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Millennials review classics: shashi kapoor’s ‘new delhi times’, shashi kapoor’s vikas pande in ‘new delhi times’ is a newspaper editor we need in 2017. .

Who does a journalist work for?

An editor who commissions stories, the media owner who insists that truth-hunting should be done within limits, conscience which is influenced by personal morals or the public which relies on journalists to inform them? For Shashi Kapoor’s Vikas Pande in the 1986 film ‘New Delhi Times’, a journalist’s only duty is towards the public. “ Logon ko sacchai jaan ne ka haq hai, aur unko sachchai tak pahunchana mera farz .” (“People have a right to know the truth and it is my duty to ensure that they know the truth”) .

Shashi Kapoor Hated the ‘Naach Gana’ Stuff in B’Wood: Simi Garewal

‘New Delhi Times’ is an unflinching and incisive look at the dirty nexus between politics, media and business, through one editor’s investigation into a political assassination. It’s a film which should be made mandatory viewing for all Indian journalists. Especially, considering we might not see a brave film like this in a while. (Ahem, Padmavati, anyone?)

Listen to the review here:

A Journalist’s Dilemma

If you’re a reporter covering a riot, do you stop to help the bloodied body on the road or rejoice at the story you’ve chanced upon?

In ‘New Delhi Times’, Vikas Pande (brilliantly portrayed by a pensive Shashi Kapoor) goes to Ghazipur, his hometown, where a communal riot has broken out. Allegedly triggered by two rival politicians, the riot takes over the town and ends up killing over 45 people. As he is travelling through the riot in a police envoy he meets Anwar, his colleague and a photographer (played by a much younger MK Raina). When Pande asks Anwar what he’s doing in a small town in eastern UP far away from Delhi, Anwar replies, “I came here for the story.”

The Amitabh Bachchan-Shashi Kapoor Jodi Goes Beyond Any Deewar

Pande reflects on the bloody riots he has just seen and questions the role of a journalist, asking whether journalists sometimes forget to empathise with the ‘tragedy’ they are covering in the quest for that perfect story or photo. To which Anwar replies sardonically, that reporters empathise — but only when it happens the first time.

Talk to any journalist long enough and you’ll realise that desensitization to tragedy is a real issue. It’s inevitable in a profession where death is often quantified to decide whether it should be breaking news or just a small news item. But to see Shashi Kapoor grappling with the dilemma in a Hindi film released in 1986 is a revelation. Simply because it signals how much things have changed — and how much they remain the same.

India’s Report Card on World Press Freedom Day: C Minus At Best

Anwar and Pande’s back-and-forth on journalistic ethics, morality and reporting is riveting stuff which should be included in every journalism school. Through these two characters, the film asks us whether the role of the journalist is just to be a passive spectator (like Anwar) or be someone whose duty is to inform the public and keep doing it day in and day out — irrespective of whether things will change.

Shashi Kapoor’s Idealism…

Vikas Pande is an editor who swears by the truth. But even in the 1980s when the film is set, he is a rare man. The idealism of the freedom movement is long-forgotten (epitomized by the frustration of Pande’s activist father, played by AK Hangal) and it’s a time when the young and brash are flourishing.

Shashi Kapoor plays the determined, middle-aged, gruff and intellectual editor with restraint and thoughtful deliberation. Unassuming in a meeting with the newspaper owner and fiery when arguing with his editor, it seems Kapoor has spent decades absorbing the rhythms of a newsroom.

Shashi Kapoor Held My Hand & Led Me Into Cinema: Nafisa Ali

But his real contribution to ‘New Delhi Times’ was behind the screen.

Directed by a debutant Ramesh Sharma, Kapoor reportedly signed on the film for a paltry 101 rupees and was paid one lakh rupees as his fees. For a star of the Kapoor khaandaan to take an interest in a newbie director’s film on corruption in the media is a sign of the actor’s curiosity about lives different than his own. When the film ran into trouble upon its release with the censors (it wasn’t telecast on Doordarshan) and lawsuits (someone took offence to a dialogue which called all lawyers ‘liars’), Kapoor stood steadfast.

