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55-432: Do Bigha Zamin ( / ð oʊ b iː ˈ ɡ ɑː z ə m iː n / transl.  Two bighas of land ) is a 1953 Indian Hindi -language drama film directed by Bimal Roy . Based on Rabindranath Tagore 's Bengali poem " Dui Bigha Jomi " and Rickshawalla , a short story written by composer Salil Chowdhury , the film stars Balraj Sahni and Nirupa Roy in lead roles. Known for its socialist theme, Do Bigha Zamin

110-488: A Red Army march song as well as influenced by Bhairavi (hence the added stanza and Aalap at the beginning of the song), thus giving it a Komal Gandhara (Ga) lilt to make it softer. Bigha Sources have given measurement of Bigha ranging from 6,805 square feet (632.2 m ) to 72,880 square feet (6,771 m ). Its sub-unit is Biswa or Katha in many regions, but it has no "standard" size. A bigha may have 5 to 20 Katha / biswa in different regions. The bigha

165-665: A Million (1935), Il signor Max (1937), Department Store (1939), Manon Lescaut . Between 1931 and 1940, he starred in and directed 23 productions. During 1934 in Verona, De Sica first met screenwriter Cesare Zavattini , for many years they would become inseparable collaborators and created some of the most celebrated films of the neorealistic age , like Sciuscià ( Shoeshine ) and Bicycle Thieves (released as The Bicycle Thief in America), both directed by De Sica. In 1940, supported by producer Giuseppe Amato, De Sica debuted as

220-402: A bigha is 14,400 square feet (1,340 m ) or 1,600 sq yard. One bigha is divided into 5 Katha. Each Katha consists of 20 Lessa. Hence each Katha is 2,880 square feet (268 m ) in area, although this may vary within different regions of Assam. 4 bighas together are further termed as a Pura. In Bihar , different regions have different sizes of Bigha. Near the capital, Patna , one bigha

275-480: A car. A crowd gathers around her and they call for a rickshaw to take her to the hospital. Shambhu, who is passing by, offers a ride and is shocked to see that it is his own wife injured. Meanwhile, Kanhaiya, unable to withstand his father's condition, steals money from a lady and runs back to the slum. He learns of his mother's condition and rushes to the hospital. He cries after seeing his injured mother and claims that God has punished them because he stole money. He rips

330-721: A director and created Rose scarlatte . In 1944, De Sica received an invitation from Goebbels to make a film in Prague , but refused, using an offer from the Catholic Film Centre in Rome as an excuse. De Sica's 1946 drama Sciuscià won the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film in 1947. Despite the film's critical success, it failed in the Italian box office because the public craved easier films and mostly went to comedies. It

385-593: A double family life, with double celebrations on holidays. It is said that, at Christmas and on New Year's Eve, he used to put back the clocks by two hours in Mercader's house so that he could make a toast at midnight with both families. Rissone agreed to keep up the facade of a marriage so as not to leave her daughter without a father. After finally divorcing Rissone in France in 1954, he married Mercader in 1959 in Mexico, but this union

440-468: A farmer, Shambhu Maheto, who lives with his wife Parvati, son Kanhaiya and father Gangu in a small village that is hit by drought. After years of drought and famine, the region finally gets rain, leading the farmers to rejoice. Shambhu owns two bighas of land (a bigha being the equivalent of two-thirds of an acre of land), which is the only means of livelihood for the whole family. The local landlord Thakur Harnam Singh partners with some businessmen to construct

495-451: A film directed by Rossellini in which De Sica played the title role. In 1937 Vittorio De Sica married the actress Giuditta Rissone , who gave birth to their daughter, Emilia (10 February 1938-23 March 2021). In 1942, on the set of Un garibaldino al convento , he met Spanish actress María Mercader (cousin of Ramon Mercader , Leon Trotsky 's assassin), with whom he started a relationship. De Sica never parted from his first family: he led

550-466: A harsh welcome. Nobody is willing to talk with them, let alone help them. Kanhaiya befriends a street-side shoe-shiner named Lalu Ustad. They even lose their last possessions while they are asleep on the footpath. Kanhaiya falls ill and Shambhu ends up renting a small room in the slums with the help of a tea vendor and the landlady's adopted grandchild, Rani. To pay the rent, Shambhu works as a coolie. Shambhu befriends an old Rickshaw Puller, who helps him get

605-423: A license as a Rickshaw Puller. Kanhaiya tries to help his family by taking up shoe-shining with the help of the old Rickshaw Puller and Lalu. Back in the village, Parvati and Gangu survive on eating water chestnuts picked from the local river. She seeks help from Thakurain to write letters to Shambhu and stay in touch. Near the end of the third month, Shambhu becomes desperate about earning and saving money. One day,

