Legends of the Fall - My Thoughts on Sahib, Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962)

One thing that I learned early on in my life is that the world is not static. Times change and with the changing seasons of Time, everything changes. Humans change, Civilizations change, Societies with their sacrosanct Customs and Traditions change, Thoughts change, the notions of what's Good and Bad change – What is man, even Gods and Religions Change. Nothing remains constant here. Absolutely Nothing .... What doesn’t change though is the incessant march of Time. Time marches on – irrespective of everything.

Empires rise from dust, rule the roost and then again fall back to dust. Nothing remains – nothing except the ruins of those glorious heydays and even they fall one day, blown to smithereens by the ruthless forces of time, unsung and unloved, victims at last to the vicissitudes of time leaving only distant memories of what was ….

As the great poet Ahmed Faraz said:

Abke Bicchde To Shaayad Kabhi Khwaabon Mein Milen
Jis Tarah Sukhe Huye Phool Kabhi Kitaabon Mein Milen

And so it was with the powerful Thakurs and the Zamindars in the final years of the 19^th century and the early 20^th Century.

Created and indulged ad infinitum by their British overlords with a view to perpetuate their power and strength in an alien and often hostile country and to ensure consistent healthy cash inflows in their coffers in accordance with the Permanent Settlement Policy initiated by Lord Cornwallis in 1793, these puppets of British power once reigned supreme over the poor teeming millions. And as is often common with the class that is on the ascendant, in the intoxication of power and potency, they perpetuated atrocities and heaped humiliations on the ones that fell to their mercy. No Crime was beyond their pale; no tyranny beyond their power and miseries of the poor and the defenseless continued unabated. But nothing remains constant and as time changed it's colours yet once again even they had to fade away.

Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam is a movie that captures vividly in stark deep colours the terminal fall of a Zamindar family into terminal chaos. It is a heart-wrenching chronicle of the beginning of the end of the feudal dream in Indian conditions but more than that, it’s also a strong and caustic look at the conditions that brought up this downfall.

The greatness of the movie, (difficult though it may seem to present two strands of life simultaneously), lies in the fact that the movie not only captures the decline of the feudal powers of Bengal but also presents a searing account of the plight of womenfolk in those prestigious houses of culture and civilization.

These were Houses, where womenfolk were worshipped as avatars of Goddess Durga but treated as worse than daasis – where every act was performed invoking the name of the Mother Goddess but the women did not have the freedom of choice over their own feelings – so well has this been brought out by the movie that can only shudder to imagine this duplicity and our heart goes out in unison to what must have transpired behind those beautiful walls decorated with Dhaka Muslin.

On yet another level, the movie also portrays the beautiful relationship that develops between a woman of the royal household (the Bibi) and a poor rustic (the Ghulam) in shades that are so simple... just like broad swathes of brilliant, playful colours on the dark, brooding canvas of life but too complex to be understood completely. To call it platonic is to state the obvious but the relationship of the Ghulam with his Bibi cannot be explained away by these metaphors.... there is a starkness to the relationship that defies simpler understanding and as such cannot be explained totally in terms of what is but has to imagined of what it can be.....

The title is intriguing ... Why is this film called Sahib, Bibi Aur Ghulam - a reference to the 3 most powerful cards in the pack of cards excepting the Ace? Maybe because the three principal characters in this tragical drama behave like the 3 cards in their normal interactions....

He is the Sahib - because he is the Master of all he surveys - though he may be disadvantaged in the absence of supporters, he is still the Master - unbending and unready to accept any change to his privileged status - like a man trapped in his own ivory tower, a relic of an age that's passing away.

She is the Bibi - shorn of all real power but an ornament of the Sahib - she derives her power from the majestic allure of her consort without being by herself an equal and as a result of this unequal share in power is forever relegated to the mercy of the provider .... Remember, the name is Bibi not Memsahib .... thus according a reflected glory but no real power worth the name

And He is the Ghulam - one who can see not beyond the radiance that emanates.... one who can feel the misery but is drawn moth-like to the flame of a dying flicker.... Overpowered by the awe and the radiance and finding an emasculated empowerment at the hands of those who themselves are playing their last losing hand at the game of fate but refusing to accept that the world has past them by, the Ghulam continues to be the last vestige of their Pride and Prestige.

Indeed the movie lives to the promise of the title - an impressive task! a great accomplishment!

As Bhootnath (the Ghulam), a rustic who migrates to Calcutta - the Capital of British India in search of a better life but is completely bewildered by the life in the great city, Guru Dutt delivers a performance extraordinaire. Considering the fact that Guru Dutt had to enact a rustic in the late 19^th century and then build up on it for a time period encompassing two to three decades, showcasing the loss of innocence with the onset of innocence, his performance is a chiseled masterpiece.

From the initial stages of innocence when Bhootnath enters Calcutta to the later stages of maturity as he surveys the ruins of the once mighty Zamindars, the role demanded a large amount of perseverance and dedication and to his credit. Guru not only manages to stand true to the story but also to stand tall and dignified in the ruins of a destroyed past. His deep affection for Chhoti Bahu is not only well displayed but so is his frustration on his own inability to help her out of her predicaments. Look at the scene, where despite himself and against better judgement, he proceeds to snatch liquor from the hands of Chhoti Bahu because he cannot see her self-destructing and then the frustration at having to face an extraordinary reaction and be unable to do anything is a three course act in education for a person who wants to learn acting.

It’s very rare to find an actor who can seep into a role to such an extent that one feels not so much for as a character but for the entire class that the actor personifies. Guru Dutt had that rare quality. Look at those eyes surveying the falls and then chancing upon the dead remains of the assassinated Chhoti Bahu, the pain can be felt and it scorches the soul... have we seen such a strong body language ever? The pain numbs us and for an momentary instant we can feel that heart-breaking moment when time just stands still and tears flow not from the eyes but from the heart!

Rehman as Chhote Zamindar (the Sahib) is aptly and perfectly cast as the aristocratic scion of a royal family and stands tall in his perfect portrayal of a man who is arrogant, egoistic, pompous and - worthless. Watching his role unfold, you feel a quite sense of revulsion for the Zamindars, everything that was deplorable can be seen in his character.... I still feel a sense of revulsion when he asks Chhoti Bahu “Sharab Pi Sakti Ho Meri Khhatir?”

What kind of a husband would draw his wife to such pain and frustration! It disgusts you and you feel it to the core of your heart....

But the great actor that he was, he still manages to engage our empathy in the final scene wherein he is lying on the bed as a paraplegic, highly repentant but also aware of the futility of the repentance.

Like a Dr. Frankenstein who after creating his monster is forced to look at his creation with pain and chagrin, so is this man forced to see his adoring and faithful wife self-destruct for his whims and fancies. Through him, one can see the long ride of his clan towards the impending doom and the irreversible destruction of his dynasty.

Watch his eyes as he observes Choti Bahu in her drunken stupor and observe it wincing with disgust and frustration as he recalls how responsible he is for her destruction. A scene that could only have been accomplished by an extra-ordinary actor – a silent reminder of Rehman’s calibre and finesse

Although both the actors mentioned above are brilliant, the movie scores mainly because of a tour-de-performance by one of the greatest actresses of Hindi Cinema, the tragedy queen – Meena Kumari who as Chhoti Bahu (the Bibi), the flawed but spirited bahu of a feudal household delivers one of the greatest performances by an actress ever.

