From the earliest days of Indian cinema, the issue of class struggle has cropped up regularly. Pramod Chakravorty's Naya Zamana (1971) is one of the better films in the genre. The never-ending struggle of the poorer classes in India is exemplified by Anoop, an educated young man whose honesty and refusal to bow to corrupt practices results in a lack of opportunities for him. His life changes when the rich Seema falls in love with him and Anoop falls into the ambit of her conniving brother Rajan. Matters come to a head when Rajan steals Anoop's manuscript--a treatise on the ambitions of poverty--and passes it off as his own.

Usually known for his tough guy roles, Dharmendra is excellent in the central role of Anoop. Here he carries on the image change process that he began with the similarly themed Satyakam (1969). His hit pairing with real-life partner Hema Malini (in the role of Seema) gets another outing with this film. For director Chakravorty, Naya Zamana marks one of his last successful forays into social cinema. He moved on to the more lucrative action genre with some success, including some with Dharmendra as the leading man, returning to his tough guy routine.

On the DVD: Naya Zamana is presented in a crisp new transfer, though inexplicably the opening credits are a bit faded. There are no extras. --Naman Ramachandran