Teesri Kasam

Whenever I see this movie, I always have a bad taste towards the modernization of India and how we have been eroded cultural and moral front. This movie is a time stamp of how India was until the 50s and 60s.

As a producer Shailendra the great lyricist had a touch of Saint Kabir in his songs. It is obvious he was inspired by the novel. He picked a great story but not great for masses. Great only only those those who have a heart, romanticism, who have sensitive feelings. The biggest blunder in this work has been his honesty to the novel. Had he changed the ending, this movie would be a super duper hit. The proportion of its legendary stature would have been higher. Now after so many years, this movie has become like rare wine, only appreciated by those who have roots in rural India of the 50s and 60s.

Basu Bhattacharya is from the great Bimal Roy school of cinema-tics and story narration, it shows he was a great student despite this being is first film. The cinematic grammar as to how the characters are introduced, the scene transitions shows good training. However, the main genius is how the actors have absolutely lived their characters to the degree of rural ignorance required, the childish excitements, the rustic innocence and simple though process. I have seen such people when I was child and thus can relate to that mentality. Raj Kapoor was fabulous, he surpassed himself. Waheda too surpassed herself especially in expressing the feminine feelings.

To me this movie represents the fact that the ultimate charm in each of us is our innocence. Waheda Rehman, the dancer, has obviously experienced the ugly and ogling side of lust, commercial thought process can only be charmed by innocence. This is a universal truth.

This film was intelligent and thoughtful, tender and achingly sad with simply gorgeous songs and the stunning Waheedaji proving she is so very much more than just a divinely beautiful face. I will give it 9.5/10 only because I was secretly hoping that the ending would be a little different, in an equally non-formulaic way. The exploration of its themes and the strength of her character are both remarkable for the era. The beginning of the film is quite simply astonishing - to literally open with a song of the calibre of sajan re jhoot mat bolo - what a foretaste of the movie's overall quality. The phrase is worn out and hackneyed now, but if any film is a 'must see' teesri kasam is that film.

When Basu Bhattacharya directed this movie he was a new comer whereas Raj Kapoor was already a successful and well established director. Waheeda Rehman, in one of her interviews, narrated how Raj Kapoor would fret and confide in Waheeda "what is this guy doing, he should do this scene in this way" etc. and Waheeda would tell him to forget it and let the director do it as per his vision. I wonder how the movie would have shaped if Basu had heard all of Raj Kapoor's suggestions. No idea, but this is my favorite Basu Bhattacharya and Raj Kapoor movie. It moves at a leisurely pace establishing the ambiance and characters very firmly. Although color was available in those days but the movie was made in black and white for the right effect. Raj Kapoor as a innocent and simple minded bullock cart driver and Waheeda as a village nautanki dancer are amazing at best and their relationship which was doomed from the beginning is the stuff that classics are made of. The movie was crowned with the president's award that year and remains one of the great classics of our times.

When I look at the past I really feel sorry for Indian cinema. A sensitive and poetic film of this class sank at the box office, leading to the death of its producer Shailendra due to financial crisis. This film is today recognized as one of the best movie by all critics and actors. Film is based on a story of the Phanishwer Nath Renu, one of renowned Hindi writers.

This film portrays story of Hiraman, a bullock cart driver and a dancer Hirabai. Hirabai is attracted to Hiraman due to his simplicity. She is going to a fair by Hiraman's bullock cart to perform in drama. The bond between two grows stronger as the day passes at fair. But finally as the fair comes closer to end, the parting seems imminent due to external factors. Finally when fair is over, Hirabai has to go and two separates.

To quote Star and Style's review of the film, "The way the cart driver and nautanki dancer meet, talk and discover each other and themselves at the same time and the manner in which they part are like a poem on celluloid with a thread of pain running through it." Raj Kapoor and Vaheeda Rehamn has given the best performances of their career. Songs are worth listening for hours. A must watch.

