Once upon a noir: Hindi films that showcase neo-noir or Bombay noir

Vinayak Chakravorty

Sriram Raghavan’s new film ‘Merry Christmas’ started the year on a high for Hindi cinema buffs of ‘different’ thrillers. As it happens with every new release of the maverick filmmaker, his latest, too, got many fans dissecting the one aspect that makes Raghavan’s films an unusual experience. They impeccably blend neo-noir and mainstream masala, and this suspense drama, starring Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi in career-defining roles, has fans excitedly discussing the aspect. Was it neo-noir? A revisit of classic Bombay Noir?

Strictly, ‘Merry Christmas’ is an old-school romantic thriller with a hint of neo-noir elements, rather than a neo-noir narrative packaged as a thriller like, say, Raghavan’s early features ‘Ek Hasina Thi’ or ‘Johnny Gaddaar’. Retaining the filmmaker’s fetish for quiet, quirky humour, the characters in ‘Merry Christmas’ display noir staples — they are flawed, morally ambiguous, hide dark secrets and are unavoidably done in by fate.

Film noir, meaning ‘dark film’ in French, is typified by protagonists seeped in cynicism or fatalism. Theirs is a dangerous world overrun by greed and crime, often brought alive by lighting effect and background notes of jazz and blues. Film noir uses flashbacks to insert twists that trigger suspense as well as moral quandary. The moody genre is aptly summarised in American critic Michael Dirda’s words: “In classic noir fiction and film, it is always hot. Fans whirr in sweltering hotel rooms, sweat forms on a stranger’s brow, the muggy air stifles — one can hardly breathe. Come nightfall, there is no relief, only the darkness that allows illicit lovers to meet, the trusted to betray, and murderers to act.” The genre, bearing inspiration of German Expressionist cinema, reached a creative high in Hollywood of the 1940s and ’50s.

In Bollywood, film noir evolved through the ’50s and ’60s although Chetan Anand’s ‘Neecha Nagar’ was an early attempt in 1946. The film was based on Maxim Gorky’s play ‘The Lower Depths’ and a joint Best Film winner at Cannes. ‘Neecha Nagar’ was an arthouse gem that never released in India. Rather, the film that began it all commercially was Guru Dutt’s directorial debut ‘Baazi’ (1951).

‘Baazi’ would kickstart the genre presently called Bombay Noir. The film, starring Dev Anand with Geeta Bali and Kalpana Kartik, bore influences of the Hollywood releases ‘Gilda’ and ‘The Asphalt Jungle’. Narrating the story of a gambler who gets mixed up with the mob, ‘Baazi’ was an early mainstream attempt capturing the world of flawed urban denizens, shifting from alleys to slums to smoky nightclubs.

By the time Dutt returned with ‘Jaal’ a year later, Bombay Noir had taken off. Toplining Dev Anand and Geeta Bali, the box-office hit established the antihero as a saleable entity. Dutt scored again with the self-directed noir comedy ‘Aar Paar’ in 1954, while Anand’s 1967 caper ‘Jewel Thief’, directed by Vijay Anand, emerged among his biggest hits. Dev Anand also starred in the Guru Dutt-produced ‘CID’ in 1956, a film that ushered Raj Khosla into the big league of directors. Khosla’s filmography through the Sixties (‘Bombai Ka Babu’ in 1960, ‘Woh Kaun Thi?’ in 1964, ‘Mera Saaya’ in 1966, ‘Anita’ in 1967) balanced drama, Gothic tones or supernatural elements with noir in a way reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock’s oeuvre. Hitchcockian influence in style and storytelling was also evident in Bimal Roy’s ‘Madhumati’ (1958), starring Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala, and Biren Nag’s ‘Kohraa’ (1964), featuring Waheeda Rehman and Biswajeet. The distinct genre brought to focus the versatility in directors such as KA Abbas (the Raj Kapoor-Nargis starrer ‘Anhonee’ in 1952), Sombhu Mitra and Amit Maitra (‘Jaagte Raho’ in 1956, starring Raj Kapoor-Nargis), Pramod Chakravarty (‘12 O’Clock’ in 1958, starring Guru Dutt and Waheeda Rehman) and Shakti Samanta (‘Howrah Bridge’, starring Ashok Kumar and Madhubala in 1958). There was the Yash Chopra-directed ‘Ittefaq’ (1969), too, starring Rajesh Khanna and Nanda.

There was a basic difference between Bombay Noir and the way the West made noir films. A Hindi film was unthinkable without mainstream frills, particularly songs, and one of the biggest triumphs of Bombay Noir makers lay in seamlessly weaving lip-sync situations into the bleakest of plots. Some of the biggest musical hits of the era happen to be noir-themed.

For the few years it lasted, Bombay Noir caught popular fancy, highlighting the sordid side of a vibrant young nation. Bollywood’s romance with the defeatist genre would, however, end by the time the Angry Young Man rose in the 1970s. It would be a while before cinema saw a generic comeback, this time as neo-noir in Europe and Hollywood. Bollywood had to follow suit.

Neo-noir echoes film noir in terms of style and portraying flawed antiheroes. Common plot pushers include deceit, murder, morally ambiguous characters and illicit love. The differences lie in the fact that neo-noir is a generic evolution. With time, themes had to reflect societal changes and advanced filmmaking techniques. Fritz Lang’s black-and-white noir gave way to the psychedelia of Nicolas Winding Refn and, as neo-noir classics such as ‘Reservoir Dogs’, ‘Oldboy’, ‘Mulholland Drive’, ‘Pulp Fiction’ or Coen Brothers’ films underline, disillusionment and violence are heavier here.

In Bollywood, Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee, Vishal Bharadwaj and Sriram Raghavan have worked with neo-noir, echoing new-age angst and insecurities, and catering to a target audience aware of world cinema, particularly gritty European noir. With OTT, neo-noir found a new groove as shows like ‘Sacred Games’, ‘Mirzapur’, ‘Paatal Lok’ and ‘Delhi Crime’ prove. In fact, thrillers such as ‘NH10’ and ‘Manorama Six Feet Under’ saw a warmer reception from discerning OTT viewers than in cinemas. In a market where feel-good dictates the big screen, noir has obviously survived in small spaces.