Towering Torchbearer of Truth

Satyakam, 1969

Hrishikesh Mukherjee occupies an enduring place of pride in Indian cinema, given the unconventional timbre and resounding impact of his brand of films, which thrived, more than survived, amid an environment of swamping mediocrity, courtesy the formulaic and often mindless productions that have defined the Hindi film industry all along.

Mukherjee’s banquet of cinematic offerings is rich and wholesome, but one film truly stands out as the epitome of his non-conformist ways. This was the 1969 release ‘Satyakam’ which is muscle man Dharmendra’s magnum opus in the offbeat universe, an achievement which is unanimously hailed as his most prolific even to this day. And rightly so!

Based on an absorbing novel by noted Bengali writer and civil engineer Narayan Sanyal and adorned with perceptive dialogues by the timeless legend Rajinder Singh Bedi, the film was a fitting tribute to the sanctity and significance of Gandhian principles. The film was lost on the mainstream audience of the time, and yet it remains a rich reference material for students across disciplines; its relevance is intact even after a long and winding passage of 77 years since India’s independence.

Satyakam is the poignant story of Satyapriya, an unbending torch-bearer of truth who dashes against any and every hurdle that seeks to derail his speeding train of ethical and principled behaviour, even when his locomotive is fast headed towards a suicidal dead-end of self-induced doom and destruction.

After graduating as an engineer in pre-independent India, Satyapriya attempts to chart a career built on his hard-coded notion of idealism which simply does not exist on the material plain, marked by tyrant leaders and vulnerable followers, a sorry state of affairs which is how it is, has been, and will be!?

The consequence is a foregone conclusion – Satyapriya becomes the ‘apriya’ in every job he undertakes, quick to spot wrongdoings but unable to set them right, given an all too powerful system that upholds the status quo to serve the vested interests that come in all forms and flavours.

To make matters worse, he is fighting a losing battle in personal life, unable to build a bond of organic love with his wife, who, as a nautch girl, fell victim to the sexual exploitation at the hands of Satyapriya’s princely state employer, only because Satyapriya could not muster the courage to intervene when it mattered most. Even the selfless act of marrying her and granting her illegitimate child a social identity and secure patronage could not mend what’s broken beyond repair.????

A terminal disease expedites his tragic end but Satyapriya dies a contended man, thanks to the exceptional courage and conviction of his wife who turns her back on an unethical proposition that will secure her future but leave a posthumous blemish on her husband’s name. She could never fall in love with him, but she did rise to the occasion, to venerate Satyapriya and his immortal principles on his deathbed.??

The film ends on a poignant and philosophical note hinting at reclaimed moorings and new beginnings when Satyapriya’s granddad Satyasharan (played by thespian Ashok Kumar) accepts the daughter in law of the house along with her little son Kabul, wiser in the aftermath of Satyapriya’s demise and the courage shown by Kabul who has no qualms about coming to terms with his forbidden roots.

In sharp contrast, it took the old man a whole lifetime to absorb sublime truths, which even his high caste birth and authority over sacred scriptures could not unfold for his benefit.

The first-rate rendition and elucidation of the Bhagwad Geeta shloka by Dada Muni (???? ????????? ????????? ???? ???? ?????? ? ???? ?????????????? ? ???????????? ?) is one among the film’s most enduring high points, made simple for the consumption of the common man, and made special by the the directorial ingenuity of the subsequent cinematic transition into a nothingness wedded to the ultimate truth. ?????????

The film is blessed with a fitting support cast, the then nascent and promising Sanjeev Kumar as Satyapriya’s pragmatic pal Naren, the best possible version of Sharmila Tagore as Satyapriya's wife Ranjana, the adorable Satyajit Ray regular Robi Ghosh as one of Satyapriya’s colleagues, Tarun Bose as the likeable and humane antagonist Mr. Laadia, the great character actor David in an unlikely role with negative shades, and baby Sarika as Kabul.

Post ‘Satyakam’, Mukherjee prudently placed faith in light-hearted comedies that found easy acceptance among the masses; he was quick to realise that although audiences may care for the truth, they don’t necessarily wish to pursue it on the silver screen.

That he still managed to raise the art of his craft to soaring heights bears testimony to his greatness which manifested best in ‘Satyakam’, and in good measure in the ahead-of-its-time anthology ‘Musafir’, and other incisive attempts like 'Anuradha', '‘Anand’, 'Alaap', 'Bawarchi', 'Abhimaan', 'Jurmana', 'Namak Haraam' and 'Gaban'.

Pic courtesy: ? Jai Arjun Singh