 February 2018}}</ref>
| country = India
| language = Hindi
| budget =
| gross = {{INR}}5.5 million<ref name=boxoffice/>
}}

'''''Zindagi ''''' ({{lang-en|The Life|italic=yes}}) is a 1940 [[Indian film]], directed by [[Pramathesh Barua]] and produced by [[Birendranath Sircar]]. Starring [[K. L. Saigal]], [[Jamuna Barua]], [[Pahari Sanyal]], Shyam Laha, [[Sitara Devi]], and Nemo,<ref name=CITWF>{{cite web|title=Zindagi (1940)|url=http://www.citwf.com/film395800.htm|website=[[Complete Index to World Film]]|publisher=Alan Goble|access-date=31 January 2015}}</ref> it revolves around Ratan, an unemployed university graduate, and his relationship with Shrimati, who is on the run from her cruel husband.

Earning ₹5.5 million net (valued at about ₹39.78 crore in 2009), ''Zindagi'' was the highest grossing Indian film at the time of its release, before its record was broken by ''[[Khazanchi (1941 film)|Khazanchi]]'' in 1941.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://boxofficeindia.com:80/showProd.php?itemCat=121&catName=MTk0MC0xOTQ5|title=BoxOffice India.com|date=2009-02-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205100637/http://boxofficeindia.com:80/showProd.php?itemCat=121&catName=MTk0MC0xOTQ5|access-date=2018-02-28|archive-date=5 February 2009}}</ref><ref name=boxoffice>{{cite web|author=Box Office India |title=Top Earners 1940 |url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=145&catName=MTk0MA== |publisher=boxofficeindia.com |access-date=10 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206110235/http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=145&catName=MTk0MA%3D%3D |archive-date= 6 February 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The film has been described as one of Barua's "most beautiful films, and his last for New Theatres".<ref name="Garga1996">{{cite book|last=Garga|first=Bhagwan Das|title=So many cinemas: the motion picture in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wXRZAAAAMAAJ|access-date=26 September 2011|year=1996|publisher=Eminence Designs|isbn=978-81-900602-1-9|pages=89–92}}</ref> It was the last film by Barua for New Theatres.<ref name="review1">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ITAnAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT52|title=Art Of Cinema|last=Garga|first=B. D.|date=2005-12-01|publisher=Penguin UK|isbn=9788184754315|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6yQYcxZ8wmsC&pg=PT25|title=Bollywood's Top 20: Superstars of Indian Cinema|last=Patel|first=Bhaichand|date=2016-01-15|publisher=Penguin UK|isbn=9788184755985|language=en}}</ref> Barua later married Jamuna as his second wife.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QPQ6CwAAQBAJ&pg=PT120|title=K. L. Saigal: The Definitive Biography|last=Nevile|first=Pran|date=2011-05-11|publisher=Penguin UK|isbn=9789352141609|language=en}}</ref>This film was remade into Bengali as ''Priyo Bandhabi'' in 1943 directed By Soumen Mukherjee. No copy of the film is known to exist, making it a [[lost film]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://filmheritagefoundation.co.in/indias-top-10-lost-films-compiled-by-p-k-nair/|title=India's Top 10 Lost Films - Compiled by P.K. Nair - Film Heritage Foundation|date=2014-08-30|work=Film Heritage Foundation|access-date=2018-02-28|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Plot==
Ratan, an unemployed graduate, who works as a gambler encounters an unnamed women, whom he addresses as ''[[Shrimati]]''. Shrimati, who has escaped from her brutal husband, teams up with Ratan and they together pretend to run a charitable trust, collecting money from people in the name of donations. The duo buy an apartment and [[cohabitation|live together]].

Shrimati receives news of her father's death and learn that she is the heir to his wealth. A new Shrimati shuns all forms of corrupt ways of life and starts to do good deeds as a redemption for her sins. She employs Ratan as a tutor to an orphaned girl Lakhia. Ratan realizes that he cannot live without Shrimati and approaches her. Shrimati, who feels that she must pay for her sins, rejects Ratan.

A heartbroken Ratan leaves Lakhia in the care of Shrimati and returns to his old life. Shrimati gives her fortune to a now-grown Lakhia and withdraws from worldly pleasures, awaiting death. The two lovers are shown to have died and reunited in afterlife.<ref name=Pressbook />

==Cast==
Credits adapted from the films's pressbook:<ref name=Pressbook>{{Cite web|url=https://eap.bl.uk/archive-file/EAP341-5-446|title=Zindagi (1940) Pressbook|website=Endangered Archives Programme|language=en|access-date=2019-02-15}}</ref>
* [[K. L. Saigal|Saigal]] as Ratan, The Vagabond
* [[Pahari Sanyal]] as Ratan's friend
* Asalata as Ratan's friends's mistress
* [[Jamuna Barua|Jamuna]] as Mrs. X. (Shrimati)
* [[Shyam Laha|Sham Laha]] as Shrimati's husband
* Nemo as Shrimati's father
* [[Sitara Devi|Sitara]] as Shrimati's sister
* Dhruba Kumar Shrimati's officer
* Bikram Kapoor as Shrimati's lawyer
* Rajnirani as Shrimati's companion
* Manorama as Lakhia, Shrimati's mother-in-law
* Ramkumari as Shrimati's sister-in-law
;The Sonthal Dancers
* Brajabasi, Lakhmi, Kalo & the crowd

