She pleads, ' Yeh meri prarthna hai, na maano, toh meri aagya samjho' (this is my request, if you refuse to heed it, deem it my order). Of informing Kumud that she has become a widow, while she tries to convince him to marry and settle down with someone else. Reza is probably inspired by the complex situation: Saraswati has been given the uncomfortable task The film's dialogue writer Ali Reza's penmanship reaches its acme in the climactic exchange between Saraswati and Kumud. Saraswatichandra is a consistently well-written film adapted from a novel by Gujarati literatteur Govardhanram Tripathi.
Fate destines that she meets Saraswati once again here too. A failed suicide attempt brings Kumud to a math (spiritual retreat). But Kumud too is sent away by her husband after being accused of infidelity. To relieve Kumud of some of her agony, Saraswati leaves the house. Kumud's unshed tears as she dances with forced abandon is an image that will stay vividly etched. Though Nutan is no dancer, you do not notice this minor aberration as her expressive face holds your eyes prisoner. The folksy Kalyanji-Anandji tune Main tu bhool chali babul ka des, piya ka ghar pyara lage is a statement in irony. Saraswati's presence may have stoked the embers of her doused, if not extinguished, love for him, but Kumud bravely continues to be the Her humiliation at her husband's hands seems far more pronounced as she can see her pain reflected in the eyes of her one-time lover. The next few reels make for absorbing fare as the director offers you an insight into Kumud's tormented soul. To compound Kumud's woes, Saraswati, by a design of fate, is ensconced in the room next to her bedroom as a guest. Parmar fritters money on a nautch girl (Madhumati) and covets the coquettish housemaid (Jeevankala) too. Kumud expressing his inability to marry her (one cannot but notice the startling parallel to Devdas' story in this episode).Ī distraught Kumud succumbs to family pressure and is married off to Pramar, a wealthy but illiterate philanderer who has a roving eye. However, a family squabble results in an impetuous act from Saraswati - he dashes off a letter to Kumud has a midnight rendezvous with Saraswati, who serenades her boldly with a passionate full-throated Mukesh song, Chandan sa badan, chanchal chitvan.Īfter few blissful days, Saraswati takes leave but promises to return soon for the marriage. One is pleasantly surprised to see the love scenes treated with refreshing candour. Kumud's serene beauty mesmerises Saraswati and a shortlived romance ensues.
She replies and soon they are exchanging love letters (beautifully established with a lilting Lata-Mukesh duet, Phool tujhe bheja hai khat mein).Įver the radical, Saraswati defies the custom of those days and decides to pay a visit to his fiancee. Saraswati decides to call off the engagement and pens a letter of regret to Kumud. His father, unaware of his son's decision to forgo personal happiness for a larger cause, fixes up his marriage with Kumud (Nutan) an educated girl from a well-to-do family. Yet, he grows up to be a compassionate youth with his sights on lofty ideals. Saraswatichandra has been indifferently raised by his stepmother (Dulari).
And, subsequently, some of the morals and values pertain to that era. To appreciate the finer qualities of the film, one had to consider the fact that the story was set in the nineteenth century. Lyricist Indivar sums it up in his lines: Tan se tan ka milan ho na paaya toh kya, man se man ka milan koi kum toh Saraswatichandra is a stirring saga of two made-for-each-other lovers who are repeatedly denied the joys of physical intimacy by destiny and tradition, but cannot be kept emotionally and spiritually distant. It succintly established the primacy of an engrossingly-told story that touched the heart over all other considerations. Released in 1969, the same year as the candy-wrapper bright Aradhana and Do Raaste, the film was the last of the big black-and-white hits. , Movies: Classics Revisited: SaraswatichandraĪt the close of the 1960s, in an era when colour was a strong currency at the box-office, the black-and-white Saraswatichandra defied convention with aplomb.
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