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660-437: A man asks Shambhu to chase another rickshaw that is carrying his girlfriend. Shambhu is asked to pull the rickshaw very fast for more money. The rickshaw loses a wheel and Shambhu meets with an accident. Looking at the condition of his father, Kanhaiya joins a pickpocket to earn quick money. Shambhu gets angry on learning this and beats Kanhaiya. Meanwhile, Parvati gets worried since she receives no letters or money from Shambhu and

715-567: A mill on his large parcel of land, which in return, he opines, would bring them profit and bring prosperity to the village. The only problem is that in the middle of Harnam Singh's land lies Shambhu's meager two bighas of land. Harnam Singh is very confident that he can buy Shambhu's land. Shambhu has borrowed money from Harnam Singh several times in the past and has not paid off his debt. Harnam Singh calls for Shambhu and proposes to Shambhu to sell his land to him in exchange for his debt. Shambhu disagrees to sell his only means of livelihood. Angered by

770-495: A movie that was panned by critics and proved a box office flop. De Sica's acting was considered the highlight of the film. De Sica was born on 7 July 1901 in Sora, Lazio . His father Umberto De Sica was from Giffoni Valle Piana , Campania ; he was a journalist, and in the later years worked for the Bank of Italy. Teresa Manfredi, his mother, had Neapolitan origins. De Sica was baptised in

825-506: A popular song Lodovico sei dolce come un fico sang by De Sica. In 1933, De Sica, Rissone, and Tofano founded their own company. The period of Tofano-Rissone-De Sica was notable also due to De Sica's acquaintance to Aldo De Benedetti and Gherardo Gherardi , the screenwriters with whom he had a long and fruitful collaboration. Tofano-Rissone-De Sica performed mostly light comedies , but they also staged plays by Beaumarchais and worked with famous directors like Luchino Visconti . In 1936,

880-510: A romantic protagonist in Ferenc Molnár 's Gli occhi azzurri dell'imperatore . During that period he met Umberto Melnati , an actor from Livorno , with whom formed a successful comic duo and collaborated in many films and theatre plays. On 3 October 1930, they premiered in Teatro Manzoni with L'isola meravigliosa based on Ugo Betti 's play. They were soon spotted by Mario Mattoli who

935-421: Is 3,267 square feet (303.5 m ). In Himachal Pradesh , five bigha is equal to one Acre . Hence, 1 Bigha = 8,712 square feet (809.4 m ) or 968 square yard. One Hectare is equal to 12.35 bigha. In Punjab and Haryana , 2 bigha is equal to one acre, each bigha is 4 kanals, each kanal is 20 marlas, each marla is 9 square karam. Each square Karam is 30.25 square feet (5.5 feet X 5.5 feet), each karam

990-537: Is 5.5 feet. See measurement of land in Punjab as below: In Madhya Pradesh , one Bigha has 20 Katha, where 1 Katha = 600 square feet (56 m ). Therefore 1 bigha = 12,000 square feet (1,100 m ). In Rajasthan , One Pucca Bigha = 27,225 square feet (2,529.3 m ) or 3,025 square yard. A plot of land with each side 165 feet is called as Bigha (165 ft × 165 ft). In Uttar Pradesh , one bigha can mean different things to people in different districts of

1045-682: Is a customary unit of measurement in Nepal , equal to about 6,773 square meters. Officially, most measurement of lands use units of either Bigha (in Terai region) or Ropani (Nepali: रोपनी) (in Hilly regions). Metric system ( SI unit of square metre ) is very seldom used officially in measuring area of land. Measurement of area in terms of bigha [Note: Kanwa is largely obsolete and is used only when tiny lands are very precious]. The classic Hindi movie Do Bigha Zamin ("Two bighas of land", 1953) by Bimal Roy portrayed

1100-409: Is a traditional unit of land in several parts of North & East India . Sale and purchase of land (particularly agricultural land) is still done unofficially in this unit. However, the area is recorded in hectare or square metres in official land records. Bigha varies in size from one part of India to another. Various states and often regions within the same state have different sizes attributed to

1155-401: Is considered an important film in the early parallel cinema of India, and a trend setter. Inspired by Italian neo-realistic cinema, Bimal Roy made Do Bigha Zamin after watching Vittorio De Sica 's Bicycle Thieves (1948). Like most of Bimal Roy's movies, art and commercial cinema merge to create a movie that is still viewed as a benchmark. It has paved the way for future cinema makers in

