Deewaar

For other uses, see Deewaar (disambiguation).

Deewaar
Theatrical release poster
Directed byYash Chopra
Written bySalim–Javed
Produced byGulshan Rai
Starring
CinematographyKay Gee Koregaonkar
Edited byT. R. Mangeshkar
Pran Mehra
Music byR. D. Burman
Production
company
Release date
  • 24 January 1975 (1975-01-24)
Running time
176 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi[1][2]
Budget₹1.3 crore (US$160,000)[3]
Box office₹7.5 crore (US$900,000)[3]

Deewaar (transl. The Wall) is a 1975 Indian action crime film written by Salim–Javed and directed by Yash Chopra.[4][5] The film stars Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan, alongside an ensemble cast of Neetu Singh, Nirupa Roy, Parveen Babi, Iftekhar, Madan Puri, Satyen Kappu and Manmohan Krishna.[6][7][8] The music was composed by R. D. Burman, while cinematography and editing were handled by Kay Gee Koregaonkar and T. R. Mangeshkar-Pran Mehra. In the film, two impoverished brothers struggle to survive in the slums of Mumbai and eventually find themselves on opposing sides of the law. The film's title signifies the wall that springs up between the two brothers, drawn apart by fate and circumstances in a time of socio-political turmoil.[9][10][11][12][13]

Deewaar was released worldwide on 24 January 1975 to critical acclaim and praise for its story, script, music cast performances (especially Bachchan, Kapoor and Roy). The film was commercially successful and is considered a ground-breaking cinematic masterpiece, with India Times ranking Deewaar amongst the Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films. It is also one of three Hindi-language films to be included on the list of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.[14]

The film had a significant impact not only on Indian cinema but also on Indian society; its anti-establishment themes and Bachchan's anti-hero vigilante character resonated with audiences. The movie cemented Bachchan's popular image as the 'Angry young man' of Bollywood cinema.[15][16][17] Forbes included Bachchan's performance in the film on its list of "25 Greatest Acting Performances of Indian Cinema".[18] The film also cemented the success of Salim–Javed, who went on to write more blockbuster films; their value skyrocketed and they were being paid as well as the leading actors of the time.[19] Deewaar's influence also extends to world cinema, influencing films from Hong Kong[20] and British cinema.[12][21]

  1. ^ Lal, Vinay; Nandy, Ashis (2006). Fingerprinting Popular Culture: The Mythic and the Iconic in Indian Cinema. Oxford University Press. p. 77. ISBN 0-19-567918-0.
  2. ^ Aḵẖtar, Jāvīd; Kabir, Nasreen Munni (2002). Talking Films: Conversations on Hindi Cinema with Javed Akhtar. Oxford University Press. p. 49. ISBN 978-0-19-566462-1. Archived from the original on 22 February 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2019. JA: I write dialogue in Urdu, but the action and descriptions are in English. Then an assistant transcribes the Urdu dialogue into Devnagari because most people read Hindi. But I write in Urdu.
  3. ^ a b "Deewaar 1975 Movie Box Office Collection, Budget and Unknown Facts 1990's Box Office Collection". KS Box Office. 8 July 2021. Archived from the original on 23 February 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  4. ^ "Deewaar (1975) – Yash Chopra". AllMovie. Archived from the original on 15 July 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  5. ^ "Obituary: Yash Chopra redefined romance, drama on screen". India Today. 22 October 2012. Archived from the original on 15 July 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  6. ^ "Deewaar was the perfect script: Amitabh Bachchan on 42 years of the cult film". Hindustan Times. 29 January 2017. Archived from the original on 5 July 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  7. ^ Rao, Sri (2017). Bollywood Kitchen: Home-cooked Indian Meals Paired with Unforgettable Bollywood Films. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 207. ISBN 978-0-544-97125-7. Archived from the original on 22 February 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  8. ^ "Deewaar". Radio Times. Immediate Media Company. Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  9. ^ "Deewar had the best screenplay ever, says Amitabh Bachchan". The Indian Express. 23 January 2017. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  10. ^ "Deewar: the fiction of film and the fact of politics". Ejumpcut.org. Archived from the original on 12 October 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
  11. ^ Mazumdar, Ranjani (2007). Bombay Cinema: An Archive of the City. University of Minnesota Press. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-4529-1302-5. Archived from the original on 22 February 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  12. ^ a b Amitava Kumar (23 December 2008). "Slumdog Millionaire's Bollywood Ancestors". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on 29 May 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2008.
  13. ^ Virdi, Jyotika. "Deewaar: the fiction of film and the fact of politics. Archived 12 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine" Jump Cut, No. 38, June 1993: 26–32.
  14. ^ "25 Must See Bollywood Movies – Special Features-Indiatimes – Movies". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 27 February 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference hindustantimes was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ "Film legend promotes Bollywood". BBC News. 23 April 2002. Archived from the original on 22 July 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
  17. ^ Mazumdar, Ranjani (23 April 2007). Bombay Cinema. University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 978-1-4529-1302-5. Archived from the original on 22 February 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
  18. ^ Prasad, Shishir; Ramnath, N.S.; Mitter, Sohini (27 April 2013). "25 Greatest Acting Performances of Indian Cinema". Forbes. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  19. ^ "Topmoviestowatch.info". 2 December 2012. Archived from the original on 2 December 2012.
  20. ^ Mondal, Sayantan. "Amitabh Bachchan starrer 'Deewar' was remade in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam – and Cantonese". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 30 January 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  21. ^ Lee, Joseph Tse-Hei; Kolluri, Satish (2016). Hong Kong and Bollywood: Globalization of Asian Cinemas. Springer Science+Business Media. p. 173. ISBN 978-1-349-94932-8.