''Namkeen'' (), is a 1982

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

-language social

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

, directed by

Gulzar Gulzar (born Sampooran Singh Kalra; 18 August 1934) is an Indian Urdu poetry, Urdu poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, and film director known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of greatest Urdu poets of this era. He starte ...

, and starring

Sanjeev Kumar Sanjeev Kumar (born Harihar Jethalal Jariwala; 9 July 1938 – 6 November 1985) was an Indian actor. Considered as one of the greatest actors of Indian Cinema, he is well remembered for his versatility and genuine portrayal of his characters. ...

Sharmila Tagore Sharmila Tagore (; born 8 December 1944) also known by her married name Begum Ayesha Sultana, is an Indian actress primarily known for her work in Hindi cinema, Hindi and Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali films. Widely recognized as one of the gre ...

Shabana Azmi Shabana Azmi (born 18 September 1950) is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. Her career in the Hindi cinema, Hindi film industry has spanned Shabana Azmi filmography, over 160 films, mostly within independent and neorealist paral ...

and

Waheeda Rehman Waheeda Rehman (born 3 February 1938) is an Indian actress. Regarded among the most accomplished actresses of Hindi cinema, she has worked in more than Waheeda Rehman filmography, 90 feature films, in a career spanning over five decades. Her ac ...

. It was yet another film by Gulzar made on some very sensitive but untouched aspects of Indian society especially in rural areas. The story ''Akal Basanta'' was by

Samaresh Basu Samaresh Basu (; 11 December 1924 – 12 March 1988) was an Indian writer in modern Bengali literature, known for his versatility and vast range of themes. He wrote under the pen name Kalkut. Basu was awarded the 1980 Sahitya Akademi Award in B ...

on whose story, Gulzar had previously made ''

Kitaab ''Kitaab'' (''English: The Book'') is a 1977 Indian drama film written and directed by Gulzar. The film stars Uttam Kumar, Vidya Sinha, Shreeram Lagoo, Keshto Mukherjee and Asit Sen. The film was based on Bengali story ''Pathik'' by Samar ...

'' (1977). The film won the

National Film Awards The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...

in 1983 for Best Audiography for Essabhai M. Suratwala. At the

30th Filmfare Awards The 30th Filmfare Awards were held on 25 September 1983. ''Prem Rog'' led the ceremony with 12 nominations, followed by ''Nikaah'' with 11 nominations, ''Shakti'' with 8 nominations and ''Bazaar'' with 7 nominations. ''Prem Rog'' and ''Shak ...

, ''Namkeen'' won Best Story and

Best Art Direction The Academy Award for Best Production Design recognizes achievement for art direction in film. The category's original name was Best Art Direction, but was changed to its current name in 2012 for the 85th Academy Awards. This change resulted fro ...

, while

and Kiran Vairale received nominations for

Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress The Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress is given by ''Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a female actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role. Although the Filmfare ...

Plot

Three unmarried sisters live in a remote village in

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; Sanskrit: ''himācāl prādes;'' "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a States and union territories of India, state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen Indian Himalayan ...

with their old mother, Jugni (

), a former ''

nautanki Nautanki is one of the most popular folk performance forms of South Asia, particularly in North India, northern India. Before the advent of Hindi cinema, Bollywood (the Hindi film industry), Nautanki was the biggest entertainment medium in the ...

'' (folk theatre) dancer, who sells spices and takes in boarders to make a living. The three daughters are named like flavors in food. The 'salty' eldest daughter Nimki (

), quietly but firmly holds the household together. The 'sweet' middle sister is Mitthu (

), an intelligent and romantic girl, unable to speak. The 'tangy' youngest one is Chinki (Kiran Vairale), a bold and vibrant teenager, who turns out to be very perceptive. Their quiet little haven is occasionally threatened by the alcoholic father Kishanlal (Ram Mohan), a

sarangi The sārangī is a bowed, short-necked three-stringed instrument played in traditional music from South Asia – Punjabi folk music, Rajasthani folk music, Sindhi folk music, Haryanvi folk music, Braj folk music, and Boro folk music (the ...

player from the travelling troupe, who keeps trying to reclaim his daughters. Jugni would have left him years ago to protect her daughters from the life of a nautanki dancer which she had always struggled to escape. The four women live in a very old house outside the village. Gerulal (

) is a truck driver who joins this peculiar household for a brief time as a tenant. Initially stunned by their non-social ways, watching the grit with which they struggle through their difficulties, he is filled with respect for them. Despite the crisis they face in terms of money and facilities, all three sisters maintaining their moral values and dignified behavior. He begins to like Nimki. Mitthu, whom he sympathizes with, develops feelings for Gerulal. When Gerulal needs to move on from that region because of work, he proposes to Nimki. She turns down his proposal citing the responsibility of her sisters and her mother, and suggests he marry Mithu instead. Gerulal is unable to comply with her request. Three years later, Gerulal is shocked to find Chinki performing at a village nautanki. He learns how drastically things changed after he left the village. Miitthu loses her mental balance and accidentally falls off a cliff and dies. Jugni dies from the shock and Chinki, with not much left to choose from, has joined her father's troupe. Gerulal rushes back to Jugni's crumbling old house to find Nimki, alone and aged beyond her years, looking almost like a reflection of her mother. This time, he takes her away with him.

Cast

as Gerulal *

as Nimki *

as Mithu *

as Jyoti / Jugni *Kiran Vairale as Chinki * Bhag Singh as Kartar Singh * Ram Mohan * T.P Jain

Production

Originally

Rekha Bhanurekha Ganesan (; born 10 October 1954), better known by her mononymous stage name Rekha, is an Indian actress who appears predominantly in Hindi films. Acknowledged as one of the finest actresses in Indian cinema, she has starred in mo ...

was cast in the role of Nimki, which was later played by

Reception

Chander Uday Singh of

India Today ''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media, Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' laun ...

wrote, "In Namkeen, based on a story by Samresh Babu, Gulzar steps further out than he has ever done before. The theme is stark, straightforward, and surprisingly uninhibited. Almost theatrical in the way it moves, the film veers sharply from a simple, uncomplicated story about a family which falls collectively in love with its temporary tenant, to a near-morbid drama which is suddenly withdrawn."

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was composed by R. D. Burman and lyrics by Gulzar, and featured songs by playback singers

Kishore Kumar Kishore Kumar (born Abhas Kumar Ganguly; ; 4 August 1929 – 13 October 1987) was an Indian playback singer, musician and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest, most influential and dynamic singers in the history of modern India ...

and

Asha Bhosle Asha Bhosle (; ; born 8 September 1933) is an Indian playback singer, entrepreneur, actress and television personality who predominantly works in Indian cinema. Known for her versatility, she has been described in the media as one of the ...

Awards

30th National Film Awards The 30th National Film Awards, presented by Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in the year 1982. Ceremony took place in May ...

: * Best Audiography: Essabhai M. Suratwala

: Won * Best Story –

– Ajit Nanerjee Nominated * Best Supporting Actress – Kiran Vairale * Best Supporting Actress –

References

External links

* {{Gulzar 1980s Hindi-language films Films scored by R. D. Burman 1982 films Films based on short fiction Films set in Himachal Pradesh Films about women in India Films directed by Gulzar Films that won the Best Audiography National Film Award Films based on works by Samaresh Basu