The role of Chhoti Bahu is not a caricature of the times, but one that requires a deep understanding of the period and the customs and traditions of the time, it has to understand the feelings of a woman brought up on the moralities of that bygone era, the pining of a woman thirsting for her husband’s attention, the frustration of sexual desires kept unfulfilled and the deep sense of anguish and gloom that drives a woman into acts against her ingrained nature. In one such scene as she screams to her consciousness, “ Hindu Ghar ki bahu hokar, kya sharab pee hai kissine?” one is bound to feel and cry in unison with her on her deep sense of loss, despair, anguish and frustration.

Some scenes that just refuse to go away and are seared in ones consciousness forever are scene where she confronts her husband and then as the ruthless words strike home, one can just remain nothing but amazed at the transformation - look at the way the determination on her face giving way to her helplessness when being forced to drink alcohol, the scene of frustration when she’s unable to hold on to her husband despite all her efforts and the final scene where she still maintains her dignity although she knows all is lost.

And who can forget, the introduction of Chhoti Bahu – never has an actress been introduced so effectively ever and Meena looks so ravishingly beautiful – that’s just before you stop looking at Meena and start looking at Chhoti Bahu! Only she could be so majestic while imploring her husband with these lines, “Main Aur Bahuon Ki Tarah Nahin Hoon, Jee!” Sheer Magic!

Waheeda Rehman as Jabba, the spitfire daughter of a city businessman proves her mettle in a role that is a compliment on her performance. This is one of the few challenging roles that came Waheeda’s way and the actress not only grabs it with both her hands but also uses it to demonstrate her grasp on the finer nuances of acting.

If you look closely, the character of Jabba is not incidental to the plot but it’s the presence of her character that adds a touch of deep melancholy to the lead role of Meena Kumari since both in conception and execution, Jabba is all that Meena would have been had Fate so dictated whereas Chhoti Bahu is all that Waheeda would be in circumstances such as the ones encountered by Chhoti Bahu. Look at the way she teases Bhootnath off and again and then contrast it with her demeanour once she knows the truth – indeed it’s fate that dictates at time what we could be and what we have become.

Look at her eyes as she sings “Meri Baat Rahi Mere Mann Mein” and you can feel her own impotence at times in a society that refuses it’s women the right to speak and choose.

The supporting cast also stands true to its mettle. Nasir Hussein is brilliant in his portrayal of the elegant and dignified Subhinay Babu. Dhumal brings life to his portrayal of a servant without seeming cheesy while Sapru conveys the regal elegance of a Zamindar effortlessly. Hridaynath Chattopadhyay impresses as Ghadi Babu - a mad man who is used as a metaphor for changing times

Hemant Kumar wields the baton impressively, creating in the process some of the best Geeta Dutt & Asha Bhosle ditties. Whether it’s the haunting “Koi Door Se Aawaz De”, the mischievous “Bhavra Bada Nadan”, the passionate “Naa Jao Saiyan”, the sad “Meri Baat Rahi” or the hopeful “Piya Aiso Jiya Mein” the maestro ensures that each and every song remains deeply etched in your hearts. It goes without saying that Shakeel Badayuni has penned in some of the best songs of his glittering career in this movie.

One has to only listen to “Piya Aiso Jiya Mein” to understand the innate sexual feelings of a woman preparing to meet her husband – and then on the other side of the spectrum we have “Koi Door Se Aawaz De, Chale Aao” – what can signify sexual and emotional frustration better than this?

Raat Raat Bhar Intezaar Hai, Dil Dard Se Be-Qaraar Hai
Sajan Itna To Na Tadpaao, Chale Aao
Aas Todke Mukh Modke, Kya Paoge Saath Chhodke
Birhan Ko Ab Yun Na Tarsaao, Chale Aao

Add to this mosaic, the painful but strong “Naa Jao Saiyaan”…. Can the requests of a wife be more sweeter or more heart-breaking?

This is Geeta Dutt’s album – never has this great songstress been more beautifully used. Her voice effectively captures both the longings, the feelings and the frustration of Chhoti Bahu – sometimes it appears as if Geeta Dutt was born only to give voice to Chhoti Bahu and Meena Kumari was born only to play Chhoti Bahu – although the truth remains that both have given many more such strong performances.

Abrar Alvi in his maiden directorial debut creates a fascinating spectacle of grandeur and debauchery, exaltation and meanness. He effortlessly portrays the complex relationship of Meena and Guru Dutt and etches out the deep respect and love the two hold for each other while still managing to keep both Rehman and Waheeda Rehman firmly in the scene.

Although, at times the film displays the famous style of Guru Dutt, it would be unfair to say that Guru Dutt ghost-directed the movie. Some of the scenes in the movie such as the pigeon competition, the murder sequence and the bomb blast are not the sorts of scenes Guru Dutt would be comfortable doing. However, the picturizations of songs and the close-ins are definitely reminiscent of the master. Special mention should be made of V K Murthy, whose cinematography is one of the highlights of the movie.

And lastly we need to appreciate Abrar for one more thing – his deft adaptation of the classic. Adaptation of a literary work is no easy task. It’s like taking the vision and the dream of one man and trying to transplant it into another milieu – here the mind of another writer.

The Waterloo of many an accomplished writers and directors is met when trying to adapt a literary work of repute on celluloid for as any avid reader of literature will concur, these do not easily give themselves to adaptation. This is more so with the classics. And if the classic is based on a period of Indian history that’s known for the unmitigated tyranny of a privileged class over the teeming millions, it becomes even more difficult. And if the intent of the classic is to capture vividly their decline, it’s almost a difficult task.

Such was Bimal Mitra’s brilliant exposition of the turbulent times that an adaptation of the novel would be hara-kiri even for seasoned campaigners but it’s to the credit of the cast & crew that this adaptation was an out and out classic – a worthy adaptation of a worthy work. In fact, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam is one of the few adaptations that can be considered to have actually outshone the classic – the rare case where an adaptation has actually managed to outshine the original.

This movie is a wake-up call for those who think Indian literature is shallow and does not have enough stories for those who would dare to adapt them.

I would just end it by saying....

Koi Door Se Aawaz De... Chale Aao

We need more movies like this .... please!

Cages and Prisons - My Thoughts on Bandini (1963)

The most powerful of all gifts given to mankind is freedom – but what is this freedom?

Is it the right to act, to think, to make a decision – the right to make dreams come true or conversely the right to destroy one’s own self. Actually it’s both… so what then is freedom? To put it in simple terms, freedom is nothing but the right to Choose – the right to choose one’s own path, the right to make or mar one’s own destiny, the right to create or destroy but in all forms the Right to Choose.

But do we choose? Do we avail of that right? Are we really free? Does the absence of physical shackles on our body mean that we are free? The answer is a resounding ‘No’

As Sahir once commented:

Bediyaan Aaj Bhi Pehne Hai Azeezaan-E-Watan;
Farq Itna Hai Ki Zanjeer Mein Aawaaz Nahin Hai!

Every human being is a prisoner – either to his circumstances or his ambitions, to his values in life or to what he deems should be the ideals of his life. Some are prisoners to social constraints; others are prisoners to their personal feelings…. Some are prisoners to money and some are prisoners to beauty. A few are prisoners to their guilt and some are prisoners to their destiny – their fate. But all are prisoners and it must be only the rare person who can put up his hand and say – I am Not a Prisoner!

Of all these prisoners, the most unfortunate is the man who is a prisoner of conscience since for him no period of atonement, no amount of penance is enough to absolve him of the sins he has committed. The man pines away in misery, begging for some sort of peace, some sort of relief but conscience – this moral watchdog created by man’s own values refuses to ever let him go. A prisoner in a jail anywhere in the world can expect to be released from his bondage after a passage of time, depending on the severity of his crime. But not so the man who is a prisoner of his own conscience, for one can run and run but still not be far from the reach of his conscience.