…And Om Puri’s Brashness

Vikas Pande is hell-bent on a story — an MLA’s murder — and while investigating this story he comes up against Ajay Singh. Businessman and aspiring politician Ajay Singh is played by Om Puri. With money in his pocket and chief ministerial dreams in his eyes, Singh is a man who has no scruples. When an MLA informs Singh about 35 people dying after consuming his liquor, he says “Log toh marte hi rehte hain!”

Om Puri Never Lied to the Camera; He Never Lied to Himself

It’s this twisted morality which Pande’s is up against and one he grudgingly accepts as he finds himself being used as a tool by Singh and his rival politician to exact personal vendetta. When Ajay Singh gets a whiff of Pande exposing his role in an MLA’s murder, he attacks Pande’s family, puts pressure on the newspaper’s owner, resorts to threats and kills off possible sources.

The MLA’s murder is the Watergate-esque story which Pande runs after and it costs him almost everything. But like the best journalists, Pande investigates the story with the persistence of a bloodhound. As his wife Nisha (played by Sharmila Tagore) laments in one scene, he just doesn’t know how to give up.

The ‘Shashi Kapoor Room’ in Kolkata – a Living Memorial

Of Fearless Newspaper Owners & Typewriters

At a time when corporate control of Indian media is discernibly influencing editorial decisions, what struck me about ‘New Delhi Times’ was its steadfast and fearless owner, Jagannath Poddar (played by Manohar Singh). When his son, JK (played by Kulbhushan Kharbanda) hints at a paper staying away from politicians, he dismisses his concerns by saying, “Yeh kaam editor ka hai, ussi ko karne do.” (it’s the editor’s job, let him do it.)

Mere Paas Aapka Cinema Hai: Amul Pays Tribute to Shashi Kapoor

The importance of having a proprietor or media owner who’s fearless and understands the importance of editorial integrity is reiterated when Pande is questioned by Poddar for pursuing Ajay Singh’s role in the MLA’s murder. Faced with an editor he trusts, Poddar responds that he is not afraid of political threats and will never be. As a young journalist, routinely faced with reports of publications ‘killing’ stories or being sued by politicians, Poddar’s fearlessness is an ideal to aspire to.

In the times of #MoJo and selfie sticks, watching journalists set newspapers on bromide paper, struggling to “hold the front page” because of a breaking news and dictating articles on a typewriter on a trunk call drove home how much the technology of being a journalist has changed; even as the moral dilemmas have remained the same. Thank god for Skype calls, I think?

#RelationshipGoals We Want

Shashi Kapoor’s Vikas Pande may be an executive editor in the film but his intellect is ably supported by his wife, Nisha, a lawyer in the Delhi High Court (played gracefully by Sharmila Tagore). Represented as an equal partner, nowhere is her intelligence, demanding work as a lawyer and advice undermined by Pande or the director. Pande supports her throughout, asks about her work and listens to her — a rare trait among Hindi film heroes on-screen. It is an example of the perfect marriage, and the kind I wished we could see more of in Hindi cinema.

7 Films That Prove Shashi Kapoor Was Way Ahead of His Time

When the “media is corrupt” is almost accepted wisdom and “presstitute” is a label we’ve all got used to, Vikas Pande and his relentless idealism is a breath of fresh air. Upright, fearless and relentlessly curious — he’s an editor I wish we had more of in 2017.

(This story is from The Quint’s archives and is being republished to mark the late Shashi Kapoor’s birth anniversary.)

(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)

Read Latest News and Breaking News at The Quint, browse for more from entertainment and millennial-review

Topics:    sharmila tagore      shashi kapoor      om puri  .

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New Delhi Times (1986)

by Puru | May 26, 2020 | Hindi , Ramesh Sharma | 0 comments

N ew Delhi Times (1986) is a Hindi film directed by Ramesh Sharma and stars Shashi Kapoor, Sharmila Tagore, Om Puri, and Kulbhushan Kharbanda in prominent roles. The film is considered a political thriller on a Newspaper editor who is set out to expose corruption in the system.

New Delhi Times had a controversial run in the theatres owing to its political plot but was generally praised by critics. It went on to win three National Awards including that of Best Actor (Shashi Kapoor). It is considered one of the finest films on journalism and corruption in India, in the same league as Kundan Shah’s Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron (1983) .

