Sikandar - A movie that many tended to use as the benchmark

Sikandar was made in 1941. That is 70 years ago. In fact it released the same year Orson Welles’s “Citizen Kane” was released in America. “Citizen Kane” is often considered the greatest movie of all time by many. It is always on the list of top 100 that different portals and magazines and channels in America keep coming up with. I watched that a few years back and just didn’t understand why it is considered to be such a great movie. Maybe it has something to do with not having the right cultural information or background.

Sikander, was another movie praised by many of my father’s generation. My father himself is a big fan of this movie. Anytime I said some actor looked good or handsome, he would tell me how handsome Prithviraj Kapoor looked in  Sikandar. Having been disappointed with “Citizen Kane”, I expected to be disappointed by Sikandar; at least to some extent.  And I had seen Prithviraj Kapoor only an old person – in “Mughal-E-Azam”, in “Kal Aaj Aur Kal” etc.  I did like him in “Kal, Aaaj Aur Kal”, but not in “Mughal-E-Azam”. In fact I didn’t like “Mughal-E-Azam” at all. But that’s a different topics altogether.

So I was watching Siakndar, expecting to be disappointed. But I wanted to see it so that next time when my father told me about it, I could say, “I have seen it and I don’t think its good at all”. And now you know what is coming, right? I was completely surprised by this movie. The print was not very good, and still I could see and feel the magic.

 I can just imagine the kind of storm it must have created in 1941! Pritviraj Kapoor does look very handsome. He also looks very well built and muscular. And he looks so young and charming; he has a wonderful smile. Yes, I could understand why he would be considered the benchmark to measure all other actors who came after him in terms of physic and handsomeness.

Vanmala who plays Rukhsana, Alexander’s Iranian lover and is the heroine of the movie was another surprise. I had seen her earlier in a Marathi movie (“Shamchi Aaai”) as the ever-suffering, non-complaining, too good to be true mother of Sham (Sane Guruji). It was so difficult to believe that this girl, who was so playful and young and lively, was actually her.

The movie is a great epic, with some wonderful scenes of the army; the cavalry charging out. It has really powerful dialogs. And in 1941, they must have had such an impact! I even liked the songs. Especially “Jindagi Hai Pyar Se” and “Sawan Ke Din Aaye Re”.

I think people who like to explore, people who like to see different kind of movies, will definitely like it. If you pick this movie to watch, watch it for the following things –

·        Prithviraj Kapoor – looks really good as Alexander! (I don’t know if Alexander was this handsome and well built)

·        Vanmala – big surprise as Rukhsana J

·        Sohrab Modi – as the King Puru

·        The scenes of big army, the cavalry riding out

·        The costumes & art direction

·        The powerful dialogs – and their patriotic appeal. Imagine people hearing these in 1941.

·        The songs – the feel they give

·        Overall the direction and the flow of the movie