Good Bye Sadashiv Amarapukar

“Marun ya maarun ,maara jaoon ya jaan se maar du ,

Iska faisla kabhie na ho paayega ,

Soya hua aadmi jab ,

Neend se uth kar chalna shuroo kartaa hai ,

Tab sapnon ka sansaar use doobara dikh hi naa payegaa ,

Use roshni  mein jo nirnay ki roshni hai

Sab kuch smaan hoga kya ?

Ek palde me napunsakta ,ek palde mein  parush

Aur theek tarazu ke kante par –AARD SATYA .”

 I have never forgotten these lines  since I first heard them in the film Ardh Satya .It is one of the finest films  and  was made in 1984 by Govind Nihalini. The screenplay was  by Vijay Tendulkar .It starred the great Sadshiv Amrapukarl ,Smita Patel ,Shafi Inanmadar ,Om Puri among others .I was at that time just getting to grips with  dealing with the world on my own and felt like a infant who had been  separarted  in a mela  from  the hands and fingers that held  him.The movie raised the existentialist debate in my mind .The brave cop –Om Puri ,is hounded because of his honesty by a goon (Sadashiv Amrapukar) and criminals who work for him .The nexus between the politicians ,criminals and police is brilliantly brought out and somewhere in the middle of the movie Smita Patil (playing Om Puri girlfriend )asks him to read the above lines .Its one of the most poignant scenes in cinema and gave me goosebums (it will give you as well if you see it in the setting of the movie ).

Ardh Satya taught me more about Indias politics than any class /classes I ever attended those days  –till now .The brightest of the teachers of that film Sadashiv Amrapukar  is no more .Words are no substitute for anguish  -so I wont write something which I cant express .Many of his co stars are no more –Smita Patil ,Shafi Inamdaar ,Vijay Tendulkar .But this tribute is to the ultimate actor who played a villain with great panache –but in real life was a man with a heart of gold and gave up glory to pursue social service.Contradictions of life !! .A man signifying the the idea of. Ardh Satya –raising a question once again –are there absolutes in life ? Or are there only AARDH SATYAS? . Thank you for raising the question so brilliantly. 

 !!R.I.P.Salute .