9 Best Bollywood Movies on Farmers and their Struggle to Survive

Best Bollywood Movies on Farmers

Best Bollywood Movies on Farmers

Have you seen a person covered in mud, working all day under the scorching sun and still smiling, carrying a long heavy wooden block and herding cattle? If yes, then you spotted a farmer in India. One of the most important pillars of our society who grow crops and cultivate land tirelessly so that we can eat. This is the land of Jai Jawan Jai Kisan, a slogan given by Shri. Lal Bahadur Shastri Ji, our late and beloved prime minister.

Below I have listed the 9 best Bollywood movies on farmers with a plot and their achievements.

Here is the list of 9 Best Bollywood Movies on Farmers

1. Kisan Kanya (1937)

Kisan Kanya (1937)

A crime drama focused on a poor farmer who became a prime suspect in a murder of a ruthless landlord as he used to get suppressed by him.

Kisan Kanya is a movie adapation of a book written by Saadat Hassan Manto. This movie is also remembered as the first color film of India. Earlier V.Shantaram produced a Marathi movie Sairandhri (1933) which had some scenes in color, but it was developed and printed in Germany.

2. Do Bigha Zamin (1953)

Do Bigha Zamin (1953)

Shambhu, a poor farmer got threatened by a merciless landlord to pay his debts, otherwise, he will lose his land. To protect his land and family Shambhu migrates to Calcutta and starts working as a rickshaw puller.

It is one of the cult classics of Bollywood Cinema. A memorable movie made by Bimal Roy is an adaptation of a Bengali poem written by Rabindranath Tagore. This was the first movie to have won Filmfare Best Movie Award and the first Indian movie to win the International Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Before that Neecha Nagar (1946) won the Palme d'Or (Grand Prize). This movie was a trendsetter for Indian Cinema. This film also got released in China and USSR and was critically acclaimed.

3. Mother India (1957)

Mother India (1957)

An iconic movie showing the plight of farmers and their families. Radha, whose husband left her with heavy debt and 2 children is ill-treated by the debt collector. However, she maintains her dignity and surpasses all the hurdles by cultivating her land and raising her 2 sons.

The movie is a remake of Aurat (1940), both of which were directed by Mehboob Khan. This movie was the most expensive in its time but collected more revenue comparatively. It has won many awards in India including Nargis as best actress and was nominated for Academy Award for Best International Feature Film making this the first Indian movie to be ever nominated.

4. Upkar (1967)

Upkar (1967)

The movie shows the time of 1965, a simpleton Bharat who is a farmer sacrificed his desires and send his younger brother Puran abroad for higher education. Puran returns back as a greedy man and laid eyes on the land and demands his share from Bharat. In between Indo-Pak war breaks out, Bharat has to leave for the battlefield. Then, Puran and his greedy in-laws start selling drugs in the market and other illegal things.

A movie based on a slogan, 'Jai Jawan Jai Kisan,' given by Shri. Lal Bahadur Shastri shows the 2 pillars of our nation; farmer and soldier. Shastri ji was already impressed by Manoj Kumar's Shaheed. This movie won many awards including Filmfare as well as National award. Those were the times when heroes and villains were typecasted, once a greedy pig always a greedy pig. This movie surprised the audience with respect to the versatility of the actors like Pran and Prem Chopra. They brought tears to the eyes of the audience rather than rage.

5. Manthan (1976)

Manthan (1976)

A young enthusiastic doctor (depiction of Verghese Kurien) visits a small village of Gujrat and he finds that poor people are cattle herders and milk producers and are underpaid, and this is the only livelihood they have. He decided to join hands with them and open up a co-operative society dairy and villagers will be the owners. And to accomplish his mission he has to pass the hurdles such as local politics, casteism, and most importantly trust of the villagers.

All-time classic movie by veteran movie maker Shaym Benegal inspired by a white revolution movement by Verghese Kurien, co-written by Vijay Tendulkar. Do you know who produced this movie, actually the right word is 'how many.' Yes, this movie was crowdfunded by 500,000 farmers making this movie the first crowdfunded Indian film. Won national awards in 1977 and the melodious song 'Mero Gaam Katha Parey' that won the Filmfare award became the soundtrack of Amul ad in television.

6. Lagaan (2001)

Lagaan (2001)

During the time of British rule, a revolutionary young man Bhuvan stands against the British tax collection. So, a British officer makes an offer to Bhuvan and villagers that they beat him and his team in a cricket match and win immunity to not pay tax for the next three years.

The movie was critically acclaimed worldwide and won many national and international film awards. Was also nominated for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film making it the third Indian movie to get nominated after Mother India (1957) and Salaam Bombay! (1988). It is also the third-longest Bollywood movie with a duration of 3 hours and 44 minutes. First two are Mera Naam joker and Sangam.

7. Kadvi Hawa (2017)

Kadvi Hawa (2017)

The movie is based on true stories from the Bundelkhand region, where without rain the farmers were unable to grow any food, and on the other hand, banks are pressuring them to pay the loans. This made many farmers commit suicide and fled off.

A blind father, Hedu is also tensed for his son who is also a farmer and is on the verge of suicide, on the other hand, Gunu a merciless bank agent faces fear for his family who are facing cyclones in Odisha. So, Gunu and Hedu join hands together and hatch a plan to help each other. Won a national award.

8. Paan Singh Tomar (2010)

Paan Singh Tomar (2010)

Based on a true story of a soldier, an athlete who won gold medals in Indian National Games seven times in a row in the steeplechase, who after retirement forced to become a Dacoit of Chambal valley as faced injustice from the system.

Well another story of a soldier and a farmer, but a tragic one. This movie won many accolades worldwide and the film was not only successful in parallel cinema but also in commercial cinema too. A masterpiece from Tigmanshu Dhulia framing Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui at their best.

9. Peepli Live (2010)

Peepli Live (2010)

A dark comedy movie focuses on the sensitive topic of farmer's suicide. Two drunkard brothers Natha and Dhaniya hatch a plan to escape the debts from the banks and saving their land and home. Dhaniya convinces Natha to commit suicide, this spreads like a fire and draws the attention of political parties and media.

The movie is produced by Amir Khan and the movie was an official entry for the 83rd Academy Awards Best Foreign Film category but was not nominated.

Conclusion:

So these are some personally selected movies on farmers in India, not only showcases the movies about farming but one of the best emotional Bollywood movies ever made. These famous farmer movies are a must-watch, especially for an Indian citizen.