Can anything be worse than such a life of condemnation and eternal imprisonment?

Yes… There is one more kind of imprisonment - the imprisonment of the self - the life of a human being who has condemned himself to imprisonment is often worse than the imprisonment of a conscience for the Man often is a victim of his survival. There may be many reasons for this – he may be the highly religious fanatic who can see no wrong in his espousal of his religion to fanatic ends like the Taliban; he may be a man dedicated to social norms so rigidly that he’s unable to hear the cries of the miserable lot chaffing under the juggernaut of social mores and responsibilities like the orthodox and conservative who can see no good in a liberal world; he may be a man devoted to love to an extent that he fails to see the destructions wrought by that love on the world (like Devdas) – he can be anyone. The only difference between this prisoner and the prisoner of conscience is that he may silently suffer oblivious to his or her own imprisonment while in the former case, the person is aware of the cause but not the extent of the punishment. For such a person, ignorance is bliss for knowledge would destroy his or her life for ever.

Bandini, by Bimal Roy is the story of common people caught in the cesspool of these imprisonments. Bandini as such means a prisoner and what can best signify the life and feelings of a person in imprisonment than this movie, which can easily lay claim to being the best movie on such a dark and complex subject. Never has a movie been attempted that showcases the various frailties of man – the various dependencies of a supposedly independent man, the various imprisonments of a supposedly independent and free man – Bandini does it all and does it all with distinction.

The film boasts of some of the best performances ever in the history of Hindi Cinema – this is indeed one of the best and most powerful movies ever made in India that look at the story from the female point of view and indeed throws caution to the statements made by many that India never made female-centric movies.

As a person who has by her own acts of omission and commissions, her own values and her own notions of right and wrong brought imprisonment onto her life, Nutan delivers a tour de performance. Kalyani is one of the best and most complex characterizations ever in the history of Hindi Cinema, but Nutan delivers a flawless performance, one easily ranked as one of the top 5 performances by an actress. Each and every scene in the movie is a tribute to the thespian skills of the actor and one has to just observe her to see the conflicting emotions, all build up, express itself and then dissolve on her face in a matter of seconds.

A woman is supposed to be soft and simple but then the same woman is also capable of strong emotions – maybe that’s the reason we worship womanhood both as Goddess Kali and Goddess Sita – but it’s so difficult to actually portray both the forms that remain ensconced within every woman – Nutan not only does it but in her characteristic style does it without any screaming hysterics, any playing to the galleries, any dramatic overtures – everything is portrayed deftly with only a twitch of the eye, a look here and a turn there – can there be an actress who could be Kalyani?

No…. Never! When you see the movie unravel, it appears as if Nutan was born to play Kalyani and who else could have brought the anger, the fury, the hatred and the frustration along with the eternal damnation to self and the silent resignation to fate to screen so vividly?

Her best scene remains undoubtedly the one wherein she murders her lover’s wife – the shrewish patient she is supposed to take care of. The inherent fury, the quiet rage, the hypnotic hold of ruthlessness, the glance of cold terror all combine to instill a feeling of the murder long before the act is committed and then the silent fear, the abject despair and the remorse again makes for the perfect sketch of one who kills in the heat of the moment. You fear her intentions when she walks to kill, your heart asks her to stop but you do not shout; this is the feeling her cold eyes evoke in you and later after the act is done, you again look around and find that your hands are wet with tears of an act that should not have been committed. Never before and never after has a murder been taken to such creative heights. Equally brilliant is her silence when taunted by the other prisoners and the breakdown on interrogation. A mind-blowing performance indeed

On the other hand of the spectrum is Ashok Kumar as Bikash Babu, a man imprisoned by his ideals. As a freedom fighter who fights for the freedom of his country who inevitably ends up becoming a life-long imprisonment, a cage for Kalyani, Ashok once again delivers an impeccable performance. As a man tormented by his past and his guilt at having destroyed someone’s life, although unintentionally, Ashok stands tall among the minions. Each and every frame in the movie speaks volumes for his performance but the best scene is definitely the one wherein he tries to seek pardon from the woman he has wronged towards the end of the movie.

One has to just observe the frustration on his face as he tries to make amends, the pain in his eyes is to be seen to be believed; although he is the one who betrayed; the one who brought all those hard times on Kalyani, when he speaks and speaks of his helplessness, his frustration and his pain; your heart cannot stop but pain at what he too has suffered at the hands of both his ideals and his conscience. So much so that although throughout the movie, you want Kalyani to be with Deven (Dharmendra), when finally she decides to go along with Bikash, you although not happy cannot but agree with her decision.

Dharmendra as the doctor Deven portrays a mild liberal modernist doctor with earnestness. The brilliance of his role lies in the fact that in the film he is among the few, whose life is not bound by any prisons. Devan is a free man and one who believes that his mission is life transcends prisons and imprisonments. Dharmendra plays his role with characteristic subdued charm and you can feel his earnestness shine throughout the film. This was one of his earliest performances and it’s definitely a mark of his talent that no great a director than Bimal Roy elected him to play this role. Although the role of the doctor is not author-backed and is often only support-oriented, Dharmendra manages to stay true to his characterization

Among the supporting cast, Tarun Bose as the wise jailor who understands a thing or two about life and his prisons and Iftikhar as his lecherous deputy are exceptionally well versed with their roles.

Raja Paranjpe as Kalyani’s father performs the role of a lifetime. His silence is the most eloquent in the movie, second only to Nutan in terms of power and reach. A father whose daughter has been ridiculed; a school-teacher whose teachings have been relegated to the dust; a man who in his old age has to face the ridicule and humiliations of an ingrate deeply conservative and orthodox village and moreover see his daughter carry a ‘blot’ on her face is one that cannot be easily performed except with a range as wide as the Himalayas and as deep as the Indian Ocean. Raja performs exceptionally well and I would go on to add, his performance is one that’s most natural among so many scenes shown throughout Indian Film history. I can still remember his agony so well brought out by Mukesh’s super rendition of “O Jaanewale; Ho Sake To Lautke Aana”…

De De Ke Ye Aawaz, Koi Har Ghadee Bulaaye
Phir Jaaye Jo Uss Paar Kabhi Laut Ke Naa Aaye
Hai Bhed Ye Kaisa, Koi Kucch To Bataana?

The pain is self-explanatory. What do I say… except … Magic is made in such moments

S D Burman is in his full elements as he weaves magic with each and every composition in this beautiful movie.

Whether its’ the maestro himself lending his rich and sonorous voice to the unforgettable “Mere Saajan Hain Uss Paar” or Mukesh giving vent to his feelings of deep loss in “O Jaanewaale” or Asha Bhosle putting out her heart in “Ab Ke Baras Bhej Bhaiya Ko Babul” or Lata talking about the hopes and wishes of a lover in “Mora Gora Rang Le Le”, or the cheering up of a wife’s face on seeing her husband after a long time in “Jogi, Jab Bhi Tu Aaya Dwaare”; the music is exceptionally fantabulous. One of S D Burman’s best compositions ever.

Who can forget the look of pain on Ashok’s face as he looks at Nutan while S D Burman plays in the background:

Mann Ki Kitaab Se Tum Mera Naam Hi Mita Dena
Gun To Naa Tha Koi Bhi; Avgun Mere Bhula Dena

What a song, what a pain!

