Chakra is a 1981 Hindi movie directed by Rabindra Dharmaraj and written by Jaywant Dalvi. The film stars Naseeruddin Shah, Smita Patil and Kulbhushan Kharbanda.

The film depicts the harsh realities of slum life in Mumbai through the story of Amma (Smita Patil) and her son Benwa. After fleeing their village when Amma’s husband kills a moneylender attempting to rape her, Amma and Benwa end up in the slums of Bombay.

In the slum, Amma navigates a difficult life with two lovers: Anna, a truck driver who provides for her, and Lukka, a petty crook and pimp. Benwa, influenced by Lukka, starts down a path of crime. The cycle of poverty and crime in the slum is relentless, with characters trapped in a cycle of survival.

The film’s climax sees a tragic turn of events involving police brutality, leading to Amma’s miscarriage and the arrest of Benwa and Lukka. The film ends with the demolition of the slum and Benwa and his wife Amli moving to another slum, highlighting the never-ending “chakra” (cycle) of their miserable lives.

Film depicts a toxic life, representing hell on earth. It follows a vicious cycle of destruction of hope and faith in life. It shows how poverty extracts its toll in multiple ways, with very little scope for the silver lining. Life becomes tenuous, self-destruction being as a big a threat to continuation of life as other demons. Privacy of grief and shame is not a privilege available to the poor.

Kulbhushan Kharbanda is earnest in his role as Anna, a truck driver who acts as a pivot in the lives of Amma and Benwa. Naseeruddin Shah gets an important role as the goonda with swag and shines effortlessly. The transformation from his earlier flamboyant self to the hopeless wreck reduced to nothing by the police beating is one of the fine points of this film. Ranjit Chowdhary is versatile in his role as a confused adolescent sidekick of Lukka and is the easiest to emphasize with.

Smita Patil is the central character of this film, who in all the filth and misery, finds some happiness while maintaining her sense of self, with her usual mastery of seeming as if she were born into the role.  She carries the film on her shoulders in a performance that is remembered even today.

Film basically is a story of woman. A woman’s search for shelter, srcurity, fulfilment and a home of her own.

The film received critical acclaim, with Smita Patil winning the National Film Award for Best Actress for her powerful portrayal of Amma. The film also won awards at the Locarno International Film Festival and the Filmfare Awards.

Photos courtesy Google. Excerpts taken from Google.