Flashback Bollywood: Naya Daur

BR Chopra's Naya Daur is well-made movie with riveting storyline. The movie get everything right except the title.

 

Listening to old songs rekindled my interest in old Hindi movies. As an ode to Hindi cinema as well as 

filling my bucket list, I have started the series FlashBack Bollywood where I revisit old Hindi movies. 

The post may contain spoilers. 

 

Will machines replace man? At the cusp of every technological advancement, this question inevitably 

pops up. And any fear, real or perceived, inevitably gets translated into the big-screen.  

Naya Daur is one such movie that explores this theme. But does it do a good job? 

Background

A little of background about the movie - Naya Daur (New Dawn). It is a 1957-hindi movie starring 

Dilip Kumar & Vyjayanthimala and directed by B.R.Chopra. The movie is centred around a village 

during the time when India just won independence. The two primary sources of livelihood in the village 

are factory workers and tongawallas. A harmonious village is thrown into disarray as city-educated 

zamindar’s son returns to the village and plans to replace the labour force with machines - using 

equipment instead of factory workers and buses instead of tongawallas for transportation. 

The protagonist, Dilip Kumar, decides to challenge the zamindar’s son, in a winner take all race 

between his tonga and the bus. If the machine (bus) wins, the villagers will accept the introduction of 

machines. But if man wins (technical tonga), then the bus has to stop plying. 

What the movie gets right

First, the movie is well-crafted with its crisp storytelling, exceptional acting, and captivating music. Even after rewatching it decades after its release, one never feels bored. The inclusion of a love triangle adds spice to the storyline while Johny Walker as reporter provides humour.

Second, the climactic scene is riveting, aided by an engaging background score that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats, despite the inevitable outcome.

Third, the film's biggest draw is how it evokes memories of another iconic movie, Lagaan. It's hard not to draw parallels between Lagaan and Naya Daur in almost every scene. Here's a simple comparison chart highlighting the similarities between the two films.

 

 

Theme	Naya Daur	Lagaan
Villager as a protagonist	Yes	Yes
Outsider as a villain	Yes. City-educated zamindar’s son	Yes.  The British
Practice that threatens the  livelihood of villagers	Yes.  Machine replacing local  workers	Yes. New tax laws
Antagonist throws a challenge to the protagonist	Yes	Yes
Protagonist accepts the  challenge despite villagers  protesting	Yes	Yes
Protagonist becomes a  pariah for some time before  villagers support him again	Yes	Yes
The climax of the movie is a  game	Yes A race.	Yes.  A cricket match
Love triangle between  protagonist, his love interest,  and other village guy	Yes	Yes
The other village guy tries to  sabotage the game	Yes	Yes

What the movie gets wrong

The title "Naya Daur" ("New Dawn"). How can a movie be heralded as Naya Daur (New Dawn) when the fight is between man and machine? It harks back to the times of the Luddites, 19th-century English textile workers who opposed and sabotaged new machines due to their fear of losing their livelihoods.

 

Technology is an enabler, not an obstacle, for growth. In fact, the utilization of machines like buses in the village would have actually benefited the villagers, as it would have improved connectivity, with tongawalas providing last-mile transportation. Similarly, the use of machines in factories would have increased the productivity of the workers and, consequently, improved the economic growth of the village. Unfortunately, good ideas do not always win the popularity contest.

Conclusion 

The movie, Naya Daur, rekindles the age old debate of man vs machine and in doing so, brings to the forth the fears that masses need to take adversarial position to the technology. Naya Daur stands the test of time in terms of movie-making but falls back to Purana Daur (Old Times) when it comes to ideas.