Goodbye Kundan Shah

Devesh Sharma profiles the maverick filmmaker who passed away recently

- Devesh Sharma

When I first watched Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983) as a child, much of the satire escaped me but the humour kept me in splits. As an adult I realised it was a serious critique on the socio-political state of our country. What made the irony more delicious was that it was produced by NFDC. And looking at the current political scenario, one realises that Kundan Shah not only made a satire on the corruption in the ’80s, he also made a film for all times. The lack of morals shown by those in power and the sheer apathy of both the press and the power-brokers towards real issues plaguing the country is as much today’s reality as it was then. Much like George Orwell’s Animal Farm or more to the point, 1984, it was of the times and also way ahead of its time.