• Shashi Kapoor – Vikas Pande
• Sharmila Tagore – Nisha Pande
• Om Puri – Ajay Singh
• Kulbhushan Kharbanda – Jugal Kishore (JK)
• A.K. Hangal – Vikas’s father
• M.K. Raina – Iqbal
• Manohar Singh – Jagannath Poddar
• Ram Gopal Bajaj – Minister
• Direction – Ramesh Sharma
• Story – Gulzar
• Music – Louis Banks
• Cinematography – Subrata Mishra
• Editing – Renu Saluja
• Production – P.K. Tiwari

Film Poster

“ Logon ko sacchai jaan ne ka haq hai, aur unko sachchai tak pahunchana mera farz .”

New Delhi Times starts with the assassination of Bhaleram, the local MLA, in Gazipur, Uttar Pradesh. The guard of the circuit house, where the incident took place, also goes missing. All this happens in the middle of an ongoing power tussle between Chief Minister Chaturvedi and an ambitious MLA Ajay Singh.

Vikas is an upright executive editor of the New Delhi Times newspaper based in Delhi. He is investigating the frequent riots that have been happening in Gazipur and stumbled upon clues that seem to link Ajay Singh with Bhaleram’s murder.

Ajay Singh is a tainted politician accused of criminal activities like drug trafficking, extortion, and kidnapping. Iqbal is his trusted enforcer and is linked with the Gazipur riots. He is arrested in connection with the murder of Bhaleram and is produced in the court. Iqbal claims that he is innocent and has been framed for a crime for which Ajay Singh is responsible. This becomes the front page news of the New Delhi Times.

Vikas has a showdown with Ajay Singh. An agitated Singh tells him that he was planning to overthrow the Chief Minister and had even acquired 13 MLAs for support. Bhaleram was one of those 13 MLAs and Singh had no motive to kill him.

The plot thickens with conspiracies and counter-conspiracies and Vikas finds himself in the middle of a dirty game of politics mirroring the rot in the system. Unfazed by the threats intending to make him suppress his story, he pursues the case with the determination of a hound who just does not know when to give up. 

What comes out is not what he had expected…

New Delhi Times is a hard-hitting film with an incisive take on the subject that is as relevant in 2020 as it was in 1985. Not only is the political-mafia nexus still strong but it has only become stronger in the decades gone by, making the democracy a sham at best and a downright muck at its worst. The film looks at the rot in the socio-political fabric from the perspective of a journalist who is hell-bent to do what is right, and willing to pay any price for that.

The film attempts to explore the paradox inherent in journalism, the fundamental duality between sensitivity and objectivity. While covering a story, every journalist goes through the dilemma of being bound by the responsibility of neutrality while struggling not to feel empathy for those who are suffering from the events. This dogma is set in the backdrop of a communal riot where it becomes a choice whether to feel sad looking at a bloodied body or rejoice that you got a story. The narrative is remarkable for its simplicity, aided by the superior cast which delivers very strong performances.

Shashi Kapoor, in a National Award-winning performance, plays the principled editor who is not afraid to cross swords with the high and mighty. The external and internal pressures faced by him while exposing a criminal-politician nexus are depicted very authentically and his demeanor adds tremendous value to the role. Not many people remember him for his work in Indian Art Cinema, steller performances that have been forgotten. New Delhi Times is another reminder of what a class act he was.

Sharmila Tagore in her role as a Delhi High Court lawyer who fights for the rights of the people is graceful. The relationship of Nisha and Vikas has been handled beautifully in the film. Om Puri excels as the brash and unscrupulous Ajay Singh. The ensemble supporting cast does justice to their roles.

A Journalist’s Dilemma 

New Delhi Times is a fearless ode to Indian Journalism, all its virtues and fallacies included. In one of the scenes, Vikas asks Anwar, a fellow journalist, if a reporter does not feel empathy while covering a riot. To which Anwar replies – Yes, but only for the first time. This straightforwardness, probably the work of Gulzar, is what makes this film unique. It holds back no punches, mumbles no apologies, and yet does not raise the decibel. 

