Film Impressions

PEOPLE WE LIKE: Nutan

OF INNOCENCE AND FORTITUDE

Had the stoical Kalyani from Bimal Roy’s Bandini (1963) become the prototype for the Hindi film heroine instead of the ever-suffering Radha of Mother India (1957), the depiction of women in our cinema wouldn’t have been as drab as it is. In my opinion, Kalyani, as portrayed by Nutan, is the embodiment of Indian womanhood. She has the ability to adapt to every situation in life, but not with the attitude of a sacrificial lamb. Instead, she takes responsibility for her actions -- which include murdering her lover’s wife in a fit of passionate rage -- repents her crime and is gracefully reconciled to a life in prison. Every step of the way, Kalyani is conscious of her responsibilities and carries them out without fuss. Even though she's self-effacing, there's no doubt in the viewer's mind that all her choices are her own. Finally, when she has to decide between a life of comfort with a caring doctor who wishes to marry her and attending to her ailing lover, she has but a moment’s hesitation before she goes with the man she loves. Above all, Kalyani symbolises a woman who keeps her values and dignity intact through every situation, while never seeming like a victim. 

REDISCOVERY: Balraj Sahni

THE ACTIVIST ACTOR

Balraj Sahni  was unarguably one of the best actors Indian cinema ever produced.  If he hasn’t got his rightful place in the pantheon of stars, it was because he was always an actor and a gentleman, and, unfortunately passed away before the celebrity-worshipping culture came into being.