Naya daur second show

B.R. Films is all set to release Naya Daur in colour, reports V.Gangadhar

ANAND Villa on 15th Road, Santacruz, a Mumbai suburb could be a temple of love for a Hindi film buff. Its walls are full of photographs of classic films bearing the B.R. Chopra banner, Afsana, Dhool Ka Phool, Dharamatma, Kanoon, Waqt and so on. The patriarch, now in his 80s, is in good health but seldom attends office. That does not mean, B.R.Films is resting on his past laurels. The box office success of the Amitabh Bachchan-Hema Malini starrer Baghbaan directed by his son Ravi Chopra came as a timely boost.

"We are ready with the shooting schedule of our next film Babul and the work will start from February" said youthful looking Ravi Chopra. "The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, along with Salman Khan and Rani Mukherjee. It has a social, family theme but is not a sequel to Baghbaan explained Chopra (Jr).

B R Films is also busy with the production of TV serials. "Our schedule in the coming days will be hectic," said Ravi Chopra. "We plan to make two feature films and about six TV serials per year."

I was eager to know about the release of the colour version of the B R films classic, "Naya Daur’ which had been scheduled for a January release. "There is a delay," explained Ravi Chopra. "The colour version will not be released before next August". There are unavoidable reasons for the delay. B R Films had opted for the most modern 3 K Resolution colouring process considered to be the best in the world. "It is a rather slow process," explained Chopra. "We have completed colouring seven reels so far, and the results are excellent."
Clearly the colour version of Naya Daur is a labour of love for B R Films. "We are not concerned with the time, but the quality of the colour processs," said Chopra. The colour tints were finalised in the USA and the process was being done both here and in the US. The entire process was expected to cost around Rs three crore and Chopra explained they were not doing it for making money but for acquainting the modern generation with one of the great classics of Hindi cinema.

Naya Daur released in 1957, with Dilip Kumar and Vyjayantimala in the lead, was the biggest hit from B.R. films with a theme which pitted the indomitable spirit of man against the machine invasion. It had a great screenplay, memorable songs and unforgettable acting. The film also dealt with patriotism in a positive manner and generations of viewers loved it. B.R/Chopra wanted to make the original film in colour, but technology in India had not advanced to that level in 1957. In fact, colour came to the vogue in Hindi cinema from the early 1960s.

"My father made classic films in black and white and we don’t want them to be forgotten," said Ravi Chopra. "Today’s generations are more familiar with colour cinema and we want them to see Naya Daur in full glory in colour. You see, it has a lot of spectacle, like the race between the bus and the horse cart even while stressing the value of tradition. The film will retain its original 18 reels and run for about three hours."

Unlike another legendary film released recently in colour, Mughal-e-Azam, the Chopras had not introduced any changes in Naya Daur. Ravi Chopra admired the initiative to release Mughal-e- Azam in colour and happy that it was making money all over India. He was frank enough to give his personal opinion on the K. Asif classic. "I felt it could have been better. The colour conversion process was not upto the mark. How can a mahal be shown with a bluish tinge?" he wondered.

Ravi Chopra was keenly awaiting the results of the Naya Daur experiment. If it turned out to be successful in the box office, B R films will go for the colouring of all the seven black and white classics made by B R Chopra. As Ravi Chopra explained, " For years, colour has come to stay and it is our duty to present these classics to future generations in colour."

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