In an era of Digital onslaught, the film is also a delightful insight into Newspaper publishing in the 1980s,  of journalists setting newspapers on bromide paper, struggling to “hold the front page” because of breaking news and dictating articles on a typewriter on a trunk call . It is also a gentle reminder that while the technology has changed by leaps and bounds, the dilemma remains the same. 

Awards and Recognition

• National Award for the Best Actor (1986) – Shashi Kapoor
• National Award for the Best Cinematography (1986) – Subrata Mitra
• Indira Gandhi National Award for the Best Debut Film of a Director (1986) – Ramesh Sharma
• Bengal Film Journalist’s Association Award (1988)
• The film struggled to get a theatrical release owing to its political plot. It was not telecast on the national broadcaster and was even sued by a lawyer for a dialogue that implied that all lawyers lie. 
• Shashi Kapoor agreed to work in the film at the signing amount of Rs 101. The shoot was delayed because of the death of his wife Jennifer Kendell and resumed months later.
• Wikipedia – New Delhi Times (film)
• IMDB – New Delhi Times (1986)
• The Print –  Shashi Kapoor’s New Delhi Times gives a true picture of journalism, warts and all
• The Quint –  Millennials Review Classics: Shashi Kapoor’s ‘New Delhi Times’
• YouTube – Cinemaazi TV – Editor’s Choice | Ramesh Sharma | New Delhi Times

YouTube – Editor’s Social | Ramesh Sharma | New Delhi Times

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New delhi times, न्यू देहली टाइम्स.

Directed by Romesh Sharma

When a politician is killed, a journalist discovers that a member of parliament had the man assassinated. As his editor digs deeper, the complicity of higher-placed politicians comes to the surface, which leads to riots in one town and an attempt to suppress his story.

Shashi Kapoor Sharmila Tagore Om Puri Kulbhushan Kharbanda A.K. Hangal M. K. Raina Manohar Singh

Director Director

Romesh Sharma

Producer Producer

P.K. Tiwari

Writer Writer

Editor editor.

Renu Saluja

Cinematography Cinematography

Subrata Mitra

Assistant Director Asst. Director

Devlin Bose

Executive Producer Exec. Producer

K. Bikram Singh

Art Direction Art Direction

Composer composer.

Louis Banks

Sound Sound

Dev Benegal

P.K. Communications

Drama Mystery

Releases by Date

01 jan 1986, releases by country.

123 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Mansah ★★★½ 20

In which Shashi Kapoor looks straight at the camera and says (in English): 'Have I become too hot for New Delhi Times' - and yes, this may be 80s, post-Jennifer Shashi but still... mate, you were always too hot for New Delhi Times and everything else.

Welcome to the world of journalism anno mid-eighties, where idealism is buried with the bodies or sold to the highest bidder. There are gatekeepers, threats of violence and other forms of goonish silencing. You fight against one evil man in power and realise power is a hydra and all heads belong to the same body, be they Trivedi or Singh. To cite a few examples from Gulzar's punchy, crackling script we are told that…

Review by Ashwani Kumar ★★★★

Who cares if it is rough around the edges and the edit is marginally inefficient when the narrative remains water tight and manages to showcase how people doing their jobs are rendered powerless by people not doing their jobs.

The case of utopia where the truth triumphs and justice prevails is a nice, juicy thought. The reality is a habitat growing on that utopia's dead body.

Review by Devang Pathak ★★★★ 4

Depressed as fuck. ( I am. In general. But also after watching this film)

How much have we regressed since this film.

Loved the style and the breath of fresh air it's even now. Certain things would be different and more economised now but that's hardly a complain.

Review by indiabhai 2

"Bade Freedom of Press baat karte hain!"

पहले तो मेरेको १९८० वाला दिल्ली देख कर बहुत अच्छा लगा। इसी ही ज़माने में मेरे मां बाप बड़े हो नराहें थे, घूम रहे थे, और प्यार कर रहे थे। नई दिल्ली टाइम्स बड़ी धीरे गति की फिल्म हैं। हर दृश्य एक दूसरे से अलग लगता हैं और इस वाजा से यह फिल्म को समझ करना थोड़ी सी मुश्किल हैं । अफसोस यह हैं के अगर यह फिल्म आज बनी हुई, तो इसकी जो गुण होती काफी मजेदार!

