Doctor Usman Latif Khawaja MB, MRCP UK;

Ireland; STA London Royal College of Physicians
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 out of 5 stars
MITHUN'S MASTERACT IN MRINAL'S MASTERPIECE
The Sovereign Cinematic Genesis of Primal Sovereignty
Official Global Accolades & Triumphs:
Winner: National Film Award for Best Feature Film (1976)
Winner: National Film Award for Best Actor – Mithun Chakraborty (1976)
Nominee: Golden Prize – 10th Moscow International Film Festival (1977)
The Uncompromised Full Cast: Mithun Chakraborty (Ghinua), Mamata Shankar (Dungri), Robert Wright (British Administrator), Sadhu Meher (Dungri's Father), Sajal Roy Chowdhury, Samit Bhanja, Jnanesh Mukherjee, Asit Bandopadhyay
Director & Writer: Mrinal Sen
Cinematographer: K.K. Mahajan
Music Composer: Salil Chowdhury
Released: 1976
Language: English / Hindi / Urdu / Tribal Dialects
Review Writer: Usman Khwaja ( jbz7879@hotmail.co.uk )
This is a testament to the great talent of Mrinal Sen and Mithun Chakraborty, who is the only actor in the history of Indian cinema to win the highest laurels—both national and international awards—in his debut act.
It is indeed a sheer pleasure to see him play a fearless young tribal man, proud and noble, exuding raw energy in every frame in a simple langooti (loincloth). He is the son of the local village headman, somewhere in the mountains of northeastern India in the last days of the British Raj, who loves a local young woman, Dungri [Mamata Shankar]. She happens to be abducted by a local moneylender in lieu of the debt of ten rupees owed by her father to the Mahajan. This man is the local equivalent of Shylock, except he holds nothing sacred. Whether it is a human life or a woman's virtue, he violates every code of ethics. In one scene where a child is eaten by a tiger, he consoles the grieving family by telling them that at least they have one less mouth to feed.
So begins the royal hunt (Mrigayaa): a proud warrior on a quest alone against a corrupt system, a solo young man in search of justice even if it has to be self-acquired, and a landmark in world cinema. I say so because the remarkable similarities between this movie and Apocalypto (2006) are too many to be coincidental—only Mel Gibson has not given any comments on his inspiration.
The character of the hunter who is also the quarry is a unique portrayal by Mithun. His eyes glow like fireballs set against his darkly handsome countenance with his superb physique. He looks more like a jaguar on the hunt, which is indeed royal by any comparison.
The subplot of his brief friendship with the local Anglo administrator, who befriends him and becomes his ardent admirer out of respect for his unique hunting talent, is a very relevant comment on the colonisation of India and the evils and benefits we derived from that experience. The sympathetic English woman who plays the wife of the commissioner is a symbol for the virtues the British brought to India along with the corruptions as well.
The setting is natural; no sets are erected. It is the Adivasi village, the colonial mansion, and the forest which serve as the playground for this masterclass in how to direct an entertaining movie on a shoestring budget. The symbolic white costumes reflect the purity of the two main characters, as does the rest of the simple yet totally relevant wardrobe used in the movie. The whites contrast brilliantly with the beautiful Black Dravidian bodies of Mithun and Mamata, a tribute to the natives of the subcontinent.
The cinematographer [K.K. Mahajan] is superb in the manner he conveys the calm and quiet, yet tracks the frenzy of the climax. The movie is shot using various techniques—it is perhaps one of the first movies in India where the camera is handheld to convey the feelings and experiences of the characters directly to the audience. The luscious greens of the tea estates and the rocky terrain alternatively help to build the mood of the movie from a soft core to a terrifying climax. The landscape plays a vital role in storytelling.
The background musical score by Salil Chowdhury is authentically ethnic, as is the movie, with tribal women chanting melodiously in a local dialect while reaping the harvest, or the simple tabla playing in a frenzy in the chase sequences culminating in a frantic mood.
The director is brilliant, to say the least. Every sequence is meticulously planned. The brilliant scene in the colonial compound where the triumvirate of the English administrator, the old Muslim guardsman, and Mithun talk about the remains of a human skull dug out from the grounds—reflecting on the vanity of human existence—is uniquely executed in English, Urdu, and Hindi. It symbolises the rich culture of the paradox that India is. Yet, Mrinal Sen doesn't betray his characters or the audience into sentimentality or unnecessary violent gore—a tribute to his aesthetic sense and to his cinematic genius.
He succeeds in making a master thriller without any stuntmen or special effects—a lesson for today's filmmakers who have turned our cinema into a circus. Mithun has done all his stunts, from the archery to the bare-hand fights, by himself in an extraordinary manner unique to this actor in an action thriller. The sequence where he chases and captures the deer is proof enough.
But then, the final accolade goes to Mithun in a role he was born to play. He symbolises India itself: raped, pillaged, and exploited, yet defiant, proud, and eternal. He is blessed with the soul of a martyr, yet humane enough to break the chains that try to bind it from time to time. They say every true artist is born to do one solo act that justifies their God-given talent. Mithun is indeed blessed that he found his dream come true in his debut role.
He is a spontaneously natural actor and doesn't need the help of methodism. He was perfectly cast and delivered more than required in this Indian masterpiece. There aren't enough adjectives in the English language to praise this performance. In a simple loincloth, his eyes doing most of the talking and his superb body language expressed through his perfectly athletic frame, he is stunning.
Mamata Shankar, with her innocent looks and simple beauty devoid of any makeup, matches him all the way. She, too, wears the same costume throughout the movie.
The movie was made at a time when glamour was the order of the day in Hindi cinema. Yet, this artful but effortless simplicity was a slap in the face for the makers who were exploiting—and still are—the simple audience through cheap gimmicks and melodrama. If you take your cinema seriously and haven't seen this movie, you are missing its greatest hour.