Mohan Joshi Haazir Ho! (1984)
Director: Saeed Akhtar Mirza; Writer: Saeed Akhtar Mirza, Yusuf Mehta, Ranjit Kapoor, Sudhir Mishra; Producer: Saeed Akhtar Mirza; Cinematographer: Virendra Saini; Editor: Renu Saluja; Cast: Salim Ghouse, Mohan Gokhale, Rohini Hattangadi, Pankaj Kapoor, Amjad Khan, Deepti Naval, Dina Pathak, Bhisham Sahni, Naseeruddin Shah, Satish Shah, Ashutosh Thakur
Duration: 01:54:46; Aspect Ratio: 1.333:1; Hue: 348.837; Saturation: 0.082; Lightness: 0.444; Volume: 0.252; Cuts per Minute: 10.639; Words per Minute: 91.008
Summary: Mirza’s parody on housing legislation tells of
Mohan Joshi (Sahni, the well-known novelist
and brother of Balraj Sahni in his screen
debut), a retired clerk who lives with his wife
(Pathak) in an old Bombay tenement. Joshi
sues his landlord, the evil property developer
Kundan Kapadia (Khan), which starts a
complicated and expensive legal procedure
conducted by the slick lawyer Malkani
(N. Shah). Eventually Joshi realises that one
cannot win against entrenched economic
powers. In the end, when the judge comes to
see the condition of the building for himself,
Kapadia’s men quickly cover its rickety walls
with a coat of paint and Joshi, unable to control
his anger, goes berserk and demolishes the
place, making it collapse on to his own head.
Mirza’s allegorical approach, using a crudely
Brechtian idea of surface realism, allows him to
cast the noted screen villain Amjad Khan (cf.
Sholay, 1975) as the property developer with
lather dripping from his chin or eating a leg of
mutton.
censor certificate
PPF housing
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Bambai Mumbai! Welcome to Bombay, through the eyes of a tour guide, who extols the pride and identity of Bombay, its iconic buildings and teeming multitudes, a rhythm-analysis of the city, speed, accident, anonymity - bodies stuck together with love (for the city?!). Its Neon, its night. The song soon shifts registers, a montage of port, mills and chemical industries. Bombay makes half the wealth of the country. Finally, the Brechtian choral song changes tune, the montage turns satirical and shots of skyscrapers share frames with the homeless on the footpaths, or with dense shanties. This Bombay anthem ends with the narrator taking us into the life of the central protagonist. Lyrics by Madhosh Bilgrami, who also wrote the dialogue and lyrics for
Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai.
Lyrics: Madhosh Bilgrami
Song: Bambai... Mumbai!
Bombay song
bombay songs
cars
truck, cars, auto. motorcycle
hand cycle
bullock cart
trucks, car, bus
song
T: Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho, 1984 Saeed Mirza
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taxi, cycle
Mumbai traffic
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taxis
cars, bike
train, taxi
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bus
Mumbai local crowd
track walking
taxis
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taxi
hand cycle, cars
hand car, cycle
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taxis, bike, truck, cycle, handcar, bus
traffic
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The title song ends with an introduction to Mohan Joshi, the 60 year-old angry protagonist played by Bisham Sahni, novelist and playwright who was closely associated with IPTA and the Progressive Writers Association. Dina Pathak, also from IPTA plays his partner. The film is set in Taher Manzil, a chawl in Do Tanki, Mumbadevi, an locality where Saeed will return to film much of Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro.
chawl
scooter
bus, fire brigate
PPF housing
Visit to landlord.
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PPF housing
Landlord
overlay
Repairs Board
overlay
Repairs Board
Sent to Repairs Board.
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Early SRA scheme
Deluxe
The Deluxe Flat Conspiracy! Developers advice the chawl owner to let the building dilapidate to the extent that it will fall on its own. And then no need to rehabilitate the tenants in new low-cost flats, the plot can be redeveloped for only deluxe flats.
PPF housing
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PPF Court rumblings
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Bribe them, intimidate them, frustrate them. They will give in or give up. On this site, will be a 25 storey building with deluxe flats!
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Speculation
taxi
fire brigade
Song: Hai re mukadama
cars
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The gutter water from leaking pipes mixes with the drinking water!
This lampooning, melodramatic comic scene, ends with the Judge accepting the invitation to visit the chawl. A historic event that will go down in the annals of juridical history in golden letters!
Housing2
PPF Court
Bombay arguments
Judge
The Judge visits the chawl. An event that seems to be taken from the the incident of Justice Lentin visiting the Kamraj Nagar basti in 1982 in the wake of CM Antulay's Operation Demolition. Harun Mirza announces his arrival.
A protracted court battle of 6 years. Justice delayed is justice denied. Mohan Joshi puts an end to his struggle for housing.
The End
Judge visits chawl
The judge as witness.
witness
PPF housing
catharsis
Mohan Joshi dislodges a bamboo column that is supporting the dilapidated chawl.
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Descent into Chaos
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PPF housing
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