First, a special shout-out to the intro credits. Showing off the name of the cast in 1980s Teletype CRT font was genius and very unique!

New Delhi Times is a strange movie! Packed with a…

Review by Cinetasticc ★★★★

Forget it Vikas, it's Ghazipur

Review by Rahul Gaur ★★★★½ 2

Anyone with a remote interest in investigative journalism should definitely watch this film. Anyone with zero interest in it should also watch this film as its written so well by Gulzar.

The story revolves around an executive editor at New Delhi Times and how he gets embroiled in a political game of chess where he comes to understand the true difference between reality and the idealized version of it.

Starring Shashi Kapoor, Om Puri, Sharmila Tagore and Kulbushan Kharbanda, this film is a journey through the India that was and sadly, the India that is today. The only change being that now the news isn’t written on typewriters but on computers. This wasn’t the change that the movie hoped to bring.…

Review by adi ★★★★

shashi kapoor "have i become too hot for new delhi times?" ICONIC ‼️💥

Review by Pulkit Malhotra ★★★★½ 6

Still so relevant today...

Review by ravi30 ★★★

That's all there is to this gulzar written film, filled with mutated Sergio Leone sound tracks and some decent camera work!

And some English dialogues thrown in for that special 80s era artistic shine n all!

Review by HombrePalido ★★★

Watched for an essay I wrote on Subrata Mitra the GOAT!

Unfortunately I could not find English subs so I didn't fully understand what was going on. Idk man. Shouts out Subrata!

Review by Santanu Patra

Happy birthday Gulzar saab

Review by Rifat Pial ★★★★

unexpected gem!

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New Delhi Times (1986)

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NEW DELHI TIMES (1986)

Beautiful, interesting, incredible cinema.

When a politician is killed, a journalist discovers that a member of parliament had the man assassinated. As his editor digs deeper, the complicity of higher-placed politicians comes to the surface, which leads to riots in one town and an attempt to suppress his story.

New Delhi Times (1986)

Directed by ramesh sharma / romesh sharma.

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Description by Wikipedia

New Delhi Times is 1986 Hindi-language political thriller film directed by Ramesh Sharma and written by Gulzar, starring Shashi Kapoor, Sharmila Tagore, Om Puri and Kulbhushan Kharbanda in lead roles. The film is about a newspaper editor who exposes the politics-media corruption nexus.

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New Delhi Times Movie Review: Shashi Kapoor's Hard-Hitting Drama

The Showman Raj Kapoor might have coined the term 'taxi actor' for Shashi Kapoor owing to his focus on quantity of films rather than quality, but the fact remains that Shashi Kapoor was one of the most solid performers of his time and his 1986 film New Delhi Times  is a testament to the fact.

When it comes to exploring corruption in the media, very few films have taken up the responsibility of exposing the rot within and New Delhi Times  is one of such films, which is relevant even today (No wonder the film bagged three National awards!)

The film, which has been directed by Ramesh Sharma , revolves around Vikas Pande (Kapoor), an upright executive editor of a daily 'New Delhi Times', which is run by an honest businessman Jagannath Poddar ( Manohar Singh )

When Pande decides to investigate the murder of a MLA, which seems linked to a bigger political conspiracy, the incorruptible journalist is dragged into a quicksand of lies, deception, political manipulations and murder. 

All evidence leads to the dynamic political leader Ajay Singh ( Om Puri ), but politics is rarely ever so simple, a fact that Pande learns the hard way as he goes on unraveling the mysterious murder case.

At a time when middle-aged actors did not play lead characters, Shashi Kapoor, who was conferred the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award, plays the upright editor with a mature dignity. Gone is the baby-faced younger brother, who had said Mere paas maa hai  with an endearing naiveté in Deewaar . Shashi Kapoor's Pande is a man of the world, who nevertheless has not developed a cynical streak despite the surrounding environment. Shashi has played the role with dignity and gravitas, reminding us once again that he is not just a performer, but a superb actor as well.

Sharmila Tagore  plays Pande's supportive wife Nisha and though she does not get to do much in the film, her practical attitude comes across as a breath of fresh air after Pande's burning idealism. The film also stars another gem-Om Puri, who is impeccable as ever in his role as Ajay Singh, who becomes the focus of Vikas Pande's investigations.

