Namak Halaal
Namak Halaal is a sort of idiom in Hindi. It means literally, “faithful to the salt.” Colloquially it means “If someone gives you a good job and gives you money to put food on the table, then you must be faithful to them.” The closest thing in English is “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you” but even that’s not close enough to the extreme loyalty it commands. This is a comedy, but there is a lot of serious stuff interspersed, too.
This is the first movie your **‘Mika **ever saw in her life. I was only about 2 years old, and it gave me a lifelong love of Amitabh Bacchan, the main actor.
The movie opens up with a man coming home injured. His wife Savitri scolds him, saying “How long will you continue to put your life in danger for Setji?” (Note: Setji is a title, not a name. Means “Sir” or “Master”.) In the background you see two young boys.
The man, whose name is Bhim Singh, tells his wife “Look Savitri. We owe Setji a great deal. If I lose every drop of blood in my body for him, it won’t be enough to repay him.”
“If there is so much danger, why don’t you call the police?”
“Because I only have suspicions against Setji’s step-brother Girdhar Lal and no proof yet.”
“Then why not look for another job?”
“Savitri. Do you remember when our Arjun was so sick and all the local doctors had given up? Do you remember how Setji called in American doctors? He spent money like it was water to cure our son. Can we forget that, ever?”
Just then, Setji enters and scolds him, saying Savitri has been like a mother to his own motherless son, Raja. Raja has even drunk Savitri’s milk and thinks of Savitri as his mother. And he says that every drop of mother’s milk is worth more than blood.
He goes on to say that he has brought his lawyer, and has transferred his entire fortune over to Savitri to enable her to take care of his son Raja. He says the men’s lives are fragile, and he knows she will always take care of his boy. His lawyer hands the paperwork over, and Setji asks the lawyer to make arrangements to send Raja to London to study.
Bhim Singh and Setji go out onto the porch. Bhim Singh is worried that people may think that he has done all this to get at Setji’s money. As Setji is admonishing him, he and Bhim Singh are both shot by assassins, who then proceed to set fire to the house. Savitri screams and runs to her husband. Setji is killed instantly but Bhim Singh lives a little longer.
Bhim Singh’s dying admonition to his wife is to raise Raja. He begs her to neglect her own son if necessary and if it should interfere with Raja’s upbringing at all. She tearfully agrees, and turns to the lawyer and begs him to flee with Raja and get him out of the country. He agrees, and leaves.
Bhim Singh then tells Savitri to send Arjun to his grandfather, Dashrath Singh, in the small village of Lakhanpur.
The lawyer has a gun, and thus escapes easily with Raja, after shooting a couple of assailants. The ayah runs with Arjun, but she takes a bullet on the way.
Roll credits and the movie begins. This was all prologue, you see.
The ayah makes it to the grandfather, and tells him his son is dead and that this is his grandson Arjun. Dashrath’s heart breaks of course but the ayah dies before she can tell him anything else.
Some time later Savitri comes to see her son. In his rage and heartbreak Dashrath lashes out at Savitri, blaming her for her husband’s death, and claiming she pushed him into getting her signed onto the will. He extracts a promise that Savitri will never again see her child nor tell him she is his mother. He says, “You have come begging your child from me. But from whom do I go and beg my child?”
Savitri says she has no proof of her innocence today, but one day her innocence will be revealed. But now she will put a stone on her heart and forget she ever birthed a child.
A month or so later, Savitri and the lawyer receive news that Girdhar Lal – Setji’s stepbrother – was killed in a plan crash. They are cautiously happy but resolve to keep Raja in London for the best education money can buy.
On the other side, Dashrath loves his grandson. The scene closes on him putting him to sleep with a famous children’s lullaby, on the gramophone.
Fast-forward about 20 years.
Arjun (Amitabh Bacchan, one of the most famous actors in the last 30 years) has grown into a handsome but immature youth whose only thought is to live in the village and serve his grandpa. There is a very funny scene where his grandpa is asking him about a dream he had.
Grandpa says, “So tell me, tell me, what did you dream?”
Arjun answers, “I dreamt you were leaving me, Dadu! (Poppa). And I was yelling, ‘Don’t go, Dadu, don’t go!’”
Grandpa says, “You moron! At your age boys dream of girls. Chords stir in their hearts. Their minds sing. Spring blooms in their hearts. I know what the problem is, I won’t play this song anymore.” On the gramophone is playing, “Wake up, O dear Krishna.”
Arjun asks, “What shall you play, Dadu?”
And Grandpa retorts, quoting a song “ Jaag, darde ish, jaag (Awaken, O loving heart, and learn the pain of love).”
Arjun says, “Oh! What a dirty song, Dadu!”
