Released in 1974
9/10
Genre- Drama, Arthouse
Main Cast: Raakhee, M.K. Raina
Music- Hariprasad Chaurasia & Bhubaneshwar Mishra
Story- Based on “Athara Sooraj Ke Paudhe” by Ramesh Bakshi
Screenplay: Awtar Krishna Kaul
Direction- Awtar Krishna Kaul

Raakhee and M.K. Raina in a scene from “27 Down (1974)”

BRIEF INTRODUCTION Based on Ramesh Bakshi’s novel, the story revolves around Sanjay (played by M.K. Raina), a Railway employee. The film describes events from his life, his inevitable connection to the Railways, his growing-up years, and how his father (played by Om Shivpuri) dominantly affected his life choices from childhood to adulthood. Sanjay accepts all his father’s wishes without saying a word, even gives up his dream of becoming an artist, and agrees to join the Railways, he somehow adjusts himself between his father and the railway tracks. But this changes when he meets Shalini (played by Raakhee) and falls in love with her. And the major conflict starts when Sanjay’s father gets him married to another girl (played by Rekha Sabnis) against his wish. How does Sanjay pacify himself? What happens to Shalini? And more importantly, what happens to Sanjay & Shalini’s short-lived relationship concludes the film.

M.K. Raina and Raakhee in a scene from “27 Down (1974)”

The Movie 27 Down feels like an unexplored dimension of story-telling in Indian Cinema (the 70s) breaking so many stereotypes. For a 1974 film, when the mainstream was in a completely different zone of filmmaking,
27 Down delivered a true masterpiece of cinema, a cluttered-free straightforward narrative in a unique non-linear form (huge for the 70s), the Black & White Cinematography, the use of real locations, honest and natural performances by the cast and an extraordinary vision for the film by Awtar Krishna Kaul. Additionally, the train art design of the film was by Bansi Chandragupta, who also designed the amazing train set for Manikda’s (Satyajit Ray) Black & White classic “Nayak (1966)”.

a scene from “27 Down (1974)”

Note 27 Down deals with an important issue of a typical middle-class family. Because our parents want the best of everything for us, many a time, they act very overprotectively in a lot of matters. But sometimes, this overprotectiveness can simply transform into a never-ending suffocation, like in the case of Sanjay in 27 Down. To ensure security (be of any kind) in someone’s life, our loved ones, we cannot control every aspect of their lives.

P.S. “27 Down” won two National Awards in 1974, for Best Feature Film in Hindi and Best Cinematography (Apurba Kishore Bir).

In case you missed the previous post, here’s the link: https://perfectmisenscene.com/?p=787