Mumbai Mumbai. Now that Manoj Kumar has retired, it is easy to ignore his significant contribution to commercial Hindi cinema. Ever since he officially took over the director's mantle with Upkar in 1967 (he had previously directed Deshbhakt Shaheed), Manoj Kumar has been lighting up the silver screen with star-studded, epic-sized mega-musical films. Purab Aur Paschim was made in 1970, Shor in 1972, followed by Roti Kapda Aur Makaan (RKAM) in 1974.
A brilliant piece about love, betrayal and unemployment, RKAM saw Manoj play the role of the common man India, the conscience of a nation suffering from the inability of the common man to deal with the increasing corruption and pressures of a compromised life in our society. While Lal Bahadur Shastri's slogan Jai Jawan Jai Kisan was inspired, RKAM was inspired by Indira Gandhi's Garibi Hatao slogan. So, in a scene full of angry drama, Manoj Kumar, playing Bharat, burns his university degree in his father's funeral pyre.
Despite the play's obvious political undercurrents, RKAM is fundamentally a love triangle, in which unemployed protagonist Bharat (Manoj Kumar) is abandoned by his ambitious girlfriend Sheetal (Zeenat Aman), who instead marries wealthy industrialist Mohan Babu (Shashi Kapoor). ) chooses to marry. The symbolism-laden story makes excellent use of Laxmikant-Pyarelal's music, particularly Main Na Bhoolunga, which is repeated with ironic resonance to remind the heroine of her betrayal.
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