Terceira Promessa

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 (1966) : Brief Review -

A significant Love Story with Classic Bleak Ending, perhaps the Best in the Genre. Basu Bhattacharya delivers an entertaining love story but with meaningful, stunning and irreplaceable scrappy ending. Teesri Kasam is not a much known film because of commercial failure except for the National Award Honour but this film deserves to be known because we are not going to see something like this in Love Story+Sacrifice category. It is a story of a naive and hardworking cart driver Hiraman who meets a courtesan Hira Bai and treats her like a goddess. Hira bai adores him from the first meeting but never tells him about her lousy facts but problem appears when Hiraman also falls in love with her. What sacrifices Hira Bai has to do just to keep her clean image alive in Hiraman's heart and memory and how it turns out to be his Third Vow is all about this Classic story. Raj Kapoor adds another powerful character and a Classic film in his legendary filmography. The way he says, "Issshhh"... He is so cute.. His north Indian accent is fabulous. Waheeda Rehman delivers one of the finest act of her career and also impresses with her dancing skills. What a Chartbuster and Timeless Music Teesri Kasam has got from Shankar Jaikishan. Four Superhit songs appears in the first hour only which was already entertaining, just imagine how engaging it had been. 'Chalat Musafir', 'Paan Khayo Saiyya Hamar', 'Sajanwa Bairi Ho Gayo', 'Sajan Re Jhooth Mat Bolo' are superb and Evergreen indeed but 'Duniya Bananewale' is so deep and works with enthralling impact, and when it appers in The End with completely different meaning from it's first appearance, it just Stays in Mind. Basu Bhattacharya's Direction is worthy if you really understand the meaning and nuances of the pain and sacrifice done in the film. I don't know why this film flooped at Box Office, didn't the audience understand it? Couldn't they feel the pain and profound thoughts? It's a shame for the audience not for the film's team if this film couldn't generate box office numbers. Thanks to National Award juries otherwise this underrated Classic would have remained unknown even for movie buffs. I am thankful to them and to the makers of Teesri Kasam for making such a high quality Love saga and traditionally poignant film for the society in the 60s. Despite the painful and deep thoughts Teesri Kasam is a an Entertaining Rom-com and is far far better than any overrated Rom-com of 80s and 90s. Teesri Kasam got both Entertainment and powerful Bleak Ending, please inform me if you ever find a high quality product in this combination.

RATING - 8/10*

By - #samthebestest

After going through two incidents which nearly put his life into danger, a simple rustic bullock cart driver named Heeraman takes two vows - to never carry again illegal goods and to never carry again bamboo on his cart. Then he is asked to transport a young nautanki dancer named Heerabai as a passenger to a distant village fair. Travelling together for over forty hours, a true bond of friendship is formed between the two. They share some life experiences together and sing some wonderful songs to each other. She is charmed by his simplicity, innocence and his unsophisticated perception of life, and he is mesmerised by her beauty and honesty. This sequence is the film's most interesting and beautiful, but what follows next is what carries the narrative forward and leads the story towards Heeraman's third vow, and the viewers clearly can predict it.

A wonderful and musical drama, Teesri Kasam tells a simple story of cultural clashes and unrealised love. It is a rather captivating watch, well directed and narrated, and is aided by fantastic performances. Raj Kapoor and Waheeda Rehman are absolutely outstanding in their roles. Kapoor's character in this film is not an unusual one in his career given he often played roles of this sort (the overly innocent romantic fool) but his performance definitely is. The way he displays Heeraman's sincerity, fear, love and ultimately his realisation is terrific. Rehman is unsurprisingly excellent as Heerabai - the strong, dignified and talented dancer. Her dance numbers were well done, but it is the depth with which she conveys Heera's feelings and her inner devastation that marks this performance. Needless to say, she is as beautiful and graceful as always.

For this film, Shankar-Jaikishen composed another winning soundtrack. "Duniya Banane Wale" is my favourite song and is soulfully performed by Mukesh. This is also the number that makes Heera call Heeraman her Guru, one of the top moments showing their spiritual connection. The film's final scene is unquestionably the most haunting and memorable in Teesri Kasam, and it is the one which brings the third vow to its ironic fulfillment. Heerabai's honest confession and Heeraman's silent reaction create a melancholic ending that tugs at the heartstrings. I was surprised by how moved I was by the conclusion of the story. This is actually the moment that marks this film and bears the stamp of its greatness. I highly recommend you to watch this classic picture. Take a bow, Kapoor, Rehman, and Basu Bhattacharya.

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.