And most importantly the line where Kalyani makes her decision to be imprisoned with Bikash rather than to be free with Deven:

Mat Khel Jal Jaayegi, Kehti Hai Aag Mere Mann Ki
Main Bandini Piya Ki; Main Sangini Hoon Saajan Ki

Can these lines ever be repeated!

Shailendra and Gulzar (in his debut-making film as lyricist) have written lines that transcend the normal barriers of creativity. Each and every lyric is a perfect blend of human emotions and dreams and aspirations. I wish I could hear similar evocative music today!

What else can I write about Bimal Roy than has not been written previously? Writing about him or dissecting his work is like trying to put a candle to the sun… something highly foolish on the part of amateurs like me. Bimal Sir was, is and will always remain an institution of Direction and only fools can dare not to respect him for the way in he directed his movies

If in other films, Bimal was a master director putting forth his wares for inspection, in this movie Bimal transcends all barriers of mastery and proves himself to be not only a genius but in reality the very embodiment of direction.

Bengal is a very beautiful place but it became more beautiful under the able tutelage of the great director… the love of the director for his Bengal can be seen in each and every frame… and so also the indictment of social and conservative practices in an orthodox Bengali family.

Each and every scene is perfect…. Nothing short of it but perfect…. Watch our for the way, the Master executes the murder without a single hint of the murder but terrifying us all the same…. The climax scene, which has been the most debated in the entire film. …. (everybody wanted Nutan to go along with Dharmendra and not Ashok Kumar but Bimal was adamant – he famously declared – I make movies not Bhel Puri) The chants of “Sab Theek Hai” while lives are falling apart, exactly at that very instant when something worse is happening …. Everything speaks volumes for a genius of a Man who died far too young.

As Lord Baron would say for him : “Whom the Gods love, die young”

I would say for Kalyani and Bikash and Deven ….”Whom the Gods love, are unaware of their imprisonment”.

Clowns Do Cry - My Thoughts on Mera Naam Joker (1971)

I once asked my Dad – these clowns always laugh but do they also cry? My father looked at me and said: “Watch this movie; you will know” The movie he pointed out to me was Mera Naam Joker – a classic. I asked him what was it all about… He would not answer – he only said, a circus!

The mention of a Circus brought back a lot of memories – most of them happy except one.

I had first visited the Circus when I was 6 years old. That was a time when Circuses drew a lot of crowds – Apollo Circus, Gemini Circus, Royal Circus were household names and people used to plan for a day at the circus.

For a young child, it was like magic – the fearful lions with their stern ringmaster, the beautiful ballerinas, the benevolent elephants, the adorable bears, the trained birds – everything was fascinating but what impressed me most and took away my attention were a pair of clowns… they were so clumsy, they kept on falling, they kept on trudging along, getting kicks from one and all and making a complete fool of themselves and all the time, the crowd kept roaring with laughter at the miserable and stupid clowns. It all looked so funny and all eyes were riveted on these strange little painted faces in their stupid ill-fitting costumes.

But, there was something different about them that attracted me… maybe it was the ability to make others laugh; the ability to brush aside every pain, every ridicule and yet again be back on their feet for another fling of the dice; the childish innocence… I thought a lot about it and then slowly realization dawned on me that it was none of these…. It was something more than these… something very different.

It was actually the eyes… Eyes that were deep and still and could watch me closely…. And what a young boy of 6 saw in them could not be seen ever again…. That fleeting glance of the clown towards the audience showed much more than what a young boy has bargained to see…. Eyes that could cut me down to the bone, sear me with their burning flame and still were as calm as the waves of the silent summer sea hiding the turbulence beneath the surface.

It appeared to me as if they were staring back at me with a feeling of hurt and indignation, as if they were asking me – who was I to laugh at them? What right did I have to laugh at their misfortunes? It was as if they were smiling at my childish foolishness …. I never forgot that gaze, that stare that spoke volumes although the face remained silent and expressionless…. That face smeared with colours, with a smile painted on it’s lips and deep eyes that hid a lot of tears…

No…. I just could never forgot that!

As per the definition of my self-appointed gurus, Comedy maybe defined as the art of making people laugh by consciously hurting the self. Since hurting the self for the sake of others has never been a profitable or admirable venture or for that matter even a respectable one, very few people have ever ventured in this field that should have been on humanitarian grounds actually the most sought after vocation. Quite an irony but then life itself is a case study in irony!

It’s indeed a matter of great irony that the person responsible for bringing smiles on many a tearful face is derided and depreciatingly called “Clown or “Joker” all over the world. That one who suffers to make the other happy, is made a spectacle fit for a few laughs and a lot of ridicule. My review today is a silent salute to the joker, the only person capable of being called human.

Mera Naam Joker is one of the best films ever made on the life of the Man behind the Mask. On a personal level, it may appear as if the story skirts the issue of a clown’s life and goes off on a tangent dissecting his personal love life but if you see it closely, you will find in every frame the hurt and frustration every clown hides behind his façade of smiles. Although a film of lengthy proportions, the film scores in its searing and faithful rendition of the trials and renditions of the life of a Joker.

Raj Kapoor as Raju, the clown turns in one of his best performances in a career spanning 40 years. As the man whose love is unconditional, faithful and innocent but who faces nothing in his love affairs but loss and separation, this man is performance personified. No other actor in the history of Indian Cinema has ever exemplified innocence and simplicity in Indian Cinema in a way more refined than the great showman.

The deep eyes that express emotions by the second will always be missed in Hindi Cinema. Look at those eyes in the scene when they are looking at the loss of love for the umpteenth time and you will fall in love with them. Look at that voice when he’s trying to explain his point to his dead mom on the stage and you will skip a beat. Look at that face when it’s painted with the garrulous colours of happiness but is crying out for it’s dead mom, while the world thinks it’s a comic situation and laughs at him and you will find your cheeks moist.

Those are the hallmark of a great actor who could have been greater had he not shown his inclination to behind the screens; we have lost much of an actor due to that decision but as a result gained a lot as a director.

Each and every scene in this movie bears the stamp of his genius but the scene that actually makes you sit up and notice, is the scene where he is forced to give a live comic performance while his mother lies dead in the background. That is some acting by an actor, who was dismissed by his critics, as completely Chaplinesque throughout his career, despite coming up trumps, times and again and again. Look at those eyes; can one look more innocent?

Rishi Kapoor as the younger Raju is a revelation. Although Rishi went on to perform in many different films and in much varied roles, the promise he showed with this early film was sadly never realized except fleetingly in a few movies. I still remember the stern rebuke with which he addresses the teacher he loves “Main Bachcha Nahin Hoon” What a dialogue and how effectively and well-delivered. Much is the loss of Hindi Cinema that an actor of his calibre was wasted thanks to the formula fare of the late 70s and 80s.

The loss of one’s first love is not so easy to portray for it has the soft contours of a heart seared for the first time but it has been so deftly portrayed that your heart literally goes out to him in the scene when he learns of the futility of his crush on his teacher. Also, memorable is the scene where he waves his teacher goodbye. More than the song and the way he sings it (you can feel him trying to tell himself that it’s all over), the undercurrent of the making of a clown is evident in this scene as the man has not only lost his love but also his seat in the school and henceforth he will remain an entity used by society for their pleasure but shunned socially. Watch the scene when he is the Best man to the marriage of his sweetheart and specially when he gets the clown back from the teacher as she prepares to leave. It’s heart-wrenching and heart-breaking!

Rishi Kapoor – we really miss that child you played! Could we please have an encore?

