Arth

I am mortally afraid of works of art which are proclaimed as classics by critics and the public. My bullshit antenna goes up and I end up avoiding such mainstream crap most of the time.

The name of the file which I downloaded from the net was "Arth- A Mahesh Bhatt Classic". The nomenclature got my hackles up and I was all ready to tear this apart with my words. I wasn't prepared for the emotions which were about to be unleashed by this cinematic piece of art.

This is a semi autobiographical movie. Mahesh Bhatt casts Kulbushan Kharbanda as himself, a director of advertisements and movies, who falls in love with an actress. Smita Patil plays the role of Parveen Babi. He decides to move in with the actress and leave behind his wife, essayed here by Shabana Azmi.

The dialogues ring true. It seems as if Mr. Bhatt had a small recording device with him when he was having huge rows with his wife and mistress. The direction is excellent. Mr. Bhatt never allows the drama to go over the top and become mawkish. He has a feel for the feminine mentality and the women characters come across as strong and not cardboard caricatures.

The music was composed by the late Jagjeet Singh and the songs include "Tum itna jo... ', lines which have since become immortal.

The acting is the strongest forte of this seminal classic. Azmi gives the performance of a life time as a woman who sees her world go up in smoke. She is vulnerable,teary eyed and then graceful.

This is a must watch for lovers of great drama. You would be blown away by what has increasingly become a rarity these days, an ultimate Hindi movie.

Arth is a pleasantly surprising movie, a great cinematic experience. It's one of those few movies that makes us live the journey of the main character, and make us believe the decisions and path of the cast. It's a well acted, edited and directed movie with a powerful screenplay. It will be unfair to not appreciate the cast especially Sabhana Azmi. It's a philosophically satisfying conclusion. A strong ending and a feel good vibe. It's a must watch movie. Highly recommended.

Mahesh Bhatt's 'Arth' is said to be loosely based on his own marriage. The main story is of a woman coming to terms with life after separation from her husband (who was having an affair with an actress). The theme is quite simple and so is the execution but Bhatt gives it a raw but realistic and authentic look. While many have complained that 'Arth' is slow moving, the pace wasn't problematic for me. It's not a slick fast paced movie but I liked that Bhatt takes his time to let the events unfold as the characters are faced with decisions to make. It is very much a character driven piece and the film gives us the time to study these intriguing people. Moreover, Jagjit Singh's ghazals beautifully reflect the inner feelings of the characters.

Bhatt tells the story very convincingly and he has put a lot of heart into it. I liked that he didn't turned Inder Malhotra (the character who's based on himself) into a good guy towards the end and that perhaps his portrayal of his story is honest. But, whether real or not, that doesn't matter because the story in 'Arth' works very well regardless. It is clearly one of his best films.

Shabana Azmi gives a tour-de-force performance as the heartbroken Pooja. It is her film all the way and Azmi displays Pooja's growth with élan. It's one of the strongest portrayals by an actress. Smita Patil is equally fabulous in a smaller role as Kavita, the tormented actress. I always love watching these two actresses share the screen and here too their shared scenes are among highlights of the film. Kulbushan Kharbanda holds his own in a woman-oriented film. The rest of the cast that include Raj Kiran and Mazhar Khan offer adequate support.

'Arth' is a rare gem of the 80s which was known to be the worst decade of Indian cinema.

One of the finest movies of India, Good acting, nice background score, and very good directing is the bonus point of this movie. The story of this film is also realistice. Amazing movie.

My Rating : 9/10

I've seen this movie twice now and thoroughly enjoyed it both times. 'Arth' is one of Mahesh Bhatt's finest and captivated me from the start.

If you don't mind slow-burning drama, certainly seek this out, it is semi-autobiographical (about Mahesh Bhatt's extramarital relationship with Parveen Babi) and with great performances from everyone.

Moving, riveting and simply a classic of parallel Indian cinema. Absolute Must-See.