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1210-512: Is equivalent to 20 Katha . 1 Katha is equals to 1,361.25 square feet (126.464 m ) or 151.25 square yard . One Katha is further subdivided in 20 dhur. Hence each Dhur is 68.05 square feet (6.322 m ). One Dhur is subdivided in 20 dhurki, each Dhurki being 3.403 square feet (0.3161 m ). Note: 1 Katha in Muzaffarpur is 1,901 square feet (176.6 m ); and in West Champaran

1265-615: Is precisely ⁄ 121 acre). Therefore, 1 Acre = 3.025 bigha and 1 Hectare = 7.475 bigha in West Bengal. Bigha is a traditional unit of land in entire Bangladesh , with land purchases still being undertaken in this unit. One bigha is equal to 20 Katha (14,400 square feet or 1,600 square yard) as standardized in pre-partition Bengal during the British rule. In other words, 3 bigha are just 0.5 Katha or 360 sq ft short of 1 acre . (One Acre = 4,840 sq yd or 43,560 sq ft or 4,047 sq m). A Bigha

1320-447: Is pregnant and does not want to live away from him. Shambhu persuades her that he'll be gone for only 3 months and it would benefit his family and the soon-to-be-born baby. Kanhaiya wants to join his father too, but Shambhu refuses and scolds him. On the train to Calcutta, Shambhu finds Kanhaiya hiding in it, hitchhiking or as a stowaway and after a brief confrontation agrees to take Kanhaiya with him. In Calcutta, Shambhu and Kanhaiya have

1375-413: Is shocked to know that he actually owes Rs. 235/-. The accountant had fudged the accounts and now refuses to consider the labor provided by Shambhu's father Gangu as a portion of the debt payoff. The case goes to court and Shambhu, being illiterate, has a tough time explaining to the judge how the accountant fudged the numbers and how he took the accountant's word and did not demand any receipt. Shambhu loses

1430-828: The Indian neo-realist movement and the Indian New Wave, which began in the 1950s. A moderate commercial success, it was awarded the All India Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film , it became the first film to win the Filmfare Best Movie Award and the first Indian film to win the International Prize at the Cannes Film Festival , after Neecha Nagar (1946), which won the Palme d'Or (Grand Prize). It

1485-623: The British television series The Four Just Men . In 1961, he starred in The Two Marshals alongside Totò . His passion for gambling was well known and because of it, he often lost large sums of money and accepted work that might not otherwise have interested him. He never kept his gambling a secret from anyone; in fact, he projected it on characters in his own movies, like Count Max (which he acted in but did not direct) and The Gold of Naples , as well as in General Della Rovere ,

1540-494: The bigha. It is usually less than one acre (43,560 square feet or 4,046.8 square metre) but can extend up to 3 acres. In India, Bigha is commonly used in the states of Uttarakhand , Haryana , Himachal Pradesh , Punjab , Madhya Pradesh , Uttar Pradesh , Bihar , Jharkhand , West Bengal , Assam , Gujarat and Rajasthan . However, in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu , Bigha is not in practical measurement unit. In Assam ,

1595-508: The case and the judge orders Shambu to pay Rs. 235/- to Harnam Singh in 3 months. If Shambhu is not able to clear the debt, then his land would be auctioned off and the proceeds would go to pay off his debts. Shambhu now struggles to get the money. He is unable to get a loan because he has no collateral. One of his friends gives him an idea to go to Calcutta (now Kolkata ) and try to get a job to earn enough money to pay off his debt. Shambhu likes this idea but faces resistance from his wife as she

1650-579: The church of San Giovanni Battista in Sora under the name Vittorio Domenico Stanislao Gaetano Sorano De Sica. He had a very close relationship with his father and later dedicated to him the film Umberto D. The first interest in cinema sparked in Vittorio due to his father's occasional performances in silent movies: he filled in for the pianists. As an adult, Vittorio De Sica described their family state in his early years as 'tragic and aristocratic poverty'. In 1914,

1705-523: The comedy Bread, Love and Dreams . De Sica's character, Marshal Antonio Carotenuto, immediately became the public's favourite. The film was an enormous success, it was nominated for Academy Awards and won the Silver Bear at Berlinale. It was followed with three sequels: Bread, Love and Jealousy (1954), Scandal in Sorrento (1955), and Bread, Love and Andalusia (1958). In 1959, De Sica appeared in

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1760-474: The company was reformed into Rissone-De Sica-Melnati, and eventually disbanded in 1939. The play Due dozzine di rose scarlatte , written by Aldo De Benedetti, premiered on 11 March 1936, in Teatro Argentina. It is considered the best Italian comedy of the 1930s. In 1937, De Sica married Giuditta Rissone, around that time the duo with Melnati was ended. In 1940, the spouses reconciled with Tofano and founded

