THIS week marks the 40th anniversary of cult Bollywood classic Kranti, which was released on February 6, 1981.
The larger-than-life multi-starrer about freedom fighters in 19th cenury British India was produced and directed by lead star Manoj Kumar, who had assembled an impressive star cast for his most ambitious venture.
Eastern Eye revisited the patriotic Hindi cinema classic with 20 fun facts about it.
■ Kranti became the highest grossing Bollywood film of 1981 and played housefull in some cinemas for 67 days straight. It outperformed even legendary classics such as Naseeb, Laawaris, Kaalia, Ek Duuje Ke Liye and Silsila, which released the same year.
■ Legendary actor Dilip Kumar (above) was persuaded to come back to Bollywood after a five-year hiatus. It was a sweet moment for producer, director and lead star Manoj Kumar, real name Harikishan Giri Goswami, who had named himself after a character played by his idol in 1949 film Shabnam.
■ Manoj Kumar had always used the voice of singer Mukesh in his movies and as he had passed away by the time Kranti had commenced, he got his relatively unknown son Nitin Mukesh for songs in the film, instead of opting for a bigger named music star.
■ The huge star cast includes a small role for legendary actor P Jairaj, who holds the record for the longest career in Bollywood, which stretched from 1929 to 1995.
■ The original choice for Shatrughan Sinha’s (above) role was in-demand superstar Amitabh Bachchan, but he didn’t have any free dates.
■ Vinod Khanna was the first choice for Shashi Kapoor’s role, but wasn’t available and Vyjayanthimala turned down the character that was eventually played by Nirupa Roy.
■ Parveen Babi had a bigger role in the original, but Manoj Kumar found her troublesome, so killed off her character in the movie.
■ Ajay Devgn’s late father Veeru Devgan was the stunt director on the movie and even makes an appearance in it.
■ Although Manoj Kumar had previously starred opposite superstar actress Hema Malini, including in 1976’s highest grossing Bollywood film Dus Numbri, Kranti was the first time he was directing her. She was shooting Razia Sultan at the same time, so he had trouble balancing her dates while shooting.
■ As the cost of the big budget movie spiralled out of control, Manoj Kumar had to sell off personal assets to complete it.
■ Legendary duo Salim-Javed wrote the screenplay from an idea given to them by Manoj Kumar and then with their permission made edits, including writing the powerful dialogues, which were such a huge success that they were later released on vinyl.
■ The film, set between 1825 and 1875, is inspired by stories of Indian freedom fighters, who tried to revolt against British rulers.
■ By the time shooting had been completed, over 10 hours of footage had been shot, which had to be edited down to just over three hours.
■ The opening credits of the film only arrive after a 21-minute build up in the movie, which was a first in Indian cinema.
■ Manoj Kumar got his young son Kunal Goswami to make his acting debut in the film. He appears in the opening scene playing the son of his father’s character.
■ The film received mostly poor reviews, but that didn’t stop it from becoming a commercial success and a cult classic.
■ After the film released, Manoj Kumar fell out with lead star Dilip Kumar over alleged disparaging remarks he made about him during promotions. He also fell out with Bollywood legend Pradeep Kumar, who felt he was short-changed in the final edit and didn’t get the respect he deserved.
■ Many film analysts feel the Dilip Kumar character inspired the Amitabh Bachchan role in mega-budget 2019 film Thugs Of Hindostan, with many similarities.
■ The Kranti soundtrack was a huge success and decades later inspired the song Basmatee Gyal by Stinky & Brian Mohan, which used the music from the film’s song Zindagi Ki Na Toote Ladi.
■ After a triumphant career as a leading man and filmmaker, Kranti would be the final success of Manoj Kumar’s (right) career and the last high-profile movie he was involved with.
Jay's grandma’s popcorn from Gujarat is now selling out everywhere.
Ditched the influencer route and began posting hilarious videos online.
Available in Sweet Chai and Spicy Masala, all vegan and gluten-free
Jayspent 18 months on a list. Thousands of names. Influencers with follower counts that looked like phone numbers. He was going to launch his grandmother's popcorn the right way: send free bags, wait for posts, pray for traction. That's the playbook, right? That's what you do when you're a nobody selling something nobody asked for.
Then one interaction made him snap. The entitlement. The self-importance. The way some food blogger treated his family's recipe like a favour they were doing him. He looked at his spreadsheet. Closed it. Picked up his phone and decided to burn it all down.
