Jhinder Bondi (English: Prisoner of Jhind) is a 1961 Indian Bengali-language period action-adventure film co-written and directed by Tapan Sinha. Produced by Bholanath Roy under his banner B.N Productions, the film was based on a novel of same name written by Saradindu Bandyopadhyay, which itself was adapted from the 1894 novel The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope.[1] It stars Uttam Kumar in a triple roles alongside Soumitra Chatterjee, Arundhati Devi, Tarun Kumar, Dilip Roy, Radhamohan Bhattacharya and Sandhya Roy in lead roles.[2] The music and background score was composed by Ali Akbar Khan, with lyrics penned by Pandit Bhushan and Deep Narayan Mithuria.[3] The screenplay and dialogues were written by Tapan Sinha himself along with Pijush Basu. The film plots the story of an ordinary Kolkata living person named Gauri Shankar, who is hired to replace his look-alike Shankar Singh, the prince and would-be king of Jhind state as he is abducted on the eve of his coronation ceremony. Taking up the royal identity, eventually Gauri Shankar looks into the mysterious kidnap of Singh and during his absence, takes over the duties.
| Jhinder Bondi | |
|---|---|
 DVD Cover | |
| Jhinder Bondi | |
| Directed by | Tapan Sinha |
| Written by | Saradindu Bandyopadhyay |
| Screenplay by | Tapan Sinha |
| Based on | Jhinder Bondi by Saradindu Bandyopadhyay The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope |
| Produced by | Bhola Nath Roy |
| Starring | Uttam Kumar Arundhati Devi Soumitra Chatterjee |
| Cinematography | Bimal Mukherjee |
| Edited by | Subodh Roy |
| Music by | Ali Akbar Khan |
Production company | B. N. Productions |
Release date |
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Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Bengali |
Jhinder Bondi marks Tapan Sinha's first collaboaration with Uttam Kumar which was later followed by Jatugriha (1964); and the second collaboration with Soumitra Chatterjee after Kshudhita Pashan (1961). It was also the first time in the history of Bengali cinema, when Kumar and Chatterjee, the biggest superstar of Bengal, appeared together on the celluloid. It was one of the highest grossing Bengali films of 1961, and garnered a cult status in Bengali cinema. It is considered to be a turning point in the career of Chatterjee as he portrayed a negative role in the film, which established his versatality. Before the making of the film, the original novel by Anthony Hope, had already been adapted thrice into English-language films such as in 1937 and 1952 and later in 1979.[4]
The plot of Jhinder Bondi was adapted in the 1978 double version (Bengali and Hindi) film Bandie starring Uttam Kumar himself
Plot
editA person comes to meet Gauri Shankar Roy (Uttam Kumar), who lives in Kolkata. He introduces himself as a 'Fauji Sardar' (Chief of the Armed Forces) of Jhind, a small kingdom in Madhya Pradesh. He says that the to-be King of Jhind, Shankar Singh (also played by Uttam Kumar), was found missing from the kingdom right before his coronation; this is apparently a conspiracy by his own brother Udit Singh (Tarun Kumar), who wants the kingdom for himself. Earlier, too, there were two occasions when coronation was arranged, but on both occasions, the King was found missing. Udit is a cruel man, unfit to be a good king. Shankar Singh has his vices too, but is a kind-hearted person who would care for his citizens and is thus worthy to be king. Now, coincidentally, Gauri looks exactly like Shankar Singh. This being the last hope, the fauji Sardar requests him to pretend to be the King for the coronation and until the real King can be found. Gauri Shankar agrees. The two set off for Jhind.
Things aren't easy at the Palace in Jhind. Despite the great luxury of kingly life, Gauri Shankar is constantly threatened by Udit and his friend, the dashingly handsome but evil Mayurvahan (Soumitra Chatterjee). The coronation however takes place successfully; moreover, the pretend King becomes engaged to Rani Kasturi Bai (Arundhati Devi) on the occasion. In spite of the situation becoming more and more tense, with the life of the King at stake, a romance blooms between Kasturi Bai and Gauri Shankar.
A secret agent reveals that the real King is hidden in a fortress owned by Udit, who will murder him as soon as he gets rid of Gauri Shankar. The fauji Sardar then reveals to Gauri Shankar in secret that the latter deserves the throne as much as Shankar or Udit because they were all the sons of the then-Dewan of Jhind, Kali Shankar Roy (picturised through a portrait resembling the face of Gauri). The then-king being issue less, adopted Shankar and Udit as sons.
