Sadhna (1958) :
Brief Review -
BR Chopra adopts the soul of Mahakavi Shudrak's legendary "Mrichchhakatikam" to form a pathbreaking Bollywood classic on a prostitute's socialization. Firstly, a big salute to the legendary filmmaker BR Chopra for thinking of making such a film in the late 50s. There were only a few directors who used to think like that, such as V. Shantaram, Bimal Roy, etc., and BR Chopra became one of the best of them with Sadhna. Sadhna'a soul belongs to Mahakavi Shudrak's legendary play, "Mrichchhakatikam." We all know the basic story: A nobleman falls in love with a prostitute. Chopra's film sees a new twist provided by writer Mukhram Sharma. The veshya pretends to be the daughter-in-law for a while and then has to do it again until she realizes how this life is different from the life she is having. The hero, too, falls in love with her but is shattered to know her reality. Chopra's Sadhna takes a big dig at modern society, blaming the selfish and dirty men in it. The film has some brilliant dialogues. Undoubtedly one of the best in the entire decade. "Tum jise bahu samjh Rahi ho, wo pure sheher ki bahu hai." "Ped se gira patta wapas ped par nahi ja sakta," "Par ped ki chayya me pada to reh sakta hai na." The entire film is filled with some amazing allegorical lines like these. The emotional quotient added by Champa's past is extremely painful. The two-layer execution by BR Chopra is simply marvelous. Champa and Rajni-even the names have a metaphor exploring the meaning of those two words in two different worlds. Champa denies wearing a bridal get-up in the noble world but wears it arrogantly in her infamous ghetto, only to realize that she was wrong. From Kothe ki Kawali to Ram Bhajan and that Ahilya's reference.. oh my my. Chopra, how did you do it? Vyjayanthimala won the Filmfare, but this film deserved many more awards over Madhumati, in my opinion.
RATING - 8/10*
By - #samthebestest.
