Jago Hua Savera

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Commercial failure, critical hit

CELLULOID MAGIC - Jago Hua Savera, a gem of a movie collaboration Oct 18 2016 : The Times of India

Imagine this. A rare neo-realist Pakistani feature film depicting the lives of struggling fishermen is lost to history. A desperate search over a decade results in the print being traced to France. The black-and-white film is in miserable condition; so it is digitally re-mastered and subtitled.

First released in 1959, `Jago Hua Savera' ­­ described recently by The Guardian as “Pakistan's first serious attempt at modernist cinematic realism“ ­­ is treasure for every serious movie buff. The film involved artistes from India, Pakistan and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Its screenplay and lyrics were written by Faiz Ahmed Faiz, among the greatest Urdu poets of revolution and desire. The songs were composed by Timir Baran, regarded the father of Indian symphony orchestra. The aching `Ab chhodo gham ki baat' and the consoling `Ghabrao mat majhi' are compositions fused with empathetic poetry . The female lead was played by the compelling Tripti Mitra, who was the wife of legendary theatre personality Sombhu Mitra.

Shot on the outskirts of Dhaka with Khan Ataur Rehman of East Pakistan playing the male lead, the film is loosely based on `Padma Nadir Majhi' written by Manik Bandopadhyay , one of the most distinctive voices in 20th century Bengali literature.

Another highlight is the evocative photography by British cinematographer Walter Lassally , who later won an Oscar for `Zorba the Greek' (1964). One scene shows a tired fisherman breathing hard, followed by a fish gasping for breath ­­ thus drawing parallels in their lives.

The film was directed by A J Kardar, brother of A R Kardar who gave hits like Dillagi (1949). Jago Hua Savera flopped when released in Pakistan but bagged gold medal at Moscow Film Festival.