Introduction
Coolie, directed by Manmohan Desai, is an action-packed drama starring Amitabh Bachchan as Iqbal, a railway porter or 'coolie' who fights against social injustice while taking care of his blind mother. The film follows Iqbal's struggle against powerful villains exploiting the poor, and his efforts to unite fellow workers in their collective fight for dignity and rights.
The film's production coincided with one of India's most significant labor movements: the Great Bombay Textile Mill strike of 1982, led by Datta Samant. This massive workers' strike, involving over 250,000 textile workers, stretched on for nearly two years, affecting the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands. Coolie was shaped by this tense sociopolitical environment, with its narrative resonating with the struggles of India's working class. The themes of solidarity and resistance are symbolised in several ways throughout the film, none more iconic than the fight scene where Bachchan's character finds a sickle and hammer-symbols associated with communism worldwide-and holds them in the air. The image of Bachchan in his red coolie uniform, brandishing the sickle and hammer, became emblematic of the film's subtextual message of worker empowerment and revolt against capitalist oppression, as can be seen in some of the posters of the film.
कुली के निर्माण का समय वही है जब भारत में मुल्क के आधुनिक इतिहास का सबसे महत्वपूर्ण श्रमिक आंदोलन चल रहा था। यह समय था मज़दूर नेता दत्ता सामन्त की अगुआई में 1982 में हुई 'ग्रेट बॉम्बे टेक्सटाइल मिल स्ट्राइक' का। 2 लाख 50 हज़ार से भी अधिक कपड़ा मिल मज़दूरों की हिस्सेदारी वाली यह विशाल श्रमिक हड़ताल लगभग दो वर्षों तक चली और इसने मुम्बई शहर के सैकड़ों हज़ारों कामकाजी लोगों की रोज़ी-रोटी को सीधे प्रभावित किया। शहर के इसी तनावपूर्ण सामाजिक-राजनैतिक माहौल की पृष्ठभूमि में कुली का कथानक आकार लेता है। अस्सी और नब्बे के दशक के लोकप्रिय पटकथा-संवाद लेखक और अभिनेता कादर खान की लिखी फ़िल्म की कहानी में भारत के मज़दूर वर्ग के रोज़मर्रा के संघर्षों की झलक मिलती है। मेहनतकश वर्ग की एकजुटता और प्रतिरोध के बिम्ब पूरी फिल्म में बिखरे हैं। इनमें सबसे उल्लेखनीय वो लड़ाई का दृश्य है जहाँ दुश्मन से लड़ते हुए बच्चन का किरदार अपने एक हाथ में हंसिया और दूसरे में हथौड़ा उठा लेता है और उन्हें हवा में ऐसे लहराता है कि दुनिया भर में साम्यवाद का सबसे लोकप्रिय प्रतीक चिह्न फ़िल्म के पर्दे पर जिन्दा हो उठता है। कुली की लाल वर्दी में हंसिया और हथौड़ा लहराते हुए बच्चन की यह छवि फ़िल्म के कथानक के पीछे मौजूद पूंजीवादी उत्पीड़न के खिलाफ विद्रोह और मज़दूर एकता के संदेश का सबसे बड़ा प्रतीक बन गई और आगे फ़िल्म के कई पोस्टरों में भी इसका प्रमुखता से इस्तेमाल हुआ।
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- A working still from Manmohan Desai's 1983 film Coolie, produced under the banner M.K.D. Films Combine and Aasia Films Pvt. Ltd., was captured on Amitabh Bachchan's return to the shooting of the film after his prolonged stay in hospital. Coolie remains an integral part of the illustrious filmography of Amitabh Bachchan and one of the landmark films of the collaboration between Bachchan and Desai. A classic example of the masala films, Coolie was a blockbuster hit. The film bore all the famous tropes of lost and found family members, romance and a trusted animal coming to the aid of the hero. The film was also spotlit for the near fatal accident that occurred on the sets of the film during a fight scene between Bachchan and Puneet Issar, leaving the former hospitalised for two months at Breach Candy Hospital, Bombay, while the entire nation prayed for the superstar's recovery. Kader Khan, who played the role of the main antagonist in the film also served as its writer, incorporating several references to Sufi mysticism in the script. The sacred number 786, served as the badge number of the coolie Iqbal (played by Bachchan), his falcon named Allah Rakha (meaning in God's protection), and a shroud from the Haji Ali Dargah which landed on Iqbal's shoulder during the final scenes of the film, as he took his revenge from Zafar, killing him at the end while nearly surviving multiple injuries himself. The climax of the film was changed and re-shot after Bachchan's return from hospital capitulating to audience sentiment, which had feverishly prayed for their hero's safe recovery. Prayag Raaj, a trusted collaborator of Desai, directed and co-wrote the script of the film along with some songs. Desai's name was later added as the co-director of the film to get better distribution price; he was originally the producer of the film. Coolie went on to become one of the ten highest grossing films of the decade and the biggest hit of 1983, exceeding 75 weeks in several regional centres with people sleeping overnight at theatres to secure a place in next morning's booking queues.
