1971, directed by Amrit Sagar and headlined by Manoj Bajpayee, released in March 2007, along with eight other films. The film tanked at the box office and put debutant Sagar’s career at stake.
Cut to 2020, and the announcement of the nation-wide lockdown on March 23. Suddenly, many social media users start sharing the YouTube link of the film, and within days, the film begin getting views in millions. By now, it has received more than 17 million views, a social media blockbuster by any standard.
A tinge of disbelief can be traced in Sagar’s voice.
“The country went into lockdown on March 23 and on March 26, Manoj tagged me in a tweet. Somebody’s father wanted to watch the film. I am not very active on social media, so I simply shared my private Vimeo link on a personal window. Then I thought of putting it on my YouTube channel and gave the link to Manoj. He tweeted it. That’s all we did,” says Sagar.
It’s not that the film wasn’t appreciated in its limited circle. In fact, it won the National Award for the Best Feature Film In Hindi in 2009.
“There was some problem with the National Awards, so it was delayed. About a year and a half later, I wake up and see some 25 missed calls from the film’s crew, so I thought somebody died (laughs),” says Sagar.
Manoj Bajpayee, who had already established himself as the poster boy of alternate cinema by then, talks about the other side of the situation.
He says, “Amrit wasn’t happy with the way it was released. At smaller centres, potential viewers didn’t even know about the film. We lost touch with each other after the project, and went on with our lives, but this film was always on my mind. I knew somebody in Film Division, so I asked him to let me know about the process of sending films for the National Awards. One day I got a call from him that the time to apply has come but Amrit was reluctant. After a little cajoling, he finally submitted the film at the last hour.”
Bajpayee adds, “When I gave him the news, he thought I was joking. At no point did I feel any loss in my conviction towards the film.”
Bajpayee, every now and then, kept getting the request for the link of 1971 on Twitter, and kept tagging Sagar (also the producer) in his replies.
He says, “When the OTT channels came in prominence, I got after his life to release it on one of the platforms. Finally, one day he said that he has uploaded the film on YouTube. I just asked him to tweet it with a good creative. The rest happened organically.”
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The actor even jokes about the staggering number of views 1971 has been receiving. “Mera toh 1 crore views aa jaaye toh main Salman Khan ho jaaun. To be frank, even big hits don’t get such footfall.”
Sagar thinks that the film needed at least a two-week run in the halls. He recalls how 1971 got lost in a crowd of films. He says, “There were nine films that released on the same day. I was adamant on a solo release but that didn’t happen. I was sitting and doing an interview at a Kolkata cinema hall when the film released. I wanted to watch the film, but the manager didn’t look very keen on taking me to the theatre. However, we went inside the hall when a night scene was going on. Then came the day scene and I looked back and realised that it was only me and the manager in the hall.”
It must have been really hard for a first-timer. He says with a sigh, “When your film doesn’t do well then even the assistant directors start telling you how to make a film.”
1971 wasn’t a financial loss though. Sagar says, “The film didn’t lose money, thanks to satellite rights and other deals. Nobody lost anything except me. You know how the industry works. One unsuccessful film gives people the right to judge your talent.”
Is he relieved now that the film has finally received what it deserved? “I always knew I have made a good film. I guess the audience has also matured.”
Bajpayee points out that such social media trends can actually be the beginning of something special. He says, “If the content is not good then no amount of promotion can save the product. In fact, it will have a reverse effect. My online short films—Kriti, Ouch and Tandav—and web show The Family Man, have taught me that the probably the battle of getting people to the theatre is over. They will now decide for themselves.”
The online success of 1971 after thirteen years of theatrical release can remind some of those literary geniuses who came to limelight many years after their death. Sagar concludes with a big laugh, “Every author of this product is alive till date.”
Interact with Rohit Vats at Twitter/@nawabjha
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