It is one of the best films I have ever seen! I happened to watch this classic-movie first time on Doordarshan in 1989. Everything in the film is EXCELLENT, and it keeps the viewer glued to the screen, although there is not even a single major comedy sequence in it.Once the film begins, the viewer is automatically drawn into the story right from sequence one.
The film begins with the hero(Bhootnath played by Gurudutt)
arriving into a huge ruined structure, a crumbling mansion.As he settles down there, he hears the voice of ’chhoti bahu’ calling him, in the background. Who was ’Chhoti bahu’?.This is a suspense and we see the face of ’chhoti bahu’ only after an hour, after beginning of the film. Nevertheless, the film holds intense interest, right from the first scene.
From this point the film moves into the flashback.We see a huge bright building which is the residence of a zamindar family. The owners of this house have health, wealth and what not.But they do not care for their wives.The main character ‘Saheb’(played by Rehman) deems it a privilege to spend time ’outside their house’.His wife ’chhoti bahu’ (most memorable performance of Meena Kumari!)is willing to go to any extent to get back her husband.
Bhootnath works in a ’Sindoor shop’ and is a regular visitor to the Zamindar family.’Choti Bahu’ requests him to get the ’Mohini Sindoor’ which, she thinks can work miracles on her husband. He gets it and she uses it, but invain.Finally in a bid to secure her husband, she drinks wine. (THIS SCENE BROUGHT TEARS TO MY EYES!-A marvellous performance by Meena Kumari, never repeated in any of the Bollywood films). But still her husband ’goes out’. From there begins the rags-to-riches story. The zamindars have a practice of seizing the properties of poor people, forcibly, and the victims curse them. In fact, one poor person dies at the house, while fighting for his own property.The curses of the victims(losers) fall on the family, and the family loses all its name, fame, health and wealth.In the meantime, ’chhoti bahu’ expresses desire to go out to a temple with Bhootnath, for praying for the health and prosperity of her husband. An elder member of the family (elder zamindar) sees her talking with Bhootnath , casts doubts over their ’talk’ and gets her killed. Bhootnath escapes the attack and recovers in a hospital, but does not know what happened to ‘chhoti bahu’.
Now back to the sequence one. The labourers are digging
the soil at the ruined structure. They come running to Bhootnath calling him ’Sahib, andar qabar nikli hai’ (Sir, there is a grave inside). He rushes to the spot, only to find a bare skeleton, that of CHHOTI BAHU. The golden kadas (the big gold hand-rings) worn by her during her life time, are still there on her skeletal bones. These confirm that it is the skeleton of CHHOTI BAHU. What a memorable scene that makes the viewer weep and cry!
The husband (zamindar) dies later and the entire building is reduced to ashes, with nobody knowing whom it belonged to once.This is the main story of the film.
There is also a side track in which Bhootnath is seen with the Waheeda Rehman.But for this you may watch the film.This story is blended with some superb musical melodies.
The film has a superb photography, with excellent technical qualities. Watch the song ’Saqia aaj mujhe neend nahin aayegi, suna hai teri mahfil mein ratjaga hai’. The entire lighting is only on the main dancer. All other accompanying dancers are visible, only by their actions. Their faces are not revealed to us. This is a beautiful combination of light and shade technicque.Similarly chhoti bahu is killed in the thick of the night. And we do not see her face. But the flash of light coming from a boat in the river exposes the scene, only for a fraction of a second. What a beautiful scene! Melodious tunes scored by Hemant Kumar, sung by Asha Bhosle lift the spirits. All songs are hummable.It is surprising that this black and white film (made some 40 years ago, I think) is still able to make an impact on the viewer, which even a new multicolor cinemascope movie cannot make.
Watch the film with your family once. You would love to watch it again and again.