Subhash K Jha's nuggets about Muzaffar Ali's memorable film about Mumbai and migrants...
Gaman is an ode to the hordes of migrants from North India who travel to Mumbai in the hope of a better life... Only to be crushed by the wheels of time and misfortune.
Amitabh Bachchan was meant to play the lead. Farooq Shaikh was the second choice. Director Muzaffar Ali wanted Nargis to play Farooq's mother. She couldn't do the role, which was then played by a non-professional actress.
Nana Patekar was introduced to the screen in Gaman and played Yashodhara (Geeta Siddharth)'s wastrel brother.
Composer Jaidev won a richly deserved National Award for his songs. Seene Mein Jalan, Ajeeb Saneha Mujhpar Guzar Gaya Yaaron and Aapki Yaad Aati Rehi Raat Bhar are hummed to this day. Chhaya Ganguly won the National Award for best female singer for Aapki Yaad Aati...
Farooq Shaikh is perfect in the part. The director surrounds his forlorn persona in an uncaring metropolis with real-life taxi drivers. We see them cruising the streets with talkative passengers, rude commuters, impatient travelers... We get a feel of Mumbai in the backseat, so to speak.
Gaman takes us deep down into the migrant's wretched life and desperate levels of penury feigning a decent existence.
Gaman is an austere stare at life where one taxi driver can't go home because he can't afford it and another cabbie (Jalal Agha) can't afford to marry his girlfriend (Geeta Siddharth) because he can't afford a one-room chawl.