After a secret entry to the fortress where the King is being held prisoner, Gauri Shankar fights a battle with Mayurvahan, finally killing him as well as surprising and killing Udit. As he approaches his look-alike Shankar Singh, he has a momentary desire to kill the King and gain the kingdom for himself, he being as deserving by blood as Shankar Singh; but his humanity wins over and he approaches the King respectfully, addressing him as "Your Highness". He then bids a last goodbye to Kasturi Bai and mounts a horse to head back to Kolkata.
Cast
edit- Uttam Kumar in triple role as :
- Gauri Shankar Roy, a grim fighter and sportsman based in Kolkata
- Shankar Singh, the would be king of Jhind, a state in Madhya Pradesh
- Kali Shankar Roy, the former Dewan of Jhind in the ancient period and the ancestor of both aforementioned personalities
- Arundhati Devi as Rani Kasturi Bai
- Soumitra Chatterjee as Mayurvahan[5]
- Radhamohan Bhattacharya as Fauji Sardar of Jhind aka Sardar
- Tarun Kumar as Udit Singh, Brother of Shankar Singh and Gauri Shankar
- Dilip Roy as Rudrarup, a loyal companion of the king
- Sandhya Roy as Champa Bai, Rudrarup's love interest
- Dhiren Mukherjee
Soundtrack
edit| Jhinder Bondi | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 1961 | |||
| Recorded | 1960 | |||
| Studio | B.N Productions | |||
| Length | 0:06:39 | |||
| Label | Angel Digital Pvt Ltd | |||
| Producer | Bhola Nath Roy | |||
| Ali Akbar Khan chronology | ||||
| ||||
All lyrics are written by Pandit Bhusan, Dipnarayan Mithuria; all music is composed by Ali Akbar Khan
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Subh Ghari Subh Din" | 1:23 |
| 2. | "Jiya More Ghabray" | 1:31 |
| 3. | "Main Ho Gaye Diwani" | 2:51 |
| 4. | "Niklage Tore Nayna" | 0:54 |
| Total length: | 06:39 | |
Production
editThe film is based on the novel of Saradindu Bandopadhyay of a same name which he itself rewrite of famous English novel Prisoner of Jenda. For the first time two legendary actor of Bengali cinema Uttam and Soumitra worked together. This is the second work with Tapan Sinha for both the actors. The film shooting held in Rajasthan and also shoot in Bengal, Bihar and Lucknow.
Uttam Kumar played duel role[6] for the second time in his career after Tasher Ghar in 1957. Before starting work on the film, director Tapan Sinha told Uttam to learn ride a horse. Then Uttam used to get up at five in the morning and learning the ride his horse in the field. Absolutely rules. No matter how busy he is. It also gave results. Seeing him during the shooting, Tapan Sinha felt that this hero is not Uttamkumar, he look like a horse-rider. Also need to learn swordplay for the film. Utram also agreed to that. Tapan Sinha then brought in a foreigner called Massey Taylor who is an Olympic champion. Uttam copied Massey's movements exactly the director even Massey himself was shocked on Uttam's talent, skill and dedication.
Reception
editThe film regarded as one of the greatest Bengali film ever made. Uttam Kumar played one of the most popular duel role and give one of the finest performance in his career. But in a 2013 review in the Times of India said that "Here Soumitra was the antagonist and to some extent overshadowed protagonist Uttam Kumar. After ‘Jhinder Bondi’, many even fell in love with an antagonist Mayurbahon more than the protagonist Shankar Singh."[7] The film became superhit at the box office.
References
edit- ^ FilmiClub. "Jhinder Bandi (1961)". FilmiClub. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
- ^ "Jhinder Bandi | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
- ^ "Jhinder Bandi". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
- ^ Agnivo Niyogi. "Jhinder Bondi to Chaar". Retrieved 15 July 2024.
- ^ "Jhinder Bandi - 7 'Non-Ray' films that explored a different side to Soumitra Chatterjee". The Times of India. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ Chowdhury, Sayandeb (30 December 2021). Uttam Kumar: A Life in Cinema. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-93-5435-271-3.
- ^ "Soumitra Chatterjee in 'Jhinder Bondi' - 5 Bengali superstars who excelled in a negative role". The Times of India. Retrieved 18 June 2022.