Simi Garewal as young Raju’s love interest, his teacher Mary is so sweet that you almost can fall in love with her. When I saw this movie for the first time, I imagined myself in Raju’s place and thought why not – even I would have fallen in love with a woman so sweet. I like her performance particularly in the scene where she comes to know about Raju’s infatuation with her and the scene where she defends Raju against the school management and her dialogue is excellent – “He will not be happy” alluding to what Jesus Christ must feel on the victimization of Raju for being a poor guy.

Manoj Kumar as her fiancé, David is outstanding. In fact, in a cameo role, as the philosophical and worldly-wise David, Manoj gives one of the best performances of his career. The scene where he discusses philosophy with Raju is one of his best moments in his entire film career and his dialogue so deep but so well-delivered : “Jaante Ho Duniya Ka Sabse Bada Joker Kaun Hai? Woh Uparwaala”…. Manoj, only you could have said that so softly and so simply. Why did you not do that more often?

Ksiena Rabiankina, the Russian ballerina who plays his adult love interest, Mariana performs her role with an unmatched intensity. Hers was a difficult role wherein the actress faced the challenge of endearing the connoisseur with her emotions, since language was a difficult barrier to surmount and it’s to the credit of the actress that she manages to rise to the occasion. The scene where she decides to break off with Raju can be considered to be one of the highlights of the movie. I am sure it will not be easy for any other actress to bring her own self to that level of performance in an alien language wherein she has to refuse the overtures of a man she loves since she knows it won’t work out. Look for her scene with Achala Sachdeva and you will understand why this actress is among my favourites although the only film that I ever saw her perform was Mera Naam Joker only. Just to add and appreciate one more member from the troupe whose performance I loved - Eduard Sjereda as a member and clown of the Russian troupe is also impressive.

Achala Sachdeva as Raju’s mother, who never wanted Raju to become a joker is extraordinary. The ignorance of an illiterate woman who burns the midnight oil for the benefit of her son but finally finds everything crashing all around her could have been more melodramatic but Achala performs! The sudden death scene as portrayed by her is fabulous and better than many such other performances over the years. It requires a lot of talent to show sudden death but Achala does it and does it well

Dharmendra is surprisingly very calm as the circus-owner. I never thought Dharmendra could turn in so mature and restrained a performance but like always, the most handsome star of Indian Cinema proved me wrong. I vividly remember his exchange with Dara Singh wherein he says “Aaj Raju Ko Mat Roko; Aaj Ussey Duniya Ko Saabit Karna Hai Ki Duniya Ka Sabse Bada Joker Wahi Hai” Dara Singh as the ringmaster, although in a supporting role also puts in a commendable performance.

Padmini as the self-centric and opportunistic Mina who forsakes Raju after getting fame and money gives the best performance of her life. It’s remarkable that in an era when there was a clear divide between the ‘nice’ girls and the ‘not-so-nice’ girls, Padmini still took up the gauntlet of performing a role that had more shades of black than white and delivered. The actress rocks big time. Right from the beginning, when she is disguised as a boy – Minoo Master to the time when she professes her love to the first time she shows her selfish nature to the way she changes for her own benefit, Padmini stands tall. Every time I see this movie, I end up getting repulsed by her character but then I also understand that there was nothing wrong in what she did… After all, a Joker is just for pleasure; not for life!

Rajendra Kumar as the money-minded businessman also impresses in a cameo role. It was a very different kind of role for the reigning Jubilee King and not one that would be appreciated by the crowd but Rajendra Kumar does a great job of it. I was never a great fan of his acting – often his mannerisms and over the top acting would make me go wild but for once his performance was lyrical and restrained.

There is one more actor I need to appreciate - no, it's not a human being - it's a dog! You may laugh for all your time but I really liked that dog, Moti. He was fantastic

Music by Shankar-Jaikishen is mind-blowing. I would rate Mera Naam Joker as one of the best scores of Shankar Jaikishen and definitely among the top 10 scores of all times.

Whether it’s the inimitable Mohammed Rafi with his one liner song “Heer” (the maestro leaves his mark with even one word) or Lata Mangeshkar with her “Mohe Ang Lag Jaa, Balma” (incidentally one of her most seductive songs ever) or the Asha-Mukesh Duet “Daag Na Lag Jaaye” (one of the best Asha-Mukesh duets) or the Mukesh song “Kehta Hai Joker” or Sharda singing the children song “Teetar Ke Do Aage Teetar”, every song has it’s own flavour; it’s special taste that cannot be taken away.

Add to this Manna De in his elements singing, “Ae Bhai Zara Dekhke Chalo” and you have an album worth dying for. Manna De was one of the most gifted singers but one of the most underrated one too. But time and again, Shankar Jaikishen gave him songs that not only challenged his virtuosity but also delighted many of his sincere fans like me for the depth and range of the song. This song is definitely one of his best rendered ever and he was awarded the Filmfare Award for his excellent rendition of this song.

But the icing of the cake are the two Mukesh classics, “Jaane Kahan Gaye Woh Din” and “Jeena Yahan Marna Yahan”, both of them two of the best songs ever sung in tinsel world. Mukesh was considered to be the voice of Raj Kapoor…. Nowhere is this more felt than the score of this film… Mukesh it was said had the ability to transmute pain into the fabric of a song so deeply that one could not feel but feel the pain. Listen to these songs when you are lonely and you will find why it was said so

Raj Kapoor was always a great director. No film showcases it more than this film, which conveys meanings on two levels in each and every frame. Each and every scene is a treat in itself and every performance is a delight. So complete is the involvement of Raj with the movie that it becomes difficult to separate the actor from the director and the director from the producer. It’s said that Mera Naam Joker was a allegory – a story from Raj’s own life and the clown was a synonym for the actor that Raj had been all his life. Even if it was so, it’s never easy to show one in his true colours. It’s to the great talent of Raj that he could do it.

And who can forget that symbolic doll in the shape of a Clown that the Clown keeps handing to each of his love interests hoping someone will accept it but which keeps coming back to him every time he falls in love. I have only tears and pain to appreciate the director for his great use of props - I wish I could have worked with you even as an extra! I really wish - only one who has truely loved and lost in love can understand the depth of that symbolism.

This review would be incomplete without mentioning one of the greatest writers of Hindi movies – Khwaja Ahmed Abbas. Khwaja Ahmed Abbas. As the writer of this movie, the greatest writer of the 50s and 60s shows his commendable prowess at story writing with this epic saga of love and loss.

Never has any clown been shown in a more poignant light and never again will any director be able to show the same level of sensitivity as shown by Raj Kapoor is this movie. A labour of love, all the way

Ever seen a clown crying… … … it’s indeed heartbreaking but all the same, yes, Clowns do Cry.

The Man Who Loved Too Much - My Thoughts on Devdas (1956)

Today I wish to speak of a film that often leaves me speechless…. The love that’s depicted, the pain that’s shown, the sufferings that are immersed in that film never made me gutsy enough to understand it or to see it without feeling the pain or the suffering myself….. The film was Devdas and I consider it the greatest of all films made by Bimal Roy other than maybe Bandini. In fact, I would rank it among the top 50 films in Hindi Cinema ever….

On love, the sound of love brings pleasure to the face of every man. Its resonant tones are said to be the perfect remedy to a depressed soul. Many a great poet and writer has extolled the virtues of love and called it divine, heavenly and attributed miracles to the feeling of love. It has been called the harbinger of happiness, the messenger of good times and the reason for celebrations. But sadly and unfortunately like all good things, anything taken in excess is harmful; even something as divine as love.

