Satyam Shivam Sundaram: Love Sublime

Satyam Shivam Sundaram is one of Raj Kapoor's iconic pictures. It is an entertaining mainstream film which is very symbolic in the message it tries to convey. The film addresses themes of superstition, social stigma, the discrepancy between physical attraction and pure love, and above-all the deception of beauty. The film tells the story of Roopa, a greatly beautiful young woman half of whose face was burnt and left disfigured when she was a child. It doesn't take away from her charismatic appearance and most of the time she covers her damaged side. Soon she catches the eye of Rajeev, a young man who falls deeply in love with her beauty but never sees her entire face until they are finally married. Soon after marriage, he totally ignores his new bride and flees home to keep his affair with the old Roopa, making both of them lead a sort of double life, which is clearly fake. The only difference between his wife and lover is that side of her face.

Yes, when read this way, the story doesn't seem to ring true and, indeed, even in the film, it could strain credulity. Viewers might wonder how on earth Rajeev does not realise this is the same woman. But the answer is simple as, in my view, he is perfectly aware that both his wife and the 'other woman' he supposedly loves are the same person, he is just in complete denial and not prepared to admit that the woman he loves looks this way. He just lives immersed in his imagination. Even more important, however, is to see the film in the right context. The film is given an aura of a fairytale which is symbolic, forgivable and even appropriate within the story. Obviously, the story is well developed in the hands of Kapoor who gives it a greatly sensual, mystical energy. He really manages to offer a true, critical commentary on our perception of beauty and how deceitful it really is, and how totally it is removed from one's inner feelings.

Kapoor had this amazing ability to combine realism with some elements of fantasy, but more than that, he was one of the few directors who knew how to capture a woman's beauty, sensuous body and raw sexuality, sometimes without revealing much and sometimes by revealing a lot but never in the vulgar sense. Here he does just that as we have a heroine who is half naked throughout and yet never looks cheaply seductive. Still, it was a challenge for any actress in such a conservative society to take up such a role. It was Zeenat Aman who was brave enough to rise to occasion. She might not be an outstanding actress, but she is perfect for the part as hers is a true exotic, sensual appearance which suits the character of Roopa to the T. That she is directed by Kapoor only helps because he is able to make use of her advantages to create a believable character. Her Roopa is modest and decent despite her so-called physical indecency, and very attractive all through.

Shashi Kapoor, the director's younger brother, does fairly well in his part of a seemingly shallow man who lives under the empty illusion that he loves a woman based strictly on her looks, which is clearly not the case. Again, his gullibility is sometimes hard to believe but still he does very well, and it is more due to the script than his acting. The one who actually stays with you after the show is over is Padmini Kohapure, that actress who used to be a wonderfully fresh talent. Her brilliantly raw energy in portraying the young Roopa resonates in mind even when Aman takes her place. She is the epitome of innocence. Another player in the film is without doubt Lata Mangeshkar's divine voice which gives the film its poetic tone and beautifully melodic narrative. With all its pluses, however, Satyam Shivam Sundaram is not the best film you will see. While it does work like a true fairytale, it doesn't totally work as a film and at times loses its focus, but who can ignore Raj Kapoor's cinema - it is nonetheless the best of his later career.

Truth, godliness and beauty. An unconventional Hindi film about inner beauty. Zeenat Aman's character Rupa is a village outcast having burnt one side of her face leaving her disfigured. She lives life in the shadows of others hiding her scars by veiling one side of her face. Enter the vain Shashi Kapoor as Ranjeev who falls madly in love with Rupa after hearing her angelic singing at the temple but remains unaware of her disfigurement. Rupa then literally leads two lives in order to maintain his love.

When released in India it caused much controversy over the mix of religion, the semi-clad Zeenat Aman and erotic symbolism in some sequences. True, no chance is wasted in showing as much of Zeenats inch perfect body as possible. For many this compromises the message of the film however it is never vulgar. The portrayal of her own self-loathing and sense of worthlessness tugs at the heart strings. There is a small minus in Shashi Kapoors total miscasting as the big engineer he looks continually bemused and his sudden conversion doesn't quite ring true.

