Do Bigha Zamin (1953)

 ●  Hindi ● 2 hrs 21 mins

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Realist drama about a small landowner, Shambhu (Sahni) which opens with a song celebrating the rains that put an end to two seasons of drought, Hariyala sawan dhol bajata aaya. Shambhu and his son Kanhaiya (R Kumar) have to go and work in Calcutta to repay their debt to the merciless local zamindar (Sapru) in order to retain their ancestral two acres of land. The sentimentally portrayed peasants bid farewell to the departing Shambhu and his son with the song Bhai re, ganga aur jamuna ki dharti kahe pukar ke. In Calcutta, Shambhu becomes a rickshaw-puller, facing numerous hardships that lead to his near-fatal accident, the death of his wife (N. Roy) who joins him in the city and, inevitably, the loss of his land to speculators who build a factory on it.

Cast: Balraj Sahni, Nirupa Roy

Crew: Bimal Roy (Director), Kamal Bose (Director of Photography), Salil Choudhury (Music Director)

Rating: U (India)

Genres: Drama

Release Dates: 01 Jan 1953 (India)

Hindi Name: दो बीघा ज़मीन

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Did you know? This was the first film to win the Filmfare Award for Best Picture in 1954. Bimal Roy also won the Best Director award for the film. Read More
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Film Type:
Feature
Language:
Hindi
Colour Info:
Black & White
Sound Mix:
Mono
Frame Rate:
24 fps
Aspect Ratio:
1.33:1, 2.35:1
Stereoscopy:
No
Trivia:
In a then unheard of practice, Balraj Sahni actually rehearsed for the role by pulling a rickshaw on the streets of Calcutta, in order to better prepare for the role. He interacted with many rickshaw pullers and some of them were facing the same situation as portrayed in the movie.

The movie got its name from a famous poem by Rabindranath Tagore, called "Dui Bigha Jomi". Bimal Roy distributed the film abroad with the name "Calcutta - The Cruel City".

This was the first film to win the Filmfare Award for Best Picture in 1954. Bimal Roy also won the Best Director award for the film.

Inspired by Italian neo-realistic cinema, Bimal Roy made 'Do Bigha Zameen' after watching Vittorio De Sica's 'Bicycle Thieves' (1948).