Analysing the Symbolism of the "Wall", the Question of Caste, and Revisionism of the "Angry Young Man" Trope in Deewar (1975) and Jhund (2022)
Deewar (1975) written by Salim-Javed and directed by Yash Chopra, is known as one of the classics of Bollywood cinema and gave Amitabh Bachan the identity of playing the character of the ‘angry young man’ in those times. Deewar goes on to portray the character of Vijay as one that has gone wayward due to his experiences in life but at the same time justifies his actions based on the psychological traumas he has faced as a child which is incorporated in many scenes as well as dialogues. The childhood representation of Vijay’s life gives insights into how the whole trope of ‘angry young man’ rises from the nuances of justice, the lack of it and the need for it. The character of his father, Anand is also portrayed to be someone who gets infuriated at the acts of injustice and goes on to stand up for himself and his workers but fails at his quest as his family’s life is in danger. This shows how the trope caters to an ideology of how beneath all the masculine anger lies an emotional ‘family man’ who can be conquered by love. This is prominent in the case of Vijay’s character as well. The representation of masculinity comes in the form of the need to provide and take an alpha stance in terms of making sure justice is served to those who are treated wrongly. The confidence the character portrays until his lover is killed is also shown in the movie.
The distinction between good and evil, right and wrong is portrayed in the film through the characters of the brothers Ravi and Vijay respectively. The former gets the opportunity to be educated which paints him the light of someone who is civilized and neat as compared to the latter who is initially shown as shabby and unkempt, referring to the differences between someone who is educated and someone who is working as a dock worker. Vijay’s anger as a character can be noticed throughout the film in the simple instance of exploring how he never even once smiled a hearty smile. There was an underlying seriousness relevant throughout the movie.
While analysing the ‘Deewar’ or the wall mentioned in the movie, we see how it is used as a symbolism to portray the differences and disparities between the rich and the poor and classes as well as hierarchies and justice in the case of good and evil. Vijay’s character lies on the side of the wall that has become a part of the higher class due to his new earned money but justifies this using his childhood trauma and all that he has gone through in life. Ravi is on the side of the wall that caters to justice for all classes and believes that whatever money one earns must be honest and the rich are not completely honest which drives him to take up his brother’s case after the incident with the child shooting. Caste is not a prominent factor that was represented in cinema during those times, but the distinctions of class are clearly evident even when Ravi talks about the stark difference between him and Veeru.
The transformation of how Amitabh Bachan has been portrayed as the ‘angry young man’ in the early life of his career to the change that has come about in recent characters (Robert & Owens, n.d.), such as the case of Vijay Borade in Jhund (2022) is clearly visible. His characterization of an old man who is to be a retired coach is however portrayed with some nuances of an ‘angry young man’ but a mellowed down version in terms of pride and wanting to not take financial aid in order to fund the children of the slum. However, the revision of the ‘angry young man’ is more evident through the character of Ankush (Don) who is shown as someone who rebels and picks up fights as if it is his right to do so. Even in this scenario his anger is justified based on the background he comes from creating a stereotype of how people from the slums are known to be uncivilized which is also seen when the children dress up to play against the college team insinuating that they lack common sense. Ankush, however, manages to reform his ways and take the higher ground because of the opportunities that come his way and his realization of how he could change his life which is strongly symbolized in the airport scene where he is finally able to walk freely through the detector after throwing away his knife in the bin. In past representations, this change is always portrayed to happen because of the influence of a woman, as seen in Deewar, insinuating the trope that a woman’s job is to ‘fix’ a man.
The symbolism and significance of the ‘wall’ in Jhund is very representative of the stake difference between class and caste as there is a gate blocking the entry from one side to the other, out of which it is permissible for the upper caste to enter freely into the slum but the people from the slum are stopped by the security guards to come into the football field and have to always ‘jump’ or ‘climb over’ in order to enter the field. It shows how the lower castes lack accessibility and also how the coach Vijay becomes a sense of agency for the same because he is the reason they cross to the other side through the gate. More importantly we see how football creates this agency in a stronger manner as there is no doubt regarding their talent.
In such a manner we see how both movies showcase a symbolism of the wall with respect to class, caste and also how there is revision of the trope of the angry young man and how the two Vijays are distinct with the notion of time, modernity and globalization.
Works Cited
Chauhan, V. (2019). From Sujata to Kachra : Decoding Dalit representation in popular Hindi cinema From Sujata to Kachra : Decoding Dalit representation in popular Hindi cinema. South Asian Popular Culture, 00(00), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/14746689.2019.1673544
Edachira, M. (2020). Anti-caste Aesthetics and Dalit Interventions in Indian Cinema. 47–53.
Imtiaz, M., 2022. Who is Vijay Barse, the role Amitabh Bachchan is playing in new movie 'Jhund'?. [online] Thebridge.in. Available at: <https://thebridge.in/featured/who-vijay-barse-the-role-amitabh-bachchan-is-playing-new-movie-jhund/?infinitescroll=1.
Mitra, S. (2020). From ‘ Angry Young Man ’ to ‘ Benevolent Patriarch ’: Amitabh Bachchan , Bollywood stardom and the remaking of post-liberalization India From ‘ Angry Young Man ’ to ‘ Benevolent Patriarch ’ : Amitabh. South Asian Popular Culture, 00(00), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/14746689.2020.1733811
Robert, J., & Owens, H. (n.d.). From Angry Young Man to Elder Statesman: Amitabh Bachchan and the Effects Of GLobalization on the Hindi Film Industry.
Saavi, M., 2022. Jhund triumphs but with a flawed depiction of Ambedkarite movement. [online] Newslaundry. Available at: <https://www.newslaundry.com/2022/03/08/jhund-triumphs-but-with-a-flawed-depiction-of-ambedkarite-movement.
Singh, A., & Abdul, E. P. (2021). Asian Journal of Social Science Caste in contemporary Bollywood movies : An analysis of the portrayal of characters. Asian Journal of Social Science, 49(2), 93–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajss.2021.01.003
Tieber, C. (2015). Writing the Angry Young Man : Salim-Javed ’ s screenplays for Amitabh Bachchan. August. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.1.3531.9529
Wankhede, H. (n.d.). Dalit Representation in Bollywood Dalit Representation in Bollywood.