1815-446: The early years, De Sica combined his theatre and cinema careers: in the summer months, he was engaged in filmmaking and spent the winters performing on stage. In cinema, his first notable role was in 1932 Gli uomini, che mascalzoni directed by Mario Camerini . The song Parlami d'amore Mariù became a hit and remained his signature song for many years. In the 1930s his credits included many notable performances such as in I'll Give

1870-562: The family moved to Naples. Upon the outbreak of the First World War , they moved to Florence . Eventually, they settled down in Rome. At the age of 15, De Sica started performing as an actor in amateur plays staged in hospitals for recovering soldiers. He started studying to become an accountant when in 1917 through a family friend Edoardo Bencivenga he got a small part in the Alfredo De Antoni film The Clemenceau Affair . De Sica

1925-445: The film, saying, "this is the first film I didn't use glycerine for tears." The films title is derived from a famous poem by Rabindranath Tagore , called " Dui Bigha Jomi ". Bimal Roy distributed the film abroad with the name "Calcutta – The Cruel City". The measurement of Bigha varies from state to state. In Bengal , where the movie is based, 3 bigha is one acre (4,000 m). Roy filmed Parineeta (1953) and Do Bigha Zamin at

1980-514: The films he directed won Academy Awards: Sciuscià and Bicycle Thieves (honorary), while Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow and Il giardino dei Finzi Contini won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film . Indeed, the great critical success of Sciuscià (the first foreign film to be so recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ) and Bicycle Thieves helped establish

2035-463: The industrialisation. Chowdhury agreed to Roy taking his idea, but on the condition that he would score the music. Initially Roy had planned to cast Paidi Jairaj , Trilok Kapoor and Nazir Hussain in the lead, then he saw the performance of Balraj Sahni in Hum Log (1951) and decided to cast him. This decision of Roy was criticised by his team as Sahni had mostly done rich roles. To better prepare for

2090-564: The landlord's accountant accuses Shambhu of forgetting his family. She ends up working at a local construction site and is devastated when she receives news of Shambhu's accident. Finally, Parvati decides to visit Shambhu in the city even though Gangu is bedridden and has a high fever. Parvati arrives in Calcutta and is taken in by a strange man, who claims he knows Shambhu and will take her to him. He takes her to his shed and tries to steal her belongings and rape her. She flees from him but gets hit by

2145-416: The money into pieces. The doctors tell Shambhu that he has to spend money on medicine and blood to save his wife. Poor Shambhu has no choice but to spend all his earnings to save his wife. Back in the village, the land is auctioned because Shambhu could not pay back the debt and Gangu becomes insane. The land, now owned by Harman Singh, sees the beginning of mill construction. Shambhu and his family return to

2200-523: The mutual company again, where all the management tasks were taken over by Tofano. Together they released a series of successful plays: La scuola della maldicenza (based on Richard Brinsley Sheridan ), Ma non è una cosa seria written by Luigi Pirandello , Il paese delle vacanze by Ugo Betti , Liolà , etc. In 1945-46, he played in two spectacles directed by Alessandro Blasetti : Il tempo e la famiglia Conway written by John Boynton Priestley and Ma non è una cosa seria by Luigi Pirandello . During

2255-603: The permanent Best Foreign Film Award. These two films are considered part of the canon of classic cinema. Bicycle Thieves was deemed the greatest film of all time by Sight & Sound magazine's poll of filmmakers and critics in 1952, and was cited by Turner Classic Movies as one of the 15 most influential films in cinema history. De Sica was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing Major Rinaldi in American director Charles Vidor 's 1957 adaptation of Ernest Hemingway 's A Farewell to Arms ,

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2310-420: The refusal, Harnam Singh orders him to repay his debt by the next day or risk the auctioning of his land. Shambhu returns home to discuss the issue with his father; father and son figure that the debt amounts to Rs. 65/-. Shambu wants to save his land by all means and sells all his household items, including his wife's gold earrings. When Shambhu meets Harnam Singh's accountant to pay back his debt of Rs. 65/-, he

2365-401: The role, Balraj Sahni actually rehearsed for the role by pulling a rickshaw on the streets of Calcutta. He interacted with many rickshaw pullers and some of them were facing the same situation as portrayed in the movie. Actress Nirupa Roy had mostly done the role of Hindu goddess in several mythological films till that time. She was cast in the role of Parvati. She wept in real for her scenes in

