Neecha Nagar [1946] : Chetan Anand
When I came to know that Chetan Anand’s Neecha Nagar [1946] is one of the eleven winners of Cannes’ Palme d'Or out of 45 films and it’s still the only Indian or South Asian film that holds the status till now. I have been deeply amazed by its historical references which are not much circulated as precious and pioneering in South Asian films as India was undivided. Therefore, I suppose Neecha Nagar is common pride for Bangladesh also; though K.A. Abbas’ Dharti Ke Lal [1946] was a more mind-blowing film released in 1946. As Neecha Nagar was also written by K.A. Abbas, it would be a double celebration if Dharti Ke Lal took part in the Cannes film festival. I believe it would also be one of the winners. After watching Dharti Ke Lal & Saat Hindustani [1969], I was expecting to watch a narrative which is loosely based on social realism and the communist ideology. When I heard the dialogue by Balraj: “ अब ख़ामोशी का ज़माना गुजर चुका ”...