27 Down (1974) wins a National Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi. In the same week, its director dies in a drowning accident. And with his death, the only film he ever made also sinks into obscurity.
Awatar Krishna Kaul (1939-1974) was at the forefront of the New Wave Indian cinema. This was the time Shyam Benegal had arrived with Ankur, while MS Sathyu had made Garam Hawa. In a brief New York Times review, 27 Down was mentioned for its fresh approach. "This film is noteworthy for accurate and humorous images which accurately depict everyday life in India."
The film is based on Ramesh Bakshi’s Hindi novel, Athara Sooraj Ke Paudhe. It stars theatre actor MK Raina and Rakhee. It opens with Raina’s character, Sanjay, travelling on the 27 Down Mumbai-Varanasi Express, reminiscing about his old days as a ticket-checker.
He had wanted to study art, but had to take up a job with the Railways as his father wanted the son to have a stable life. It is during one of his journeys on the Mumbai suburban line that he meets Shalini, played by Rakhee, who is an LIC agent trying to make a living on her own.
They develop a fondness for each other and soon Sanjay is ready to express his love, but his feelings are not reciprocated. His marriage is fixed by his father, and it turns out to be his biggest blunder. Some years later, he runs into Shalini on another train journey and realises that they are very different people now.
27 Down was a marked departure from the films that ruled the marquee. For one, it was shot in black and white, which was unthinkable at a time when everyone had moved to technicolour. But there was both an upside and a downside to that. Filming in black and white gave it a documentary or an "artsy" tag, and removed it from the clutter of mainstream – in the process limiting its audience.
It was shot on actual locations around Mumbai local trains, platforms and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. Shooting in busy locations such as these, using a hand-held camera, the filmmaker and his cinematographer achieve a collage depicting loneliness in the midst of chaos.
Although the film is over 40 years old, it hasn’t dated. The relationship between a young couple is dealt with a sensitivity that was rare for its time, and still mirrors the best of what we see today. Without resorting to melodrama, using very few words and depicting most of the action through visual cues, the film achieves the rare distinction of timelessness.