It’s strange but if love has the power to turn a beast into a human being, it also has the power to put a total end to all things humane. If love has been the ambassador for peace, it has also been the cause for war. Love if requited, can be a boon as sweet as ambrosia, but if unrequited, can also be as poisonous as cyanide and can take one to imminent doom.

You know what, I have always had this ongoing feud with my friends on love. Why? Simply because I could not understand love.

I often thought and thought hard of what it meant to be in love…. Why people loved and what was the need for that love? Why would someone gladly accept the deepest pains and the most depressing of all frustrations for the sake of someone else? Why would the love for someone who would never be able to reciprocate your love make you be ready to destroy yourself completely to the altar of that love?

The question was universal – the answer surprisingly was not! It’s subjective and differs from person to person but one thing remains constant as a great poet once has said:

Ye Ishq Nahin Aasaan; Bas Itna Samajh Lijiye
Ek Aag Ka Dariya Hai Aur Doob Ke Jaana Hai!

I have always laughed on love; maybe because it never crossed my paths and when it did, often in the end I would find out that it was never meant to be. Somehow I was always immune of that feeling … maybe because I always felt that it’s better to be loved and lost and than to have loved and lost. And what stops one from moving on? Why should someone not move on? Why should one stay back in eternity for the sake of someone who could not due to many reasons not stay back and be with you?

To be frank, initially, I hated the characterization of Devdas and felt it to be the most depressing and hopeless character created ever. I considered him to be nothing but a loser – a hopeless one and I was not prepared to accept it.

How could someone love so deeply that he could destroy his self for the sake of that person and still be so ruthless to that love? How could one accept the love of one would could die for his love but run away from her at the time when she needed him the most? Isn’t this love nothing but a ploy? Isn’t it only a mask on the face of a calculating, ruthless and cruel man? I did feel so but somehow the pain of the heart makes it so difficult for us to accept that facet; the way the man destroyed himself makes us feel that “No, that was not his intention”……. However much I may dislike Devdas, somewhere I am drawn close to him…..

Devdas is not any ordinary man but somewhere that man exists within me, within you and within everyone who has ever loved anyone even if that love was for a very short period… even a day; but the greatness and the sadness of that tragic hero lies in his being able to stay true to that moment.

Devdas deals with the effects of an unrequited love on a person not strong enough to confront it or move on in life. Never before and never after has a hero’s role been depicted as darkly and with so much of a defeatist attitude. The character of Devdas is loosely modeled on the Grecian tragedy heroes who suffer on account of destiny and therein lies the vulnerability of the character. Unlike the Shakespearean heroes, Devdas is not a creation of his own errors but suffers since he fails to connect to a changing milieu. On a superficial level, Devdas may appear to be the story of a loser, a man who lost in love and could never accept that he had lost. But actually, it’s the story of every man who has failed in some attempt and refused to give it another shot for the fear of an encore. But strangely enough, though he suffered and suffered alone, to some extent he himself was a reason for that suffering; not because he could not love enough but because he could never rebel enough. What stopped Devdas from rebelling? His love and that was the greatness of his love…..

Indeed the women in his life were stronger than him, indeed they were more independent than him; indeed they could move on, while Devdas stood transfixed in his immutability but what finally makes him strong and his love pure is the fact that he stayed on….. he could have accepted the single-minded devotion of Chandramukhi but would that have been love or would that have been a compromise…. To the simple mind of a loser…. It was better to love and die loving than to compromise on his love….

The great Majrooh once said:

Jo Unki Tamanna Hai, Barbaad Ho Jaa
Ae Dil Mohabbat Unse Nibha De
Marte Hain Yunh Marne Waale Jahaan Mein
Unhe Tu Raah-E-Mohabbat Sikha De

And to no one does it apply more than to Devdas……

The film is based on a novel written by the great Sarat Chandra and like all other works of the great writer, his success lies in creating a character that not only envelops us in a blanket of empathy but also reminds us about some incidents of a past better forgotten.

Dilip Kumar as Devdas stamps his name on the role. One cannot imagine any other actor in that role and that is the hallmark of the performance. To put it succinctly, Dilip is Devdas and Devdas is Dilip. Never has any character been so closely identified with an actor and that is the thespian’s greatest achievement, no, not even Anarkali!

The tragedy king has scaled new heights of emotions with his performance in his movie and his ‘death’ scene is a three-course instruction in acting to wannabe actors. Watching him drunk, moving down the streets of Calcutta (Kolkata), trying to remember and simultaneously erase the memories of his old paramour and you will understand why there cannot be any who can challenge his performance as Devdas.

One another scene, which deserves special mention, is the scene, wherein he’s trying to meet Paro for one last time before he dies. The agony of a person hopelessly lost in love is to be seen to be believed. No doubt, he penetrates your psyche and makes you feel his frustration, agony and misery all the way to the end. The pain that he exudes when he states in his imitable style : “Woh Shaadi Ki Raah Pe Chali Gayi; Main Barbaadi Ki Raah Pe Chala Gaya”…. And I can feel a silent tear dropping from my eyes for a grief that I can understand and feel with the deepest of passions….. the pain and suffering is all there, the hurt is all there but also is the fact that the man is determined to punish his own self to the extents possible….

When Devdas says “Kaun Kambakht Bhoolne Ke Liye Peeta Hai; Main To Iss Liye Peeta Hoon Ki Mujhe Yaad Rahe” – one can feel the extent of his love, the sacrifice he’s ready to make, his weakness at not being able to break the age-old caste and community taboos but his resolve and determination to punish his own self with death for that weakness – and therein lies the love of Devdas – Trampled by caste and community considerations but exalted by the depth of it’s purity and the destruction it brings on himself….. yet another scene that one cannot forget is one wherein Devdas loses his cool and hits Paro with his fishing line in such a manner that it mars her beauty. One has to see that one scene to understand the pain of the actor.

Suchitra Sen as Paro performs her role with a quiet dignity. In the role of a woman, who sacrifices her love at the altar of her family and who in a moment of misguided vengeance throws away her love only to repent later, Suchitra is mindblowing. This was a role that had several severe contradictions and to perform the role as well as to ensure that the audience reciprocated its feelings was no small task but Suchitra handles the same with complete finesse. The scene where she tries to force Devdas into eloping with her and again the scene where she tries to reprimand him on his drinking habits are a classic case of intuitive acting. Suchitra was always a big name in Bengali cinema and it’s unfortunate that despite such a brilliant tour-de-force performance she failed to create for herself a niche in Hindi Cinema. One scene that I can never forget in the movie and that shows the truth of their love is when in a symbolic gesture of emotional duress, after hearing of Devdas death, she sprints to the wall to catch a last glance of the dying man only to be stopped by the custodians of the Samaj in the form of a closing door. Therein lies her tragedy…. To love but not to be able to accept it and therein lies her side of the suffering; to have everything and still be with nothing.

