1966, Hindi, YouTube, 7.9/10 IMDB, Directed by Basu Bhattacharya
A sincere depiction of the life of a female theater artist, who boldly demonstrates her passion for the art over her love for a naïve and honest man.
A theatre artist Hirabai (Waheeda Rehman) falls for the innocence of the bullock cart driver Hiraman (Raj Kapoor), who drives her to the fair where she is playing. You are made to realize in those days women artist had fame and money, but never had the halo that they at some point yearn for.
The philosophy in songs are very simple yet profound. The song, “Duniya banane wale kya tere man mein samaye” (Maker of the world, what came in to your that you made this world), talk the beautiful philosophy about ‘love’ that had awakened a world of dreams and the pain caused by separation. You never know depth and the significance of the song until the curtain falls repeating the verses.
The visuals are memorable, true to the film company’s name, ‘Image Makers’. The actors are splendid performers, Raj Kapoor for his innocent looks, emotional outbursts and his adorable naïve colloquial ‘isssshhh’s and Waheedha for her calm face, that masks her inner emotions but hint on her desires.
Mundane remarks on virtue of women does make her uneasy, especially Hiraman’s petty talks about daughter in law and unwed women, even distress her. But such contrast is her performance with the Zamindhar, once she realizes she had fallen for Hiraman and she gives back to the zamindhar who talks ill of Hiraman.
Power of dialogues when coupled with equally powerful performance, makes a lasting impression on the viewers, don’t they? When her body language changes and she gets comfortable on the cot, turning to the tigress that Hiraman was talking about earlier, she proclaims that ‘the way Hiraman looks at her as ‘Goddess’, give her the headiness that no wealth of the zamindhar could ever give her.
Films in the 60s period would have taken the coward route to compromise that the lead lady of the film is an artist, not because she loves to but because she is forced by her money-minded mom or and uncle. The characterization was so bold that she speaks of her intoxication in performing as a theatre artist. It was a surprise to see her deliver the dialogue on her virginity- kudos to actress, the writer and the team who went ahead without apprehensions.
When others persuade her to leave Hiraman alone, the dialogues take over the mantel of the film. Her dialogues, “She was silent when she should have spoken and she won’t do the blunder of speaking now, when she ought to be silent”, readily conveys the chracter’s dilemma.
Best saved for the last, I guess. ‘I have played the part HE wrote for me, but the curtains refuse to fall, what can I do?’ The dialogues are not heavy, not one bit melodramatic. They seem to have a purpose. I see it as a collective voice of artists who are trying to set the taints on them right.
Hiraman’s first vow, never to carry illegal goods and the second vow, not to carry bamboo were simple. But in the final shot of the train passing-by, from Hiraman’s point of view from inside his cart, he takes his third vow- never to carry an artist in his cart again, makes one realize that he is not only a hopeless conservative but also sadly denotes, the task of wiping the taints off the artists is simply inconceivable, as long as people see all Hirabais through the eyes of Hiramans.