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.