Of course she is arrogant, of course she is egoistic but she is still a woman and more than anything a woman who can love……

Vyjayanthimala as Chandramukhi, the courtesan with a heart of gold is absolutely divine. The role of Chandramukhi is a difficult one to perform since the hero’s, as well as the author’s fascination with Paro hardly gives the role, the forum to put across its feelings in a firm and convincing manner. The actress however seems unfazed by this handicap and astonishingly manages to steal the thunder from the author-backed role of Paro. Her’s is a role of a woman pining away in silence for a man - enamoured irreversibly with another woman, who cannot be achieved - but still refusing to accept her loss to that shadow. A role, later apprised by many actresses in later movies, it’s noteworthy that none could bring to their performance the purity and nobility of character that transcends a love to divine proportions and which is the hallmark of Vyjayanthimala’s performance. When she sings : Jisse Tu Qubool Kar Le” you can feel the frustration of the woman who loves and is still unable to prove her love…. Superb performance

Motilal as Chunnilal, a drunkard friend of Devdas plays his role with his characteristic flamboyance. Watching this vintage performance from this great actor, one is well aware of the adage that ‘old wine always tastes better’. To his credit, the actor manages to turn a seemingly inconsequential side role to a performance-de-tour and this is his finest hour. Not many would concur with the statement that Devdas was as much a creation of Chunnilal’s whims and fancies as was he a creation of Paro’s betrayal, but that is the truth of the matter. The role required a certain degree of carefree behaviour, which could enlighten the deep recesses of the hero’s traumatic psyche and at the same time attract him to his doom. Motilal delivered it with élan. A little overstatement in a loud role such as his would have been enough to kill the role and the movie but the veteran manages to portray his role to the perfect decimal.

Motilal was one of the finest actors of his time and there is no doubt that all the greats wanted to appear with him and test their mettle against each other at least once…. The final meeting with Devdas on the train is a superb scene and shows how a moment’s indiscreet comment can make one destroy his own self completely

S D Burman appears in fine mettle in the movie. The way he has used the rich sonorous tilt of Talat Mehmood in “Mitwa” is commendable. Talat Mehmood was one of the best voices in the Hindi film industry of the 50s and this song is the final ultimate zenith of collaboration between these two versatile geniuses. Hear this song in silence – and you will feel the pain of a broken heart enter your realms with the flow of the sound just like the flow of water on the sands. There was never and there will never be a more deeper song of anguish and pain of unrequited love than this sublime song that’s more a cry of a lover’s heart than a song.

SD follows up with another Lata gem “Jise Tu Qubool Karle”, one of the best songs on frustration in love. The way this song has been created and then filmed speaks volumes of the genius of the great filmmaker. The staggering walk of Devdas, the following gaze of Chandramukhi and the subtle but deep presence of Paro in the background of our minds renders this song with a powerful imagery of it’s own. Just like the way Radha kept looking for Krishna in the woods after his departure, this song speaks volumes for the love of Chandramukhi for Devdas and the love of Devdas for Paro

The powerful imagination of that deep Radha-Krishna love is further accentuated with the Geeta Dutt song “ Aan Milo, Aan Milo, Shyam Saanwaare…. Aan Milo” which subtly suggests the purity of Devdas love by comparing it with the greatest love ever – that of Radha from Krishna….

Bimal Roy, the greatest director of Hindi Cinema impresses yet again with a movie as dark as life and as deep as an ocean. None could have envisaged the depths of the book or portrayed it so truthfully on screen, without compromising the premise of the novel and therein lies the greatness and richness of the director. Each and every scene in the movie is a lyrical representation of love and loss and the stamp of the director is evident in even the slightest gesture of the protagonists. One of his major achievements in the movie is his effective delineation of the roles played by Suchitra and Vyjayanthimala, in such a manner that both appear as full blooded individuals in their own right.. His success can be judged from the fact that 50 years down the line and after many more Devdas’ his Devdas still remains the definitive, classic and purist choice of the author’s interpretation on screen. In an era when love was worshipped and nobody had the guts to portray its seamier side, when happy endings were the norm and not the exception, where optimism was the norm, it was one man who stood and turned conventional wisdom on his head and in the process created history. This movie is the hallmark of a genius director and the perfect culmination of his association with the legendary Dilip Kumar.

One cannot end this review without appreciating Hrishikesh Mukherjee for his deft editing…. The way in which he creates the image of a psychic telepathy is just too much…. For once the love that could not be requited shows itself stronger than all the other considerations of caste, creed and community that were always stronger in reality and effective in killing off the love that was……

An advice to all: Before ditching or after getting ditched, watch this movie. It may not get you back your love but it may save you from creating another Devdas.

Movie-E-Azam - My Thoughts on Mughal-E-Azam (1960)

Some movies are meant to be seen for the script, some for the performances, some for the production values, some for the music and still some for the director’s ability to transcend all inertia and present a dream; however there are some which transcend all limits and become a benchmark for the successive generations of filmmakers. In other words, it no longer remains just another film, it becomes a classic …. A case for study, a watershed for the future. Sometimes it becomes the signature tune of an era gone by and the zenith of a style that people look back to when they speak of the finest hour of Cinema. Truly and obviously, such films are hard to find – only one in a thousand can reach this pinnacle of excellence wherein it becomes the point which defines a style.

One of the few great movies that have managed such a great but rare feat is Mughal-E-Azam, an extravaganza which is a case study for all those inclined to believe that film making is all about camera angles and opulent costumes, all about cinematography and 50 crore budgets; a film that can be so different from what all formulae speak and yet be so simple to actually become a formula in itself.

A movie that speaks volumes about the perseverance and dedication of one man to a dream that held true inspite of severe setbacks, Mughal-E-Azam is a full three course lunch, a sumptuous feast for the eyes and an epic in motion. I would not do justice to the movie if I do not call it a watershed in the history of Indian Cinema.

In simple terms, Mughal-E-Azam narrates the story of a powerful but lovable Emperor Akbar (Prithviraj Kapoor) caught between his love for his duty as an emperor and his love for his son and the dilemma he finds himself in when these two loves move on a course destined to put them on loggerheads with each other.

Yet, on another level, Mughal-E-Azam is also the story of two star-crossed lovers (Salim and Anarkali) caught in the whirlpool of social, political and cultural norms that are but a foreboding of the imminent doom in their love story. The pain of the love is matched only by the depth of the love and to the credit of the Director, the pain is so-well etched in the movie right from the acceptance of the love to the final doom, that you think there could not have been another end to this tragedy, although your heart begs for another end, another dream, another hope. Sadly, love has no such qualms and it accepts it’s realities with a silence more powerful than the speech of a million cannons.

To the credit of the film, both stories move on parallel tracks and still maintain their essence; whilst complementing each other like multi-layered layers of the same crust.

Prithviraj Kapoor is simply brilliant in his performance as Emperor Akbar. The booming voice, the towering personality and the intense anguish in his eyes speak volumes. One has to just see his confident walk and his deep gaze, the silent stare in which he holds his son and the feeling of anguish in his voice when he speaks of his unfortunate circumstances to his wife. Who could do it better than the true Mughal of Indian Cinema – Prithviraj Kapoor! Some of his scenes are so strong that one can feel the quiver in the air when he calls on to Man Singh or when he chides his son and heir for his inclination towards love.

Mughal-E-Azam was a fitting culmination to a career that began as Sikandar and ended figuratively with Akbar. Although Prithviraj continued performing and performing well till his death in 1972, Mughal-E-Azam marked the zenith of his career. Some of the best scenes in this movie show him in a brilliant confrontation with one of the greatest actors of Indian Cinema ever – Dilip Kumar. Incidentally, this movie boasts of some of the greatest confrontation scenes in the history of Hindi cinema, some of them have passed themselves into the popular lore of moviedom.

if Prithviraj, the icon of the progressive 40s, could be so strong and powerful, would he not be matched with the greatest actor ever to grace Indian Cinema? Dilip Kumar shows why he is not the type to be relegated to the back-benches ever. His performance is the performance of a Prince, of a Lover, of a Warrior and of a human… and on each of these fronts Dilip delivers!