Now he makes videos mocking the same people he was going to beg for help. Influencers weeping over the wrong luxury car. Creators demanding payment for chewing food on camera. Someone having a breakdown about ice cubes. And guess what? The internet ate it up. His popcorn keeps selling out. And from Gujarat, his grandmother's 60-year-old recipe is now moving units because her grandson got mad enough to be funny about it.
Jay’s grandma’s popcorn from Gujarat is now selling out everywhere Instagram/daadisnacks
The kitchen story
Daadi means grandmother in Hindi. Jay's daadi came to America from Gujarat decades ago. Every weekend, she made popcorn with the spices she grew up with, including cardamom, cinnamon, and chilli mixes. It was her way of keeping home close while living somewhere that didn't taste like it.
Jay wanted that in stores. Wanted brown faces in the snack aisle. It didn’t happen overnight. It took a couple of years to get from a family recipe to something they could actually sell. Everyone pitched in, including his grandmom, uncle, mum. The spices come from small local farmers. There are just two flavours for now, Sweet Chai and Spicy Masala. It’s all vegan and gluten-free, packed in bright bags that instantly feel South Asian.
The videos don't look like marketing. They look like someone venting at 11 PM after scrolling too long. He nails the nasal influencer voice. The fake sympathy. “I can’t believe this,” he says in that exaggerated influencer tone, “they gave me the cheaper car, only eighty grand instead of one-twenty.” That clip alone blew up, pulling in close to nine million views.
Most people don't know they're watching a snack brand. They think it's social commentary. Jay never calls himself an influencer. He says he’s a creator, period. There’s a difference, and he makes sure people know it. His TikTok has around three hundred thousand followers, Instagram about half that. The comments read like a sigh of relief, people fed up with fake polish, finally hearing someone say what everyone else was thinking.
This fits into something called deinfluencing; people pushing back against the buy-everything-trust-nobody cycle. But Jay's version has teeth. He's naming names, calling out the economics. Big venture money flows to chains with good lighting. Family businesses with actual stories get ignored because their content isn't slick enough.
Jay watched his New York neighbourhood change. Chains moved in. Influencers posted about places that had funding and were aesthetic. The old spots, the family ones, got left behind. His videos are about that gap. The erosion of local culture by money and aesthetics.
"Big chains and VC-funded businesses are promoted at the expense of local ones," he said. His content doesn't just roast influencers. It promotes other small food makers who can't afford to play the game. He positions Daadi as a defender of something real against something plastic.
And it's working. Not just philosophically. Financially. The videos drive traffic. People click through, try the popcorn, come back. The company can't keep stock. That's the proof.
Daadi popcorn features authentic Gujarat flavours like Sweet Chai and Spicy Masala, all vegan and gluten-free Daadi Snacks
The blowback
People unfollow because they think he's too harsh. Jay's take: "I would argue I need to be meaner."
In May, he posted that he's not chasing content creation money like most people at his follower count. "I post to speak my mind and help my family's snack biz." That's a different model. Most brands pay influencers to make everything look perfect. They chase viral polish, and Jay does the opposite. In fact, he weaponises rawness and treats criticism like a product feature.
The internet mostly backs him. Reddit threads light up with support. One commenter was "toxic influencers choking on their matcha lattes searching their Balenciaga bags." Another: "Influencers are boring and unoriginal and can get bent." The anger is shared. Jay simply gave it a microphone and a snack to buy.
Jay's success says something about where things are going. People are done with curated perfection. They can smell the artificiality now. They respond to brands that feel like humans rather than committees. Daadi doesn't sell aspiration. Doesn't sell a lifestyle. Sells popcorn and a point of view.
The quality matters, including the spices, the sourcing, and the family behind it. But the edge matters too. He’s not afraid to say what most brands tiptoe around. “We just show who we are,” Jay says. “No pretending, no gloss. People can feel that and that’s when they reach for the popcorn.”
Most small businesses can't afford to play the traditional game. Can't pay influencers. Can't hire agencies. Can't fake their way into feeds. Maybe they don't need to. Maybe honesty and humour can cut through if they're sharp enough. If the product backs it up. If the story is real and the person telling it isn't trying to sound like a PR script.
This started with a list Jay didn't use. The business took off the moment he stopped trying to play by the usual rules and started speaking his mind. Turns out, honesty sells. And yes, the popcorn really does taste good.
Daadi Snacks merch dropInstagram/daadisnacks
The question is whether this scales. Whether other small businesses watch this and realise they don't need to beg for attention from people who don't care. Right now, Daadi keeps selling out. People keep watching. The grandmother's recipe that was supposed to need influencer approval is doing fine without it. Better than fine. Turns out the most effective marketing strategy might just be giving a damn and not being afraid to show it.
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