The Web - My Thoughts on Jaal (1952)

I was watching Discovery Channel yesterday and they had this program which spoke of the 12 most dangerous animals on Planet Earth...... It had many interesting but unthinkable animals and I was impressed by the coverage and the detailed expositions of each animal... what surprised me the most was that the spider was not included in the list....

Yes sir, I am talking about your 'friendly neighbourhood' spider, the one you brush off with a neat swash of your hand but what you fail to understand is that none can be more dangerous than a spider who is nothing but a Judas in the disguise of a friend? And who can be more dangerous than Judas - the man who betrays with a kiss is definitely more dangerous than a man who challenges you for a duel to death - you can be ready for the later but can you be ready for the former?

There is a saying that if you wish to boil a frog, do not throw it in boiling water, it will jump out; throw it in normal water and then increase the temperature steadily; the frog will never know of the difference and by the time it learns, it will be too late for both the frog and it's chances of escape.....

Similarly, A spider’s web is the most treacherous creation of nature and the spider, the wiliest of all creatures. This statement may appear incongruous to the passive observer who only believes what his eye tells him but to the trained and discerning eye of a wise man, the distinction is not only obvious but also a clear reminder of the dictum that not all enemies face off and challenge in the open. Not all enemies come with a sword in the hand, many attack with silvery tongues and sweet words. Unlike other predators like the lion and the tiger, the spider never uses brute force to kill its victims but lures them to their death with charm and guile. Its victims are not the result of a traditional battle between the fang and the hoof but are led to their doom by the charm of his magnificent web, patiently woven around the frailties of it’s unfortunate victims.

So also does the human spider lurk in the shadows, plotting his web, waiting for the prey to make the fatal error and once made, moves in ruthlessly to claim his victim, destroy him ruthlessly, showing no mercy, till the victim has been vanquished and the objective realized. Amazing, as it may seem, this breed is not uncommon but can be found anywhere and everywhere - in offices, among one's circle of friends, among loved ones and often the hand that you trust the most hides a sharp dagger. They are the ones who act as if they are the victims and you the aggressor, whereas within their dark hearts they hide an ambition more gruesome than any; a ruthlessness more fierce than any and a hatred more ancient than any. They may be like the meek Judas who betrayed Jesus with a kiss or Dathan who betrayed both Rameses and Moses with a soft voice, they may be like Brutus who betrayed his Caesar or Igor who destroyed Othello....

History and Mythology is full to the brim with such characters who were the downfall of great heroes and nations; and you and I stand as a mute testimony of many such whom you would have met in our course of life.

Jaal (1952) is one of the most brilliant and stark portrayals of a human spider and his resoluteness that could go to any extents to ensure that his primary objective was achieved; even to the extent of destroying those who had done nothing to excite his revenge. The way, a spider and his shrewd net has been portrayed in this movie is not only worth appreciation but also worth comprehension for many hide in such garbs, all around us.

Speaking historically, too this movie is a landmark in Hindi Cinema. It was in a way, the harbinger of similar movies, wherein the protagonist would use the garb of love and emotions to obtain his desire and then ruthlessly destroy the victim, but with one marked difference – the villain in this movie was the hero himself, making it one of the first complete negative portrayals by a leading man. Although Ashok Kumar had portrayed the anti-hero in Kismet (1943) with a reason and Raj Kapoor had portrayed a anti-hero who reforms towards the end in Bewafa (1951) and Awara (1951) and Dilip Kumar would do the same in many movies in the coming years, it was to the credit of the actor and director that whenever one talks of a spider, silky and debonair, it will always be Tony aka Dev Anand

Geeta Bali as Maria plays perhaps her best performance in a sadly truncated career. Critics may argue and point out her performance in "Banwre Nain" and if they do, fair enough but this is as per me vintage Geeta. It’s sad to note that despite being an actress of the best calibre, Geeta rarely got a chance to prove her capabilities and all we have as a remembrance of the great actress are her brilliant performances in a few movies. One of those has to be definitely Jaal (another would be "Banwre Nain".)

The spunk of the character, the gay abandon of youth, the mesmerism of first love, the wakening of the sexual desires and the final abandonment of the self to the pursuit of happiness in the arms of the beloved and then the rude awakening, all of it points to a brilliant understanding of the role and it’s deeper nuances. The fall of the character into the web is so well documented by the eyes and the face, by torn desires and frustrated looks that one can almost feel Maria falling in the trap and the spider closing down on him. Geeta does all this and more, as she lives the part of a woman in love with a man from the depths to the extent of committing any crime to be with him effortlessly. Her portrayal of an agonized and arrested soul, seeking liberation in the arms of her love during the course of the song ‘Yeh Raat’ is one of the most brilliantly performed and has all signs of an awakening sexuality. Never before has sexuality been so brilliantly depicted without a hint of the vulgar as in the picturisations of this song. In it’s brilliance, it compares itself only to a similar performance by Madhubala in Mughal-E-Azam and Nargis in Barsaat.

