Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam

This is not only one of the best Hindi films that I have ever seen, it is also one of the greatest movies I have seen.

But first things first, MEENA KUMARI, a queen among beautiful women, looks so breath-taking, sometimes you really have to catch your breath and stop staring at her face in wonder. The soft sensuality of her sari clad figure is unparalleled. Which other women I say, clothed from head to feet , can look so alluring, beguiling, mysterious, lovable. The movie with lush black and white cinematography showcases her spell binding beauty flawlessly. My oh my, the scene where she first appears on the screen, some half an hour into the film, we see her from the feet upwards and hear her beautiful voice that could have anything from any man in the world. From the first instant, she wins your heart and your heart goes out to her as the inevitable tragedy unfolds.

Set in the affluent house of high society Bengal Family, the story tells the tale of ruin of a household when all the people in the house are blinded by their many conflicting ambitions. Of particular interest to us is the story of the servant Bhoothnath(Guru Dutt) who falls in love with his mistress, the enigmatic Choti Bahu(Meena Kumari), wife of the youngest wayward son (Rehman)in the house who spends most of his time drinking at whore-houses. The ploys employed by the young wife with the help of the faithful and loyal servant to bring her husband lead nowhere. Soon she to turns alcoholic and very soon has her own problems with the bottle to add to the troubles. All the men in the house blinded by joys of money ignore the family business completely which ultimately brings about the the ruin of the house.

The movie also has the wonderful subplot of Bhoothnath and Jaba(Waheeda Rehman), another beautiful and gifted actress. Their little tale also unfolds with the tragedy occurring in the big house.

All in all, an outstanding movies comparable to Citizen Kane, Casblanca, Sunset Boulevard and All Aboue Eve for the style, narration, and of course superb acting all around. Particularly by the amazing Meena Kumari, who excels in her drunken outbursts towards the end of the movie. The ending of the movie is also sublime. Go watch the movie tho know what great movies are capable off. This is a gem produced in India that is not widely discovered and acknowledged.

Guru Dutt's 'Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam' remains one of the most accomplished pieces of art in Indian cinema. No wonder why it is referred to as Indian cinema at its best. Starting with the technological aspect, I was amazed by the excellent cinematography. The movement of the camera that guides us to the world of the characters, to their minds, to their emotions and to their fate. The way the camera focuses on Choti Bahu's sad eyes or the way it zooms towards Jabba's face while she cheerfully sings, demonstrates the importance of characters' non-verbal language.

Likewise direction is top-notch. Not a moment is wasted on trivial subplots. Everything in the movie seem to fit like a jigsaw puzzle, whether it's the songs, the haunting background score, the sets, the emotions portrayed by the actors, the performances etc.

Performances are first class. We see Guru Dutt as the young (and middle-aged) and naive Bhootnath. He beautifully brings both comedy and intensity to his character communicating mostly with his expressive eyes. His relationship with the tragic Choti Bahu and the simple but headstrong Jabba is superbly portrayed through a wonderful chemistry between the actors. Meena Kumari gives one of her finest performances as the doomed Choti Bahu. Her scenes with Bhootnath and one particular scene with Rehman (just before she drinks alcohol for the first time) is mind blowing. Waheeda Rehman, being one of the finest actresses, brings grace and equally makes her presence felt in a comparably smaller but noteworthy role. Rehman as Chote Babu is brilliant.

'Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam is about love, fear, jealousy, anger, greed, addiction, lust, ignorance, despair, sadness and redemption. Many of the movie is set during the British Raj. We see most of the events through Bhootnath's eyes. He falls for the vivacious and lovely Jabba. However, when he meets Choti Bahu, he's amazed by her beauty and they too develop a loving relationship. We are hinted that he blames himself for Choti Bahu's fate and yet he sees tries to forgive himself.

What was it about alcohol that Choti Bahu got attached to? All she craved for her husband's love but even when he requests her to leave alcohol, she can't. We see her offering herself as a prostitute so that Chote Babu won't leave for the brothel. Did she feel in some way grateful to alcohol that she had her husband back? Was it the alcohol itself? Was it a whole other state of mind that had nothing to do with her surroundings? Whatever it was, it destroyed her.

However, she the one person she always relied on was Bhootnath and whenever he'd appear, she had a smile on her face except that one time when she's about to make that request that would change her life. Bhootnath, the only person she confided in, was the last we see her with.

We also see a jealous Jabba who is afraid that Bhootnath is slipping away. After all, who is this Choti Bahu that seems to intrigue him so much? She hopes that Bhootnath might express his love but fears that the love is for a mysterious Choti Bahu.

In a sentence, I'd say go watch this movie otherwise you would never know what you've missed.

Not much to add to what has already been stated by the other reviewers previously. A great movie. Haunting b&w photography which captures the era very well, superb performances, of course Meenakumari and the rest, who can forget Sapru as the zamindar with that look, Rehman, and the sets themselves. And the beautiful music especially Geeta Dutt's singing. Just one correction- Gurudutt's character's name is Bhognath (not Bhootnath as stated elsewhere on this site).

I couldnt agree more with those who describe SB&G as the greatest classic in Indian cinema, followed by "Sholay". While the latter is the quintessential Bollywood blockbuster, SB&G is a mainstream film of another kind --- expertly-crafted, aesthetically breathtaking and profoundly disturbing. Its also a film WAY ahead of its time (was a `flop' at the box-office!) and caused much controversy when it was premiered. It is based on a great Bengali novel, one that exposed the hypocrisy and decadence prevalent in the Zamindari (landed gentry). The film ran into terrible problems with our puritanical censors, because of its sometimes unabashed references to alcoholism and sex. Nominally directed by Abrar Alvi (they say Guru Dutt shadow-directed it....and it shows!) and luminously photographed in B/W, the film has immaculate attention to detail in EVERY respect, starting from the trenchant plot-line and script. Of course there are compromises made to accomodate market-needs, such as a couple of superfluous songs; and some farcical comedy. But if ever there was a case for releasing a "director's cut", lovingly restored, its here. God knows what the censor's scissors threw away. Meena Kumari's performance is the finest given by an actress in Indian cinema....and I will go on to say that its the finest performance given by an actress that I have EVER seen (a close second is Meryl Streep in "Sophie's Choice"). Meena Kumari acts with her FEET --- thats the first we see of her, with her dialogue spoken as a voice-over; then a cut to her incredible face, the eyes betraying a glitter of obsessive-compulsion that is the character's core. Its a performance that stirs you like few will, courageous and uninhibited, honest and intense. Its centre-piece is of course the drunken tirade against her husband, accusing him of impotence. In this, as indeed in every scene, she goes beyond acting into a realm that exists only in the gut. Another great Indian film that is not available on DVD, at least not in our own country. When will we learn to honour our best?

Surely a Masterpiece and the Greatest classic in Indian film history with 'Sholay' taking the next rung in this list. Great story, absolutely no holes in the story(very hard to find in the current genre) and perhaps the greatest female acting ever portrayed on the Indian screen, and I am talking about Meena kumari. The scene that really takes off is the part where she charges back at her husband when he calls her 'mad' and scoffs her desire to have children. That scene , every time I see just leaves me shaken and I wonder how can someone put up such an intense performance like that in front of spotboys, cameramen, assistants and other such 20 people, staring at you,huddled in one room, mind blowing stuff..!! Should have been the Oscar nominee for the best foreign film of that year...if the system still existed in India at that time. No other movie, except 'Sholay' comes close to this ever green untouchable.