“Role of Hindi films in awakening the voters”, Organiser, May 14, 2024:
“In 1975 when Gulzar wanted to highlight the perils of draconian Emergency and how the then PM Indira Gandhi had used dictatorial powers to muzzle the media in a ruthless manner in his film Aandhi, the lyricist-turned-director would never have thought that he was about to create history.
He cast versatile actress Suchitra Sen in the title role and deliberately showed her sporting a black and white hairstyle, reminiscent of then PM, in his realistic film. Suchitra, a Bengali actress, looked and even acted in a way to help filmgoers identify her with the then PM. It was a novel idea by Gulzar.
The casting and change in hairdo became an instant hit and helped the aggrieved public – reeling with joblessness – to grasp the message that it was indeed the Prime Minister, who murdered democracy by putting seasoned media persons and those with Jan Sangh behind the bars……”
Read the full article at Organiser.org