Teesri Kasam is set in Bihar (well Phanishwar Nath Renu's story was, so it has to be) in a completely rural area. Raj Kapoor plays a bullock cart driver who is almost caught smuggling contraband - this would place the film at the time between the two great wars. He wows to never smuggle; then he gets into an accident carrying bamboo and vows to never carry bamboo again. THEN he is asked to transport a lady from a nautanki company (Waheeda Rehman) to the village fair many miles away. One knows already what his third vow (Teesri Kasam) will end up being. Raj Kapoor is mind-blowing as the rustic, Heeraman. Heeraman is innocent, pure of heart – he only sees good in people. Heerabai (Waheeda) is not innocent by any means. As she meets and spends time with Heeraman one begins to feel that she may be able to recapture what she lost. But in the end she is faced with a difficult choice. Life is a nautanki - can she pretend/play the role of Savitri for the rest of her life? Can she rob Heeraman of his innocence by telling him the truth about herself? Or must she simply play the whimsical female and go away, leaving him hurt but not robbed of his illusions? Iftekhar plays the very young, dapper zamindar who lusts after Heerabai. In fact the entire crowd that watches the nautanki is mesmerized by her every step, every word coming out of her mouth. She is the dream they have never even dared to dream.

The music by Shankar Jaikishan is divine and is mostly set in two settings, either on a slowly moving bullock cart or on a nautanki stage and yet one is never bored - the tunes are amazing, the lyrics soulful and the songs bring a lump to your throat with their poignancy. There is the somber Sajan Re Jhooth Mat Bolo, followed by Sajanwa Bairi Ho Gaye Hamar, the folksy Chalat Musafir Moh Liyo Re, the sad Duniya Banane Wale. Then we have the awesome nautanki numbers starting with Paan Khayen Saaiyan that had me as mesmerized as the crowd of men watching HeeraBai perform! There was a Laila Majnu song and then the most pleasant Mare Gaye Gulfaam, the number full of longing and pain Aaa Aa Bhi Jaa. Added into these real songs was the rustic number Laali Laali Doliya Mein sung by a bunch of children running after the cart - without a word spoken the lead pair conveyed how they longed to be the Dulhaniya and Sajna! Waheeda was luminous, charming, and completely charmed by the simplicity of Heeraman. Her addressing RK as Meeta throughout the film, gave a sense of deep intimacy that was beyond the physical realm. You could sense her virtuosity in dance that was very much restrained as she played the low brow nautanki belle. In the "Laila Majnu" skit she danced unbelievably well in a non Indian classical mode. Lachchu Maharaj choreographed excellent numbers for this film.

RK - okay, he can act. As Heeraman he plays the ingénue but this is not a caricature of a role. When he says Isss - you can sense his embarrassment/disbelief/humor - Mr. Bhansali's Paro tried to copy it but that became a mockery! Raj Kapoor is the simple and genuine villager who believes the best of people and goes to great lengths to protect the honor of one whom he sees as a virtuous woman. You also sense an inherent high quality in the character when he tells you that he will not remarry if it means marrying a 7-8 year old girl! Renu Sahab was advocating reforms and support for the Sharda laws about legal age of marriage for women. He was also telling us that there is an inner core of strength in women, they may be tossed about on the storm of life, but in the end they will prevail and do the right thing.

The film progresses at a languid pace and is shot in black and white. The locales are very real, with the whipped up dust from the rolling carts, wind, flowing water at a river bank where HeeraBai first realizes how simple Heeraman is, earthen huts, tents, sheds, bullock carts – how much more real can it get? Basu Bhattacharya's first directorial venture and the film is simply awesome. He was assisted by none other than Basu Chatterjee. Phanishwar Nath Renu's story and dialogs evoked the times gone by in a simple rural setting. It is no surprise that this film won the National award for best film.

It is not the fluff stuff of today, but lovers of good cinema will find much that is excellent in quality and manages to tug at the heartstrings.