Bandini

If you are a woman in India, it is a punishment. Your own life as such does not exist. You are bound by society and customs even after your death. But Bimalda focuses on that small bright light at the end of the this dark tunnel. He tests the extents of the words ‘redemption' and ‘freedom'. Because if they are truly what they mean, then they have no limit. The choice should be completely of the individual.

A perfect commercial film made in the 'art film' genre. One of Bimal Roy's best films. Cinematography by Kamal Bose is superb. And performance by Nutan in the role of Kalyani is one of the best ever performances by any heroine on the Indian screen. Musical score by S. D. Burman is unforgettable and shall always remain so. Two songs by Asha Bhosle viz., "Ab ke baras bhej, Bhaiya ko Babul" and "O' panchhi pyare, sanjh sakale" are among her best. Again both the songs sung by Lata Mangeshkar, viz., 'Mera gora ang laile, mohe shaam rang daide' and 'Jogi jab se too aya mere dware" are again superb. And a song each by Mukesh (O' jaane wale ho sake to laut ke aana), and Burman dada himself (O' re maanjhi) are again among their best ever. Manna Dey's (Mat ro Maata), a patriotic song, is also a soul stirring number.

In short, a classic of Indian Cinema.

I finally got the DVD of Bimal Roy's classic masterpiece 'Bandini'. 'Bandini' revolves around Kalyani, played beautifully by the one and only Nutan. We see most of the movie through Kalyani's point of view. During a time when women's rights were much more limited (compared to today), Roy tells us a woman-oriented story, part of which is set during the British Raj.

Kalyani is a strong-willed, vivacious, educated, caring and happy-going young lady who lives with her father and cousin in a small village. She then meets a much older Bikash, who's a freedom fighter and is intrigued by his ideals. They gradually fall in love but as fate would have it, Bikash has to leave and he promises to return and marry Kalyani. Time rushes through as Kalyani and her father wait to hear from Bikash. Soon Kalyani hears that Bikash has already married and settled down with someone else. Kalyani is devastated but she has to be strong and prevent her father from finding out. The villagers raise questions and harass Kalyani's father. Kalyani, not being able to bear her father's humiliation, leaves for the city and manages to find a job. Yet, she commits the most unexpected deed and ends up in prison.

The movie is at it's simplest form of film-making. It could have been high on melodrama but hardly anything about it is exaggerated. Even the background sound especially in the scene where we hear the banging iron (when Kalyani is about to commit the crime) is used very effectively. Songs are beautiful and flow with the narration instead of hindering it.

Dharmendra gives a charming performance in a brief role while Ashok Kumar brilliantly plays Bikash but Bandini clearly belongs to Nutan. Her facial expressions (especially her eyes) reminds us what true acting really is (such expressions are hardly seen in movies of today) especially in the climax where she has to make a choice, her expressions are unforgettable. She portrays her character's inner conflict (the guilt and rejection of her second chance in life, the belief that she deserves the worst of punishment, the temptation she feels to live a life with Deven) and complex emotions with near perfection (if not perfection) and is flawless in terms of acting.

Thanks to Bimal Roy for telling us a beautiful story about a strong minded brave young lady, in a time when hardly much attention was given to women.

Bimal Roy gives the audience a rare glimpse into life in the female prison. At once we are given a fair representation of those people who are never represented, and when they are, always with unidimensional, black-or-white binary characters. Here Roy presents a group of women, without delving into the exact reasons for their imprisonment. Their characters are not romanticised, their crimes are not cleaned, but indeed, they are humanised, which is an altogether different thing, just as they should be because they are human even if some or most of them are there for good reason. This is where the protagonist Kalyani is found, and her story is very conflicting to the average viewer. On the one hand, she is radiantly lovely, gentle and looks as pure as the driven snow. On the other, she is a murderer, which is a fact. Is it okay to like her or sympthise with her? Is anything other than self-defense could justify what she did? Or could we just forgive her?

Nutan is astonishing. Her naturalistic performance is the ultimate antithesis of any stylized acting one can think of and the strongest stamp on the conviction that less is more as here, through sheer minimalism, she masters what few of the best actresses could. Tremendously understated and nuanced, remarkably realistic, beautifully poised, and quietly powerful, she disappears into the most alarming depths of Kalyani and not for a second does she indulge in self-victimization even when it would have appeared the easiest and most natural option. Her expressions are stunning - the rage, the anger, the indifference, the guilt, and finally the dilemma, all rally with brilliant intensity in her eyes. Kalyani is a phenomenal character both in terms of how well it's written but obviously more because of how perfectly it's acted by a woman whose work here easily ranks among the best performances in Indian cinema.

Bandini is a classic piece of art, and a true visual, emotional and intellectual experience. The cinematography and camera work are stupendous, and the lighting is especially impressive in the way it's used to highlight the story, the characters, and their situation. It's obviously almost impossible to watch the film without forming an opinion about Kalyani's act, whether to resent or forgive. Other than that, like many viewers, probably, I wish the ending had been the other way around. But Roy chose the way I think he knew would be less popular. Ashok Kumar and particularly a tremendously handsome and likable Dharmendra provide fantastic support. The film remains Bimal Roy's crowning glory, but even despite how good the film itself is, the lead female performance remains its prime asset. An actress who transcends time, Nutan dominates her scenes, she dominates Bandini, and she was clearly one actress fully versed in the craft of acting.

A really fantastic film, one of the most emotional I have seen without falling into sentimentalism or being weepy. So many memorable scenes, but the song by Asha filmed on Nutan's prison mate must be one of the most touching, proves songs Are a part of a movie that add to it, when well done. Nutan is just excellent, Ashok Kumar is his usual believable self, and Dharmender does what he is supposed to, young, handsome upright man. Nothing superfluous about this movie, a must see.