2420-496: The same time in Kolkata . Hrishikesh Mukherjee was the film's editor and scenario writer. He asked Meena Kumari if she'd do a cameo in the film, on which she agreed after seeing the stills of the film. The music for the film was composed by Salil Chowdhury , with lyrics written by Shailendra . In an interview with All India Radio, Chowdhury described the tune for " Apni Kahani Chod Ja – Dharti kahe pukaar ke " having been inspired by

2475-559: The season 1945-46 he spent playing in The Marriage of Figaro and collaborated with Luchino Visconti , Vivi Gioi and Nino Besozzi . In 1948-49 he acted in two new plays: The Time of Your Life and The Magnificent Cuckold written by Fernand Crommelynck and adapted by Mario Chiari . The Magnificent Cuckold became De Sica's last theatre performance after which he concentrated fully on cinema and TV projects. Between 1923 and 1949 De Sica took part in over 120 theatre performances. In

2530-523: The state. One Bigha in UP ranges from 5 biswa to 20 biswa. Here one Biswa is 1,361.25 square feet (126.464 m ) or 151.25 square yard. In Uttarakhand , 1 Bigha is divided into 20 Bissas or 12 Nali. One Bigha is 632.29 m or 756 sq. yard. In West Bengal , the Bigha was standardized under British colonial rule at 14,400 square feet (1,340 m ) or 1,600 square yard. This is often interpreted as being 1/3 acre (it

2585-424: The struggle of a poor peasant with very little landholding. Vittorio De Sica Vittorio De Sica ( / d ə ˈ s iː k ə / də SEE -kə , Italian: [vitˈtɔːrjo de ˈsiːka] ; 7 July 1901 – 13 November 1974) was an Italian film director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement. Widely considered one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema , four of

2640-545: The success in Italian box office was tepid. The relationship with the government remained bad, after the release of Umberto D. prime minister Giulio Andreotti sent De Sica a letter accusing him of 'rendering bad service for the country'. In 1951, De Sica co-authored (with Alberto Sordi ) and played in Mamma Mia, What an Impression! In 1952, he played along Gina Lollobrigida in In Olden Days and then again in 1953 in

2695-466: The village, only to see their land sold and a factory being constructed on it. He then tries to get a handful of dirt from his land but is stopped by a security guard. The film ends as Shambhu and his family walk away from their former land. In 1952, at the first International Film Festival in Mumbai, director Bimal Roy saw Vittorio De Sica 's 1948 Italian film Bicycle Thieves (1954). In the train while he

2750-526: Was also heavily criticized by the Ministry of Justice and the Department of Correction. This alienation by the Italian authorities made it difficult for De Sica to finance his subsequent projects. To produce Bicycle Thieves , De Sica had to invest own money and rely on the support of several Italian businessmen. The film brought De Sica his second Oscar as well as multiple other awards and accolades, however, again

2805-692: Was also winner of the Social Progress Award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival . In 2005, Indiatimes Movies ranked the movie amongst the Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films . The film was also released in China and in USSR. The film also marks Meena Kumari 's maiden guest appearance in her 33-year-long career. The lullaby, Aa Jaa Ri Aa is picturised on her. The story revolves around

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2860-487: Was laureated in 1923. Described as strikingly handsome, already in the early 1920s he began his career as a theatre actor and joined Tatiana Pavlova 's theatre company in 1923. With Pavlova he worked for two years and toured South America . In 1925, he joined the company of Italia Almirante Manzini and was soon referred to as the second-best in her troupe. Two years later he joined the company of Luigi Almirante , Sergio Tofano and Giuditta Rissone . De Sica debuted as

2915-510: Was not considered valid under Italian law. In 1968 he obtained French citizenship and married Mercader in Paris. Meanwhile, he had already had two sons with her: Manuel (1949-2014), a musician and composer, and Christian (b. 1951), who would follow his father's path as an actor and director. Only when Christian was 18, the siblings found out about each other and started communication. Christian's son and Vittorio's grandson Brando De Sica continued

2970-505: Was returning home, he decided to make his next film as real as the film and shot on location. His wife, Manobina Roy, recalled her excited husband instructing his unit to come up with a story right after the screening. The film was based on Rickshawalla , a short story written by composer Salil Chowdhury . It revolved around a farmer who desperately pounds the streets of Kolkata to earn the Rs 235 needed to save his two acres of land, only to lose it to

3025-545: Was then an impresario in Teatro Mazoni. Mattoli was impressed by the quality of their rehearsals and offered to join his company Za-Bum . With Za-Bum , De Sica, Rissone and Melnati played in Una segretaria per tutti , Un cattivo soggetto , Il signore desidera? , Lisetta , and many other revues written by Mattoli and Luciano Ramo. The duo became famous on the national level after the success of radio sketch Düra minga, dura no and

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