Cycling Through Cinema on World Bicycle Day

Dr Khusi Pattanayak 

Bicycle is bygone; yet every now and then the humble mode of transport finds its way into the cinematic script. On June 3 as we celebrate World Bicycle Day let us look at some Indian movies that discuss cycle as something more than just a conveyance or a prop.

The popularity of the bicycle on silver screen is mostly symbolic; very different from what UN endorses bicycles for (health benefits and positive step towards Sustainable Development Goals). It all probably started with The Bicycle Thief (Italian, 1948) and since then there has been no looking back.

In India, in the 50s and the 60s, hero and his friends would bicycle their way to happiness and success. Their delightful faces on screen indicated a new found liberation as they swayed into adulthood. By mid-60s bicycle was no longer a male companion. Heroine and her friends are seen riding bicycle and heading to college or touring the town- signifying social progress and change.

In Padosan (Hindi, 1968) Saira Banu with her girl gang twirls around the city as they sing “Mein Chali Mein Chali”. The same enthusiasm reverberates in late 1980s (motor bikes and cars were staple on screen by now) when Juhi Chawla along with her friends cycles her way to scenic locations while humming “Aye Mere Humsafar” in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (Hindi, 1988).  But this cycling sequence also introduces an old-school charm and alludes to a world of innocence and romance that was no longer part of 80s cinematic culture.

Of course, bicycle is not always a representation of all things pristine. For example, Rajesh Khanna as postman in Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein (Hindi, 1977) conveyed mundanity of a job that brought both happiness and sorrow through the mails that he delivered while Amitabh Bachchan in Piku (Hindi, 2015) got into the bicycle because he had a health condition to overcome (or at least that is what his character assumed would help).

Whereas Mithun Chakraborty in Gunda (Hindi, 1998) used bicycle as a shield to protect himself from the goons and launch a counter attack on them (a precious meme material). There are numerous such references where the bicycle hangs on the periphery of the script.

But today let us discuss those Indian movies where bicycle is the epicenter of the narrative.

Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (Hindi, 1992)
This coming-of-age movie starring Aamir Khan, Ayesha Jhulka, and Pooja Bedi in pivotal roles is centred around a bicycle race. ‘Inspired’ from Hollywood movie Breaking Away (1979) the movie is widely watched because of its massy appeal and evergreen songs. The cycle (and the race) in the movie is representative of the lost glory and honour that needs to be restored to maintain the social equilibrium.

God on the Balcony (Assamese, 2020)
Based on real life events, the film revolves around a man who purchases a cycle for his daughter. But as things turn out the bicycle is used carry his wife to the hospital and bring her dead body back in it.  The movie has an authentic local flavour and an impressive sound design that gives life to the remote location where it is filmed. The cycle is the passive participant of socio-economic disparity and material cynicism that engulfs the modern world.

Cycle (Marathi, 2017)
An astrologer inherits a yellow cycle from his grandfather. One day the prized possession gets stolen by two thieves. Realising that the cycle owner is an honest pious man, they decide to return it. Screened at Cannes Film Festival and set in an era when generosity and goodness was a regular trait, the heart-warming movie is a lesson on self-realisation. The yellow cycle is the embodiment of virtue and a constant reminder that a single act of kindness, however insignificant, is never forgotten.

Matto Ki Cycle (Hindi, 2022)
Prakash Jha, the popular director-producer, plays Matto, a daily wage labourer who lives with his family in the city. One day his old worn-out cycle is damaged beyond repair and eventually he gets another one. Jha’s outstanding performance keeps this socio-political drama going.  The film is a commentary on the vulnerable state of the urban poor, and the cycle is the metaphor for the cycle of poverty which one can never get out of.

Finals (Malayalam, 2019)
The sports drama based on a real-life sportsperson is edgy and entertaining. The story of passion and overcoming misfortune has a professional cyclist at the helm of action. A stout acting and screenplay ensures that the politics of sports in India is well conveyed while the cyclist (Alice) eventually becomes the beacon of hope who emerges as winner against all odds.

Do you have any Indian movies to recommend where the story revolves around bicycle?