Satyam Shivam Sundaram: Love Sublime

Raj Kapoor the oldest of the Kapoor Clan, had a sublime message in every movie he made and God bless his soul. He made some great movies. The narration by Raj Kapoor (anouther great narrating voice is of Amitab Bachchan,) at the beginning is an enchantingly concise meaning of Satyam (Truth,) Shivam (Godliness,) and Sundaram (Beuty). The Story is poignant but not realistic. Sashi Kapoor, was an accomplished actor and producer on his own-albeit he was not in the same caliber as his older brother. He was more a looker than an actor. He does rise to the occasion as his acting in a few of the wedding scenes. Zeenat Aman, I should say was very bold in accepting this role since it called for few breaking scenes in the Indian Cinema. Raj kapoor, had respect for women more than any Producer of his times and he was very particular in how they were depicted in his movies. He had a sensuous way of relating, but the length of the movie took away much of that sensuality and ended as being overdone and more half-clad than seductive.The dream sequence is visual fantasia and one to be preserved for the latter day producers and art directors.The movie failed because it was too twisted-and repetitive so much so he lost the audience after the wedding.The flood scene is amazingly well shot. This was also the period when he changed his music directors from Shankar-Jaikishan to Laksmikant-Pyarelal-Both great Music teams but there were songs too many. Raj Kapoor believed in giving the audience most for their money-with incredible locations,ornate Sets, elaborate song&dance numbers, but the trusted formula did not work for him in this movie.

Clearly, a movie much ahead of its time. It starts out with a cheesy commentary about the title (which has been translated into English as "Love Sublime") by the producer/director Raj Kapoor, but turns into a visual treat from then on till the last shot. Movies like these are no longer made in India, this shall remain as one of those movies in the eras gone by. The religious metaphors and sensuality was never before seen in a commercial movie.

Zeenat Aman plays the character of an abused and ugly duckling (a stretch for the former model, Miss Asia, Miss India winner....) quite well. The costumes are amazing in the song "Chanchal Sheetal...", never before had costumes or sets as elaborate or ornate been seen on the Indian movie screen. The temple and waterfall sets were constructed in Raj Kapoor's farm in Chembur and are perfect backdrops for many important scenes. The music and Lata's voice are a perfect enhancement to the rest of the movie.

The lead was initially offered to several major actresses in Bollywood (Shabana, Rekha and Reena Roy) but neither agreed. I just can't imagine anyone else as Rupa, but Zeenat Aman. This movie turned out to be a financial flop for Raj Kapoor and he in turn blamed it on Zeenat. She still walked away the winner because the publicity shots for the movie gave Zeenat Aman's popularity a huge boost. The stills of the movie were pasted throughout the city of Bombay (and I am assuming the rest of India) as well as on magazine covers for years to come. It was perfect PR for her and in the long run, she is remembered for her sensuality in this movie. This movie is much more appreciated among NRI and western circles and to this day holds its own.

RK introduces seductive Zeenat Aman in this love story. The central theme of this movie emphasizes the strength of the inner beauty of a person over the external appearances. Shot beautifully around the rural areas of India, this movie was widely recognized for its artistic excellence as well as some soul stirring songs by Lata Mangeshkar.

The film questions where actual beauty lies; is it skin deep or something that permeates the soul. Beauty isn't necessarily something that can be seen or flaunted; inner beauty (read: true beauty) takes time to manifest itself and finally win.

Rupa (played by Zeenat Aman) has a disfigured face and is hence condemned by her villagers and no one wishes to marry her. An engineer (played by Shashi Kapoor) falls in love with her voice, body but never sees her disfigured half of the face until it's too late.

It's a magnificently made film by Raj Kapoor that shines through though two things let it down. First, the music. Usually, music for his films was composed by Shankar - Jaikishan and lyrics written by Shailendra. But the latter had died and composing duties given to Laxmikant Pyarelal. Mukesh, the voice of Raj Kapoor, had died (the film is dedicated to him) and posthumously one song is attached to him. The soundtrack never touches the highs of say 'Shree 420' or 'Mera Naam Joker'.

There is also a dream sequence in this film that harks back to the original one from Awaara (1951) but this one lacked the intensity and B/W cinematography that defined the latter.

Finally, coming to the female lead. Zeenat Aman tries her best but she doesn't just cut it. She was more suited for glamorous roles and her limited acting range clearly shows. Shashi Kapoor plays his duty well but the film relies on the female core which is not top tier.

Still, Raj Kapoor managed to craft a beautiful film as a director. It might not be as good as his 50s/60s output but still showcased that he had a lot of ideas left.

Satyam Shivam Sundaram review :

Known mainly for Zeenat Aman's abundant skin exposure, the legendary Raj Kapoors Satyam Shivam Sundaram (SSS) is actually an intense philosophical look at the pristine soul beyond the ordinary body. Raj Saahab explains the theme in the opening scene itself where he talks about faith and devotion in an idol which may appear to be a piece of rock to an atheist.

Some say Raj Kapoor got the idea in the 1950s from his favourite singer Lata Mangeshkar who had a divine voice but was not particularly beautiful face. The basic idea of inner beauty vs physical body stayed with him for decades and finally, in late '70s, he decided to translate his vision on screen.

Surprisingly, Zeenat Aman was not the first choice and Raj Saahab had Hema Malini as well as Vidya Sinha in mind. Zeenat literally grabbed the coveted role by dressing up as the village belle Roopa and directly landing up at RK Studios, Chembur to stun Raj Kapoor who instantly signed her.

Satyam Shivam Sundaram remains Zeenat's career best performance though she got her share of criticism for exposing without any inhibitions. In one scene, her breasts are clearly visible yet the Censors were liberal to pass the film without a single cut.

Shashi Kapoor was earnest as Rajeev, the civil engineer who visits a village on duty and falls in love with a beautiful voice whose face he hasnt seen till he marries her. The girl is Roopa (Zeenat) who had burnt a part of her face in childhood and on seeing her, Rajeev shuns her..

Raj Kapoor's collaboration with Laxmikant Pyarelal yielded some excellent music and the duo won the Filmfare award that year. Radhu Karmakar also took home the best cinematographer award that year.

The social drama was released with lot of fanfare at Mumbai's prestigious Metro Cinema. The star studded premiere at Metro had the entire Kapoor family standing at the entrance welcoming their guests for the evening. The film wasn't a big hit commercially but didn't burn a hole in Raj Saahab's pocket like his magnum opus Mera Naam Joker (1970) did.

Satyam Shivam Sundaram is one of my favorite Raj Kapoor film after Shree 420 (1955) and Mera Naam Joker (1970). Only a legend like him can make such an aesthetic piece of work without stepping the line of vulgarity. Kudos!

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.