Definitely!! Not the best article to start with...but it's "ENFIELD"!!! And as i am aware it's not just me who shares the love for this "SEXY BEAUTIFUL 'BABE'( i know by calling it BABAE i am definitely hurting few sentiments , for that SORRY! in advance...;)...)". Do read this article and share your views and do tell if something or some information is missing!!!...i am sure you all will Enjoy reading this one!!
BULLET motorcyles in the history of Hindi Cinema
Now with Harley Davidson deciding to test waters in India with its boutique motorbikes, Bullet motorcycle is sure to move further into obscurity as far as its representation on the world of cinema, more so in the Hindi films is concerned.
The irony is indeed acute as in the Indian milieu Bullet is one motorbike that has still got so much social halo woven around it. As a matter of fact it is one of the biggest parameters that define the social mobility in the Indian society, but its representation in the same manner is rather woeful in the world of Hindi cinema.
Still, when Harley Davidson is entering into India, its representation in the world of Hindi cinema would become a routine, and it serves as a fine occasion to trace the contours of association of Bullet as an integral of Indian cinema. But before tracing the association let us stop and ponder for a while! Could it be the fact that as Bullet generally comes in black color and it still is inauspicious in the world of Hindi cinema, so there was a dread of its association with the world of Hindi cinema? Henry Ford would have rather been hurt where it to be so, as for him, Black was the color if option about color as a choice was to be exercised, rest all was just passé.
The color indeed has a context as the jazz and flamboyance in the Indian perception is not conveyed in the same expressive manner as the fancy colorful imported bikes conveyed when compared with the Bullet. No wonder, seldom one would find debut of a male star on a Bullet.
The first notable occasion where Bullet made its presence felt in a big way and fluttered hearts all across the country was when Rajesh Khanna rode on it and straight into the hearts of his fans in ANDAAZ, singing “Zindagi Ek Safar hai Suhana”. It indeed epitomized the spirit of gay abandon and conveyed the philosophy of living in the present without worrying about past or the future in a big way, Bullet serving as the icon about the journey called life. Its choice as the vehicle of the song could be owing to the fact that the internal mechanics of Bullet is opposed to the normal bikes, so it is eponymous with the spirit to sail against the wind, symptomatic from the song.
Rather sadly, the spirit could not continue as Rajesh Khanna died after singing this song on the screen, and may be therefore the stigma of inauspiciousness could have stuck with poor Bullet and therefore it again went out of lexicon of film making as far as its representation through the panoramic view of the camera was concerned.
After quite a long time, Bullet again burst on to the screen, when Shashi Kapoor sang “Ek Raasta Hai Zindagi” in KALA PATHAR again a song that was symptomatic about the spirit called life which ordained that the life is meant to travel and enjoy it and not to stop and fret about whatever has happened or whatever might happen. But KAALA PATHAR again was not a hit and probably Shashi Kapoor was given a Bullet to ride as he was a person of authority who was coming to the coal mines situated in rural areas, where Bullet is a vehicle of authority and veneration so he rode a Bullet probably for the first and last time in his life on the silver screen. As a matter of fact in subsequent films whenever Bullet has made its appearance the context has been rural and it is used to signify a position of authority, or wherever Police authorities have been shown Bullet has been a ubiquitous addendum.
Amitabh Bachchan used it in a big way in all the roles of Police that he enacted, though it was not there in such a visible manner in his first hit film ZANJEER but in subsequent films it was there conveying the sign of authority that he displayed through the roles he enacted. The best manifestation of it was found in ANDHA KANOON where in the role of a forest officer against the backdrop of forests he made an impressive presence. Interestingly in the same film whereRajnikanth made his debut, he rode Bullet with panache without having any doubt whatsoever about riding it. He broke the convention, of Hindi films, and it could be owing to the fact that in films made in South India Bullet had and still has an iconic status.
Another significant association of Bullet with the Hindi cinema was in SHOLAY where Amitabh Bachchan andDharmendra singing “Yeh Dosti Hum nahin todenge”. Again the choice of Bullet may have been guided by the context. The context was that the duo was going to the rural area where they had to use the authority and wield power to vanquish the villain whose tyranny was difficult for the rural people to sustain. Therefore the debut of the duo on Bullet was a signifier that the bad days are going to become a thing of the past. As a matter of fact when Abhishek Bachchanand Bobby Deol tried to do an encore of the same in JHOOM BARABAR JHOOM they could not create the same magic though they were riding a modern version of Bullet in London as the context probably was not conveying a position of authority.
But heartily enough in the yet to be released film of UTV, Aage Se Right, Bullet is shown in the promos. Could this be the film where Bullet finally redeems itself before Harley Davidson takes over, or could it be Dev Benegal’s Road Movie? Motorcycles of the likes of Bullet have an iconic status and Hollywood has made an iconic film by using motorcycle “Motorcycle Diaries- Journey of Che Guvera” and it indeed is demand of the time that some thing of this kind also is made in the world of Hindi cinema. In the life style television channels motorcycle journeys are making big waves. It is time the same experience finds expression on the giant screen as well. The fan following is immense to lap it up.
source: Passion for cinema