As the only son of Akbar and the Crown Prince of Mughal India, Dilip Kumar delivers an impeccable and regal performance and as is expected of him lives the role upto the expectations and beyond it too. As Shehzaada Salim, his performance shows the fearlessness of a warrior, the cold arrogance of a prince who considers all within his realm – classically embodied in the scene wherein he removes the message from the lotus and then just throws the lotus away without a look or a glance, his deep love for Anarkali, the frustration of a loser, his eyes show the disdain in which he holds the law and the spirit of rebellion so well characterized by the blood of youth. In fact, if today you look at his performance in the movie, you find that in this performance he predates the Angry Young Man that was to take the Hindi film industry by storm 15 years later. Watching him perform, one cannot but feel the sheer power of performance. No doubt, he’s considered by many critics to be the greatest actor to grace the Indian film screen.

A prince is not supposed to care for any except for his own wishes, a warrior is not supposed to accept humiliating conditions and a lover is not expected to let go of his beloved but to fight till the last end – not an easy combination but you need to see him perform to understand what performance is all about.

Ajit as Durjan Singh is a classic act. Ajit was already firmly ensconced in the film industry when this role was offered to him. Many would have balked at the suggestion of being a part of a movie that had stalwarts like Dilip and Prithviraj but Ajit not only holds his own but is also strongly remembered for his portrayal of a loyal friend and a great warrior. Ajit brings to Durjan the sublime ego and proud chivalry of a Rajput chieftain and the dialogue delivery of “Ek Rajput apni jaan haarta hai, apna vachan nahin harta” is simply a lesson for all who think a booming voice is all that makes a dialogue a success. Till date, the portrayal of Ajit stands as the ultimate portrayal of Rajput Chivalry…

Durga Khote as Empress Jodha Bai lives the role with characteristic élan. She is simply brilliant in the portrayal of a woman caught between a husband and a son and who also has to discharge her duties as an Empress in the face of emotional anguish. This happens to be one of her most brilliant roles and she does complete justice to the role. Some of her confrontation scenes with Dilip (her son) and Prithviraj (her husband) are sheer magic. Look for the scene in which she has two back-to-back confrontations with the father and the son; never was the pain of the mother more beautifully carved!

Kumar as the sculptor is extra-ordinary and plays the role of a revolutionary of the middle ages to perfection. His robes maybe that of a Nestorian monk but his style is anything but that of a monk. When he speaks, he cuts to the argument and his statements are indeed the more revolutionary ones.

Nigar Sultana as Bahaar is the perfect vamp; the one who would do anything to destroy the love of Salim and Anarkali. In her characteristic style of underplay, she performs her role of the jealous courtesan with utmost aplomb. Look at the way she betrays the lovers to the winds and then is cunning enough to recede in the shadows while watching the drama unfold…… I am sure villainy was never better enacted – I remember Shakespeare stating “Heaven Hath no fury like a woman Scorned”

The confrontation scene between the two in the beginning gives a glimpse of the great confrontations between all the lead actors that keep appearing in the movie at a brilliant regularity and each confrontation is a beauty in itself.

Murad as Raja Mansingh, Jiloo as Anarkali’s mother Jiloo Bai, Sheela Delaya as Suraiya also do justice to their roles, especially Jiloo who plays a commoner and a doomed mother to perfection. I would have loved to see a scene between Murad and Prithviraj post the death of Ajit (Murad as Raja Man Singh plays his father in the movie) but then such is the film that everything falls in place and you do not regret any.

But the film belongs to Madhubala. The Venus of Hindi Cinema shows why she will never be forgotten. So strong is her presence that had Madhubala been introduced with this movie to the Indian industry and promptly decided never to act again, the legacy would have lived on. Never has an actress before or after her captured the essence of deep loss and hopeless love with a quiver the way Madhubala does it in Mughal-E-Azam. If you wish to see performance, look at those eyes welled up with tears; they signify the pain of loss, the anguish of separation, the depth of love and the simmering desire – had she successfully shown only one of these, she would have become a legend but then geniuses are not satisfied with a token performance but with an all-round exhibition of their talents and capabilities; so it was with Madhubala. Each and every scene speaks each and every emotion; the understanding of her fate, the truth of her love, the depth of her silence, the fearlessness of true love and the resignation to fate. All in one sweep of the eye. One can only look in deep wonder when she tells Akbar “Ye Kaneez Shahenshah Akbar Ko Apna Khoon Maaf Karti Hai”

Simply mindblowing. One has to see her emotions when she is spending her last night with her lover while fully aware that tomorrow morning will see her dead – can any beat the emotion of her face in that one scene!

To summarize, Madhubala is Anarkali and Anarkali is Madhubala. She performs with earnestness and a passion, which is unequalled and unsurpassed by many and even today she is the definitive Anarkali.

Naushad’s baton and Shakeel Badayuni’s lyrics are a combination to die for. The music of Mughal-E-Azam is sheer delight. If Baiju Bawra was Naushad’s contribution to the Mohammed Rafi phenomenon, Mughal-E-Azam is Naushad’s ode to the songstress of India – Lata Mangeshkar.

Each and every song in the movie is a soft caress of love and emotions and who could do it better than Lata Mangeshkar. Whether it’s the deep romanticism of ‘Mohe Panghat Pe”, the anguish of “Mohabbat Ki Jhooti Kahani Pe Roye”, the pathos of “Bekas Pe Karam Kijiye”, the tearful farewell of “Khuda Nigahebaan Ho Tumhaara” or the philosophy of “Jab Raat Hai Aisi Matwaali”, each and every mood is captured.

And then who can forget the anthem of love, “Pyar Kiya to Darna Kya”; still considered one of the best expressions of youth rebellion in Hindi cinema. In every mood Lata comes up trumps.

As if this was not enough, Naushad composes one of the greatest quawwali ever sung and uses the unrivalled and unchallengeable voices of Shamshad Begum and Lata Mangeshkar to bring that one quawwali to cult status. “Teri Mehfil Mein Kismat Aazmaakar Hum Bhi Dekhenge” is a celebration of the best female duet ever with love and lust competing with each other in a style that’s imitable and unbelievable.

Can Mohammed Rafi then be behind. In the only song he gets in the movie, Naushad makes his respect for the maestro obvious. Rafi leads a 100 man orchestra and 100 man chorus to perfection as he puts in clear contrast that immortality and invincibility of Love. “Zindabad, Zindabad” is not only an assertion of love, it is the celebration of love; the celebration of the greatest emotion ever.

A discussion on the songs would by itself take more than a thousand pages.

But the man who deserves the greatest of our applause is K Asif- the man whose ambition and ruthless perseverance led to one of the finest hours of Indian Cinema. Everything about the movie is splendour personified and it required a talent of his calibre to carry it with a dignity unequalled by any other movie. The attention to detail, the setting up of brilliant sets, the most sensual scene ever picturised in India (without a slight hint of physical or sexual involvement), the greatest battle scene ever picturised and the perfect blend of script, direction and performance such that none of these overshadow the other but complement each other is a silent salute to the genius of a man who made it possible. But more than all this, what will be remembered when the dust has settled and all have gone to roost is the dream that a man saw, the vision of a director that allowed him to continue unflinched in face of so much tragedy, amid so many role changes ,so many deaths and still create a masterpiece that remains as a silent reminder of the power of a dream

Truly this is no ordinary movie – this is a dream and more than that this is a Movie.

All in all, a movie to live by… … A movie to die for… A Classic… A Legend. … A Movie.