==Promotional activities==
An advertisement of Zindagi compares Gothe and Voltaire's notions of life with that of Baura's.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pc1DCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA101|title=Directory of World Cinema: INDIA|last=Bingham|first=Adam|date=2015-07-29|publisher=Intellect Books|isbn=9781841506227|language=en}}</ref>

==Release==
===Critical reception===
''Zindagi'' generally received positive reviews for critics.
''[[The Bombay Chronicle]]'' lauded the film for Pankaj Mullick's "divine music", two songs of Segal that are "the soul of melody and pathos," the "cynical" humour of the first half of the film and the "subtle, heart-wrenching" emotionalism of the second half. They also praised the "haunting" performance of Jamuna.<ref name=review1/> ''[[Filmindia]]'' called the film an "all smoke" and described it as generally "too intellectual" for the average audience.<ref name=review1/> [[Bhagwan Das Garga]] writes, "The plot is slight but Barua's nuanced characterization and wealth of observation makes it a richly rewarding work."<ref name=review1/>

===Controversies===
In a frame sequence of the 1939 film ''[[Aadmi (1939 film)|Aadmi]]'' by [[V. Shantaram]], which was simultaneously released along with ''Zindagi'', the romantic "pessimism" of Barua was caricatured.<ref name=review1/> According to Garga, this incident provided enough "grist" for the news media.<ref name=review1/> An unnamed Gujarati weekly remarked, "Shantaram's eye is on life, Barua's on death."<ref name=review1/> Jamil Ansari, a critic, strongly defended ''Zindagi''.<ref name=review1/> [[Khwaja Ahmad Abbas]] compared the two films and wrote:<ref name=review1/> {{quote|The attitude of Barua and Shantaram towards life is perhaps most vividly reflected in their attitudes towards death. ''Life is for the Living'' symbolically ends with Moti's marching feet. Death-helpless, lingering, pathetic death-has been the ending of most of Barua's pictures including ''Devdas'', ''Manzil'', ''Mukti'' and ''Zindagi''. In each of these cases it is the fundamentally good man or woman who dies, a victim of cruel, unrelenting circumstances.}}

==Music==
The music composer was [[Pankaj Mullick]] with lyrics by [[Kidar Sharma]] and Arzu Lucknavi.<ref name=Muvyz>{{cite web|title=Songs-Zindagi (1940)|url=http://muvyz.com/moviepage/lh571696/songs/#tabs|website=muvyz.com|publisher=Muvyz, Inc|access-date=31 January 2015}}</ref> One of the memorable songs from the film was "So Ja Rajkumari Soja". This lullaby was made famous in this film.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NtO9CgAAQBAJ&pg=PA154|title=Popular World Music|last=Shahriari|first=Andrew|date=2015-10-16|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781317345381|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/The-immortal-voice/article17062746.ece|title=The immortal voice!|last=Nevile|first=Pran|date=2017-01-19|work=The Hindu|access-date=2018-02-28|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20031109/spectrum/main1.htm|title=The Sunday Tribune - Spectrum|website=www.tribuneindia.com|access-date=2018-02-28}}</ref>

All songs are sung by K. L. Saigal.<ref name="track1">{{Cite news|url=http://www.filmcompanion.in/article/77-zindagi-top-100-bollywood-albums|title=#77 Zindagi: Top 100 Bollywood Albums - Film Companion|date=2017-08-24|work=Film Companion|access-date=2018-02-28|language=en-US}}</ref>
{{Track listing
| extra_column = Singer
| title1 = Hey Diwana Hoon, Diwana Hoon
| extra1 = K. L. Saigal
| length1 = 3:45
| title2 =Bichhada Sajan Aaj Mila Hai
| extra2 = K. L. Saigal
| length2 =
| title3 = So Ja Rajkumari So Ja
| extra3 = K. L. Saigal
| length3 = 2:55
| title4 = Door Door Hare Bhare Is Ban Mein
| extra4 = K. L. Saigal
| length4 =
| title5 = Jeevan Asha Ye Hai Meri
| extra5 = K. L. Saigal
| length5 =3:00
| title6 = Kaajar Kaahe Daarun Nainan Mein
| extra6 = K. L. Saigal
| length6 =
| title7 = Main Kya Jaanu Kya Jaadu Hai<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QwGgF-rDucEC&pg=PT485|title=Routledge Handbook of Indian Cinemas|first1=K. Moti|last1=Gokulsing|first2=Wimal|last2=Dissanayake|date=17 April 2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781136772917|access-date=28 February 2018|via=Google Books}}</ref>
| extra7 = K. L. Saigal
| length7 = 2:54
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|id=0156192|title=Zindagi }}

[[Category:1940 films]]
[[Category:1940s Hindi-language films]]
[[Category:Indian films]]
[[Category:Indian black-and-white films]]
[[Category:Indian drama films]]
[[Category:1940 drama films]]
[[Category:1940 lost films]]
[[Category:Lost drama films]]
[[Category:Lost Indian films]]
[[Category:Hindi-language drama films]]

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Zindagi (1940 film)