Great Indian Movies - Bandini. Review on Bandini - FilmFare Award 1963

They say you can't forget your first love. You remember the first moments you meet, the first eye-to-eye contact, the first feeling before touching, and the first unforgettable feeling of hug, kiss and embrace. It has special magical unknown feelings. It makes you feel a feeling you never felt before. It teaches you to hear your heartbeats, feel butterflies in your tummy, and feel nervousness in your voice. None of the subsequent love can be as intense and overwhelming as first love. Doesn't matter how much trouble, lies, broken promises are associated with first love; it’s the first love people always remember throughout their life.

Bimal Roy's filmfare award winner Bandini (1963) is the story of innocent girl trapped between choice of her first love who taught her how to feel special but gave her nothing but broken promises, disillusionment and her new life of fulfillment, promise, and respect in the society.

Story

In pre-independence India somewhere in north India, young gentle Kalyani (Nutan) was imprisoned in the Jail for the crime she committed years ago. Looking at her prison card and knowing Kalyani as a well-behaved prisoner, jailor Mahesh Prasad (Tarun Bose) was shocked when he found out that Kalyani was a cold murderer.

When she volunteers to take care of an infectious TB Patient, she came to know prison doctor Dr. Devendra (Dharmendra). During Deven's daily visits to the patient, he first fascinated by her gentleness and selflessness and later falls in love with her. Deven believes that any crime cannot make any human as criminal forever and they should get their chance to rehabilitate. He confess his love for her and propose to marry her. Kalyani wants to reveal her past but Deven seems not interested in her past. Knowing her dreaded past, she rejects Deven's proposal. Deven couldn’t take the news, resigns from prison's job, and goes back to his hometown. Since Jailor and Deven known to each other for a long time, Jailor informs Deven's mother about Kalyani.

In the mean time, Jailor asks Kalyani to reveal her dark past. Kalyani writes down her past in a diary. She was happy-go-lucky girl lived with her post-master father in the small village. There came a revolutionist Bikas Ghosh (Ashok Kumar) as open-air captive in the village. He wasn't allowed to meet anyone in the village except government's employees. Bikas became regular visitor to Kalyani's house. Impressed by Ghosh's thoughts and attracted by his dynamic personality, Kalyani drawn closer to Bikas and both fell in love. Bikas promised Kalyani to marry her once he returns from the city. Despite its been months, Bikas never returns but news came to Kalyani that he was married to someone else and settled down in the city. Broken by her family’s misery, she decided to move to city to avoid villager's insult and mockery. In the city, she started working as maid in the nursing home. One day while treating obnoxious lady in the hospital, she comes to know that she was nothing but wife of Bikas Ghosh. In the moment of hatred, shocked and bewildered, Kalyani poisoned the woman, and surrendered herself to police.

Back to present time, Kalyani’s name is considered at a prison governor’s meeting for a possible early release for good behavior. After reading Kalyani's story, Deven's mother agrees to accept Kalyani as Deven's wife. As per jail review process, Kalyani get selected for early release. At her release, Jailor tells her about Deven's mother's intention. She sees this as a really good opportunity to restart her life and accepts Deven's proposal.

As she was waiting for the train for Deven’s town at the resting area in the small harbor town, she accidentally runs into Bikas. Kalyani gets the truth from Bikash's deputy that he was forced to marry the girl for revolutionary cause. Suddenly Kalyani finds herself at the cross roads of her life. Can Kalyani ever forgive Bikash for all the misery that he has given her after knowing real circumstances? What will she choose - Security (A new life with Deven) or First Love (start all over again with Bikash)?

Analysis

Bandini means imprisoned. Bandini means imprisoned in love. Bandini is poignant and moving tale of girl and explores the human conflicts of love, possessive mindset, and hate. Bimalda’s subtle, simple, and sensitive direction and Kamal Bose’s evocative photography makes Bandini as memorable viewing experience. The way Kamal Bose shot bleak interior of prison, subtle Kalyani-Deven’s love story at the background of prison walls, simple Kalyani-Bikash’s love story at the background of village farms is simply masterful. Just watch out for scenes like Kalyani staring high prison walls hearing the hoofs of the horse when carriage is taking away Deven or Kalyani sitting in her kitchen overhearing villagers scolding their situation when Bikas never returned any of her replies or 'Sab Theek Hai' sequences when prison guard announces everything is fine in the jail.

Bandini is considered as S.D.Burman's one of the finest work. In 1960s, Being Bimal Roy's regular composer in films like Sujata and Bandini, Burmanda's music was based on classical instruments influenced from north Indian folk music which suited to Bimalda's subtle stories. Each and every one of SD Burman´s compositions penned by Shilendra are gem in it’s own terms - Asha´s "Ab Ke Baras" and "O Panchi Pyare", Lata’s "Jogi Jab Se Tu Aaya Mere Dware". My favorite compositions are three classics – Mukesh’s haunting "O Jaanewale Ho Sake To Laut Ke Aana", Debutant Gulzar’s romantic duet based on mythical tales of Radha and Krishna to express Kalyani’s first blush of love sung by Lata "Mora Gora Ang Laile, Mohe Shaam Range Deide", and S.D.Burman’s emotional, and soul-stirring climatic number to express Kalyani's dilemma “O Re Maanjhi, Mera Saajan Hai Us Paar". It’s no wonder that "Main Bandini Hoon Piya ki, Main Sangini Hoon Saajan ki" line in “Maanjhi” song is real highlight of the Kalyani’s tale.

Nutan as Kalyani is considered one of the finest performances seen on Indian cinema. Nutan as Piya's Bandini, Saajan's Sangini, or Bikas's Ardhangini is simply amazing as her multifaceted complex role of strong-willed Kalyani - young free spirited village girl, suffering prisoner, cold murderer, or likable, selfless, caring prison inmate. Just watch her sudden explosion as portraying a temporarily mentally unbalanced woman when she poison's her lover's wife. The way Bimalda's intermixed welding fumes and torches with Kalyani's pumping stove and mixing poison in tea makes any viewer uneasy while watching the movie.

Ashok Kumar as Bikas Gosh has dynamic personality who is true to his heart when it comes to fighting for India´s independence but proves to be a coward in his relationship with Kalyani. Dharmendra as Deven has only first hour screen presence but leaves everlasting impression as a kind and gentle doctor throughout the movie. Bengali stalwart Tarun Bose as Jailor was simply masterful.

Conclusion

Bandini was arguably Bimal Roy's greatest film, even better than Devdas and Do Bigha Zameen. Winner of 7 best director + 4 best film awards in the first 10 years of filmfare award history, Bimal Roy is known as Bollywood's most awarded and respected director of his era. Sadly he died at age 58 right after Bandini where he was peak of his career and zenith of creativity skills. Bandini was last film from great director. It’s an evergreen classic.