Dadu goes to a neighbor to ask what to do about this boy of his. The neighbor suggests that Arjun be sent to his own son, who lives in the city. He will get him a job. Arjun is hesitant, but his grandpa says, “Go and make me proud of you. As tall as you are, become something even higher in the world, so the world will look at me and I can say, ‘There goes my grandson Arjun Singh.’ Go and learn to stand on your own feet. Who knows how long I will be in this world? Who knows when God will call me back?”
At this Arjun interrupts him and begging him not to speak of his death, agreeing to go to the city or anyplace else Dadu wishes him to.
The scene shifts to an old man and his son – the infamous Girdhar Lal. Twenty years ago he had done possibly the only good deed in his entire life. He had been about to get on a plane when he saw a man begging the ticket seller for one ticket. Apparently the man’s wife had been sick, and he desperately needed to fly home. Girdhar Lal felt some pity, and gave him his ticket. The plane crashed shortly after, and the world thought Girdhar Lal was dead. He of course leapt headfirst into a life of crime.
He shows his son Ranjit a picture of Savitri Devi and tells him all the property his stepbrother the Setji left should belong to Ranjit, and not to Savitri Devi. His son is currently working as a top manager in the Delhi hotel that will one day belong to Raja Babu, Setji’s son (as he is now known). Savitri does not know Girdhar Lal has a son. Girdhar Lal encourages Ranjit to kill Raja and Savitri and take all his holdings.
We then see Savitri – now respectfully known as Malkin (Mistress or Lady) giving out sweets to some local children. When asked why, she claims it is her son’s birthday. The child then asks where her son is, but before she can answer, Arjun walks on scene. (Now don’t forget they are son and mother but haven’t lain eyes each other in 20 years). He is wearing his best turban and shiny clothes that he only wore once, to a wedding (his best clothes of course - darn villagers). He asks her politely for directions. She gives them to him, then offers him a sweet. He is surprised, saying it’s his birthday too, but his mom has gone to heaven. But Malkin is like his mother, too, so he gladly accepts a sweet.
So he gets to his friend Bhairon, who is appalled at his clothing and looks askance at the turban. He promises he’ll get Arjun a job - and some new clothes. He tells Arjun to go wash up and shave; they are going to a five-star hotel later tonight to look for a job.
Later, Arjun is shaving. The door bangs open and a very fat man with a huge mustache walks in. He accuses Bhairon of taking pictures of himself and someone else’s wife.
“You took pictures of me with that idiot’s wife!”
Bhairon responds adroitly. “Well-um-you know-“
“I’ll make sure you never work in this town again! Where are the pictures?”
“In the camera!”
“Where is the camera?”
“On the table!”
“Where is the table?”
“In the corner!”
“Where is the corner?”
This whole time, Fat Man has been bumping Bhairon with his big, fat belly, so they are upon the corner, and Bhairon squeaks, “Here it is!”
Fat Man takes the camera and pulls the film out and dumps it on the floor, above Bhairon’s protests. He says, “If you ever take a picture of me again with some other woman, I will break your face!” He then punches Bhairon right into Arjun, who has come out to see what is happening. “YOU HEAR?!”
Fat Man leaves. Bhairon says, “Oh, he was just joking, he’s an old friend, don’t worry about it.”
Then another man comes in. He says “Ah, Bhairon, do you have the pictures of my wife with that man? Now I can make this court case against her.”
Bhairon nervously responds, “Yes, sir, I did take the pictures, but there is something wrong with them. The camera broke.”
“What? I hired lawyers on the strength of that evidence. I have a massive court case! Now what will I do? Where is the faulty camera?”
“On the table!”
“Where is the table?”
“In the corner!”
“Where is the corner?”
“Here it is!” He then takes the whole camera and smashes it on the floor, punches him, and leaves. Arjun comes out, and Bhairon again says, “He’s just a friend, he’s joking, don’t mind him.” Seeing Arjun is not believing him, he says, “Don’t leave! Don’t go back to the village! Dadu will be so disappointed. You stay, OK, and we’ll get you such a good job…don’t worry.”
They go to a huge 5-star hotel. Yes, it is Raja Babu’s hotel. Arjun is awed, and says so, loudly. Bhairon has to scold him to behave.
The star performer that night, Tom Tom, is drunk and completely wasted. As drunken men are wont to do, he makes immediate friends with Arjun and tells the hotel – in English – that Arjun will be singing in his place. Arjun doesn’t understand right away, but when told, panics. Still, Bhairon convinces him by saying “There are famous people, you may get a job!”