Apart from exploring the politics-media nexus,  New Delhi Times  also raises questions about the impartiality of the media and whether it is possible for media-persons to detach themselves from the tragedies that they cover.

In a poignant scene, Pande gently chides a photographer for enjoying shooting a riot and the latter says candidly that such things used to affect him when such incidents happened rarely but not anymore, when riots and law and order situations are something that he ends up covering so regularly.

The film is also worthy of mention because of its realism and simplicity. There are no long-winded speeches about truth and justice or passionate soliloquies, considering the fact that the film is a drama. The dialogues are quite real and the protagonist is not 'heroic' at all, just a media professional going about his job with a quiet idealism that come across as more believable and relatable.

For fans of Shashi Kapoor and realistic films,  New Delhi Times  is indeed a double treat.

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When a politician is killed, a journalist discovers that a member of parliament had the man assassinated. As his editor digs deeper, the complicity of higher-placed politicians comes to the surface, which leads to riots in one town and an attempt to suppress his story.

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Berlin movie review: Aparshakti Khurana, Ishwak Singh’s honest performances keep this espionage drama ticking along

Berlin movie review: aparshakti khurana, who has shed all baggage of being the funny guy in previous films, gets a meaty role to dig his teeth into..

Berlin movie review: Spy thrillers which are as intelligent as the intelligence they talk about, are far and few. Berlin is an honest step in the right direction. For starters – dropping agency names, firing guns and saving the world from impending doom isn’t how the world of espionage works. James Bond has seriously warped our understanding. (Also Read – Speak No Evil movie review: James McAvoy is menacing marvel in Blumhouse's Get Out-like escape thriller)

Director Atul Sabharwal brings a tale set in 1993’s Delhi, that revolves around the specially abled Ashok Kumar (played by Ishwak Singh) , who has been caught on the suspicion of being a spy for a foreign intelligence agency. The backdrop of it is the Russian President’s upcoming visit to India. His safety is compromised as someone wants to get their hands on plans about his movement. Pushkin Verma (played by Aparshakti Khurana ) is brought in by intelligence official Jagdish Sondhi (played by Rahul Bose) to help in interrogating Ashok. All this quickly spirals out of control as things are not what they seem. The rest of it forms the plot.

On the surface, things seem larger than life, spanning across countries. And that’s where Berlin scores. It’s revealed ultimately that the fight was never global – it was happening right at home, and merely orchestrated for reasons one doesn’t see coming. The attention to detail is immense. From the pin put inside a top secret file by Sondhi (so that anyone who tries to access it is pricked and it’s made clear that the information is compromised), to the banner which announces the Russian president’s visit right in the beginning as Pushkin is catching a bus – writer-director Atul Sabharwal has taken care of everything. The picturisation too is decidedly not full of popping colours – there’s a gradient texture to it that screams vintage.

What doesn't work

With half the job done to convince us of the setting, it was time to focus on getting the story right. And Atul has done an okay job of keeping the film from venturing into conventional territory. The story engages you, right until the climax which you don’t see coming. It’s a reminder of how life works – it’s not fair, but hang in there. The second half could have been made taut.

Performance report card

The cast of Berlin puts in everything to convince us. Ishwak Singh gets the body language of an aurally and verbally challenged guy absolutely right. We are told early in the film, that his football coach didn’t let him play because “voh baat nahi maanta tha, apni game khelta tha” (he didn't listen to anyone, played his own game) This is foreshadowing, because what follows is Ashok taking everyone for a ride, setting things in motion without uttering a single word. He controls the narrative, leading to a finale which leaves you stunned.

Aparshakti, who has shed all baggage of being the funny guy in previous films, gets a meaty role to dig his teeth into. And we can safely say that he manages to convince us as the morally upright, simple Pushkin, who is left broken at how the system works. Juniors here are mere pawns in the larger scheme of things.

Rahul Bose, an actor who always delivers, however just isn’t as... scary (?) as he is supposed to be. He emotes the cunning aspect to his character well, but it never manages to rise above that. The rest of the cast is okay.

Overall, Berlin deserves a watch for the atmospherics and conviction the maker and cast place in it. It's streaming on ZEE5.

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