The film is beautifully shot and the sunrise colour schemes give it a surreal and dream like quality. The dialogues are well done and complimented by some great songs. Highly recommended.

The film questions where actual beauty lies; is it skin deep or something that permeates the soul. Beauty isn't necessarily something that can be seen or flaunted; inner beauty (read: true beauty) takes time to manifest itself and finally win.

Rupa (played by Zeenat Aman) has a disfigured face and is hence condemned by her villagers and no one wishes to marry her. An engineer (played by Shashi Kapoor) falls in love with her voice, body but never sees her disfigured half of the face until it's too late.

It's a magnificently made film by Raj Kapoor that shines through though two things let it down. First, the music. Usually, music for his films was composed by Shankar - Jaikishan and lyrics written by Shailendra. But the latter had died and composing duties given to Laxmikant Pyarelal. Mukesh, the voice of Raj Kapoor, had died (the film is dedicated to him) and posthumously one song is attached to him. The soundtrack never touches the highs of say 'Shree 420' or 'Mera Naam Joker'.

There is also a dream sequence in this film that harks back to the original one from Awaara (1951) but this one lacked the intensity and B/W cinematography that defined the latter.

Finally, coming to the female lead. Zeenat Aman tries her best but she doesn't just cut it. She was more suited for glamorous roles and her limited acting range clearly shows. Shashi Kapoor plays his duty well but the film relies on the female core which is not top tier.

Still, Raj Kapoor managed to craft a beautiful film as a director. It might not be as good as his 50s/60s output but still showcased that he had a lot of ideas left.

When I first saw this movie in 1978, I did it because it had two of my favourite actors in it - Shashi Kapoor and Zeenat Aman and at the time I enjoyed it, But watching it after a very long time, I realised why I had enjoyed it.

A village priest's wife dies in child birth - the child being a daughter who is named Roopa. As the baby grows up, she is ignored and called names by everyone in the village except her uncle Bansi. One day a there's a celebration that takes place in the temple for a rich man's son and Roopa is forced to sing when her father is unable to do so. People get mesmerised by her voice and her father trains her to sing. But disaster strikes when she asks him why she is not able to celebrate her birthday like everyone else and in response, Bansi promises to do just that and when cooking oil spills on Roopa's face and she is disfigured.

The movie stars: Shashi Kapoor, Zeenat Aman, Kanhaiyalal, A.K. Hangal, David Abraham, Leela Chitnis and a very young Padmini Kohlapure and is directed, edited and produced by Raj Kapoor. The songs by Lata Mangeshkar are worth listening to but the most memorable one is by the late Mukesh: "Chanchal Sheetal, Nirmal, Komal." Every R.K. movie that I have watched has had a story and a meaning involved and Satyam Shivam Sunderam was no exception. It depicts the saying "beauty is in the eyes of the holder" but in reality it is what we see from the outside. What one needs to see is the inner beauty. Zeenat plays the role of "Roopa" whose face from one side looks beautiful but when the other side is shown is ugly as she is disfigured but yet has a beautiful voice. She has acted this role superbly as has Shashi Kapoor the role of a man who loves beauty but hates ugliness and disfigurement. This movie also goes on to portray the meaning of "Satyam" - truth, "Shivam" - god and "Sunderam" - beauty and hence the title: "Satyam Shivam Sunderam." When this movie was first released there was a lot of discussion and many said that too much body parts were revealed by Zeenat Aman and some even said that more censorship was needed and more so with the kissing on the lips scene. Also the song "Chanchal, Sheetal, Nirmal, Komal" was the last song that the late Mukesh was to sing for a movie for he passed away soon afterwards in the USA during a tour with Lata Mangeshkar.

Conclusion: Worth while to watch, listen and try and understand the message that Raj Kapoor has tried to pass to the audience.

Review By Kamal K

Very nice movie. I like the concept depicted so beautifully. Brilliant performance by Zeenat Aman and Shashi Kapoor. Beautiful melodious voice of Lata Ji adds to the beauty of the movie...Love is the gentle smile upon the lips of beauty. It lies in the eyes of the beholder.... Excellent work.