Arjun sings the famous song “Pag ghungroo bandh Meera nachi thi, par hum nache bina ghungroo ke” (The famous Meera danced with bells on her feet but I dance without any bells) and the crowd loves it. ¾ of the way through the song he sees Poonam (Smita Patel) and is instantly smitten and sings part of the song to her.
The next day, he is summoned to the hotel to interview. Bhairon tells him to give 10 answers to every question, and naively he does. When asked what he thinks of the world, Arjun tells the three laws his Dadu told him:
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Don’t ever covet another man’s woman or possessions.
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Be loyal and faithful to the person whose salt you’ve eaten.
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Don’t suffer or allow injustice.
When asked if he speaks English, Arjun launches into a detailed description of cricket matches. “In the year nineteen hundred and seventy-seven…” and says he can translate with ease. “Bhairon becomes Baron, and Baron becomes Bhairon, because their minds are very narrow.” (Bhairon is pronounced to rhyme with narrow.)
The interviewer figures he is an idiot but a hard-working one, and hires him. He is taken to his new manager – who happens to be Poonam. They both hear music as they look into each other’s eyes, and both of them fall totally in love, though they do not admit it yet.
His job is to help the hotel guests, and change the towels, etc., every day. He is shocked that the towels have to be changed every day, saying the guests must be very dirty.
While Poonam is training him, a call comes to his post from room 666. Poonam takes him there, commenting wryly that she will show him how to deal with guests, but this guest is truly worthy of his room number.
Indeed, when they get there, the man immediately hits heavily on Poonam. Poonam shoots him down coldly, and Arjun yells at him, too.
Arjun is then shown Raja Babu’s room. Upon realizing he is the manager, he swears to abide by the rules of* namak halaal*, and asks where the manager is. Poonam says he is studying abroad.
Cut to Europe, where Raja Babu is about to participate in a skiing match. There is an attempt on his life, and he chases down the man, but just as he is questioning him someone else shoots him dead. In the man’s pocket he finds a letter saying Savitri Devi was the one who hired the assassin!
Raja Babu’s heart is broken. His uncle tells him Savitri is not his real mother but his adopted mother, and Raja Babu begins to think that an adoptive mother could kill him where a real one couldn’t. However, we are shown a scene where it is clear that Girdhar and Ranjit are actually behind the attempt and are trying to frame it on Savitri.
Meanwhile, Savitri is going crazy trying to make everything perfect for Raja Babu’s arrival home. Arjun asks, since they have such a beautiful home, why make the **hotel **nice? And Savitri says her son is very moody. What if he wakes up in the middle of the night and says he wants to go to the hotel? Better to have it ready, just in case.
Just then, Raja Babu arrives on the scene. He brings 4 sluttish girls with him and says some things calculated to both hurt and test his mother. He says even motherhood can be poisonous. He also talks about his own death in graphic detail, making his mother cry. He passes it off as a big joke. Tomorrow is his birthday, the 13th, and he says it’s a very unlucky day. He asks for a gift, and his mother says, “What do you want? Anything, of course. All this is yours, anyway.” And he says, slyly. “I know, dear mother. And after I die – it’s all yours.” She says “Raja!” and scolds him. He covers by introducing himself to Arjun Singh in a very funny manner.
Raja: “Your introduction?”
Arjun:” My introduction? Introductions are for big people. I am very very small.” Keep in mind Arjun is about a foot taller than Raja, and Raja has to look quite far up to see into his face. Raja looks him up, then down.
Raja: ”What do you do, then?”
Arjun: “I am your faithful servant, your namak halaal.”
Raju: ”Salt? Do we run a salt factory? That stuff is old-fashioned. It’s a very self-serving society, right, Mom? Anyway, get me 4 champagne bottles, chilled.” The last part he says in English, and Arjun doesn’t know what ‘chilled’ means.
Arjun: “Chilled?”
Raju: “Chilled.”
Arjun: “Chilled.”
Raju: “Chilled.”
Arjun, reflectively, “Chilled.”
Raju: “Make them cold, ok?!”
Arjun: “Right!”
Raju turns to leave and sees his manager, Ranjit, Girdhar’s son. He asks for his introduction, and he says, “Your manager – I mean, this hotel’s manager.” He is obviously shocked and not pleased to see Raju back here. Raju notices but lets it pass, and says “Ok, get my four special friends” – the girls – “four special rooms, if you catch my drift.” The manager agrees, then walks away. Raja softly calls him an idiot. He then goes off-screen.
Arjun approaches Savitri, and says, “May I ask a question? I don’t understand this mother-son relationship.”
Savitri, hurting and confused, says, “Do you have a mother?”
And Arjun says “No.”
And she retorts, “Then you have no need to understand it. Take care of my son.”
End of Hour 1. Whew!