Dev Anand as Tony pulls out all stops to portray effortlessly the negative side of man. The sly toothless grin, the twinkling eye, the friendly smile every gesture of this man points towards the eternal romantic except for the fact that somewhere behind the mask lurks a predator. This is vintage Dev, long before the actor got submerged in the star with the romantic persona and engrossing mannerisms.

An actor out to prove his capability, Dev not only manages to portray his role to perfection but also in the process is able to create one of the most enduring and well-chiseled negative performances in Hindi Cinema. Look at the way, he creates his persona and seduces Maria. The soulful ballad, the charismatic persona, indeed Dev was the Casanova of Hindi Cinema - and if I may say so, in the context of the film, the best spider ever. The patience of the spider, the game of seduction, the soft pedal towards sexual arousal and at the same time the continuous spinning of the web such that nothing is visible but yet happening; the style that smiles and twinkles and hides and kills - could there be another spider as lovable as this and as DANGEROUS as this?

Johnny Walker impresses in a short cameo. There is not much from him in the movie, dominated as it is by the web being built by Tony for Maria but still Johnny is Johnny. He goes beyond his role and shows that given a chance, he can outshine and outwink the greatest stars in the constellation.

Purnima plays the role of the wronged woman effortlessly. K N Singh is adequate but does not rise above the script. Rashid Khan shines in the role of the buffoon. Ram Singh however fades away in his depiction of Mr. Good in front of the incessant devilish charm of Dev. His failure makes the movie completed one-sided. Thank God then for the brilliance of Dev Anand and Geeta Bali!

S D Burman as usual is at his mesmerizing best. This was one of his first films in collaboration with Sahir Ludhianvi and went a long way in creating the magic that culminated in priceless classics like Sadhana and Pyaasa. Although each and every song in the film is a classic, the song that captures the imagination is undoubtedly the love ballad, ‘Yeh Raat, Yeh Chandni” serenaded by the great Hemant Kumar in his inimitable style. The song is seduction at his best as the singer croons,

Ek Baar Chal Diye Jo Tujhe Pukaar Ke
Laut Kar Naa Aayenge Qaafile Bahaar Ke

Listening to this song is magic… pure magic…. how sweet is the sound of love and how subtle the call of love... but behind it hides, at it's destructive best, the danger of the enemy, so well masked by the velvet strains of the voice.....

As if this was not enough, we have Lata Mangeshkar’s melancholic version of the same song, sung with pathos the way only Lata can. some parts of that song are so much full of pathos that one can understand and feel how a fly must feel in the web, in the last hours of her existence.

Lahron Ke Labon Par Hain, Khoye Huey Afsaane
Gulzaar Umeedon Ke Sab Ho Gaye Veerane
Tera Pata Paoon Kahan, Sune Hai Saare Thikaane
Jaane Kahan Gum Ho Gaye, Jaa Ke Woh Agle Zamaane
Barbaad Hai Aarzoo Kaa Jahan.....

Thus does the prey still love her spider and look for him, though he has destroyed her beyond redemption

In total contrast,  we have Geeta Dutt at her effervescent best, signifying the free bird in “Chori Chori Meri Gali”. The way, the song has been visualized as well as sung speaks of the carefree and natural flow in the voice of the one and only Geeta Dutt. She's debonair and uninhibited, giving full flow to youth in it's first flush of freedom. Another song that one cannot forget is the Kishore Kumar - Geeta Dutt duet, "De Bhi Chuke Hum Dil Nazaraana", a beautiful playful song that still reminds me of the greatness of Geeta Dutt's free style when compared to the laboured style of many then and thereafter.

Guru Dutt is synonymous in Hindi Film as a director who dealt with the inner tribulations of a talent gone waste in a materialistic society but long before Guru Dutt acquired the reputation, he had actually earned his spurs directing what would be later considered as one of the finest psychological crime thrillers of Hindi Cinema. The movie is slow and cannot be considered as a thriller if you are looking for excitement and thrills, but if you understand the theme of the story, you will find the story moves at the right pace. Admittedly, the story of a spider cannot but move leisurely but firmly.... that's how a spider plays his game; slow but sure!

The director's ability to emerge deep into his characters and still manage to remain afloat enough to ensure that the film does not become a personal ego-trip is something today’s directors would do well to learn from. Another appreciable point about the director is that he takes immense pain to portray the life in a Christian Goan hamlet and does not make it a caricature. Very few films have managed to make a movie that is so well and meticulously researched on the Christian Goan community. Again, right from the characterization of the lead pair to the game of seduction to the inevitable end, everything in the movie is just too natural and it’s all thanks to the director who time and again reminds us that directors are not those who rely on camera angles but those who ensure that the film has a story worth the trouble. The director impresses with his take on the futility of human relationships in a world given to materialistic pursuits. Equally mesmerizing is his skill at using the fisherman’s net as a symbol of the human spider’s plotting and machinations.

Always remember that not all that glitters is gold and not all who welcomes you with open arms, a friend.