Jun 03, 2009 04:08 PM
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Reportedly, there was some controversy when “Gumrah” opened in the year 1963.People could not take a married woman(Mala Sinha) having an affair with an ex-flame(Sunil Dutt). Mind you, there is nothing remotely sexual about this affair. All they do when they meet secretly is talk and he paints her. Such an “affair” could have easily taken place in a public garden or more appropriate for those times at Mala Sinha’s home, as well. You see, her husband(Ashok Kumar) is a jolly good man. He actively seems to be encouraging their meeting. But let me back up a bit. Here’s the scene:Sinha and Dutt are in love. Sinha gets along really well with her elder sister’s kids.
The said elder sister Nirupa Roy(thankfully and conveniently) dies after “falling from a hill”.As luck or script would have it Sinha has to sacrifice her love and get married to the elder sister’s husband(Ashok Kumar). The said husband is an extremely high profile and busy lawyer who does not have time for his wife. Soon, the wife can’t resist the re-entry of her ex-lover…in her life, I mean. Mala Sinha is torn between her responsibility towards her home and the attraction of her singer/painter lover. Then Shashikala turns up and starts blackmailing her…It is not a bad premise, especially for a film released in a time where the maximum skin exposure was done by wearing very tight clothes and the society was even more predominantly shackled by regressive rules written by men. But therein lie the main problems.
This is not just a film - it is a re-confirmation of those same claustrophobic rules laid by men, a moral lecture delivered to women in general and apparently a cautionary coda to the society as a whole, which lets its women, go “astray.”The ‘Gumarah’ here is obviously the woman. All the moral, holier-than-thou lectures, hence, are reserved for her. Not for the father who emotionally blackmails her daughter to marry an elderly widower of two children, not for that elderly widower who does not bother finding out what the woman in question wants but expects her to wait for him endlessly –(he is in fact presented as good man) and not even for the lover, who could have easily been the villain of the piece because he is after all leading the woman astray, the lover who constantly pressurizes her into meeting him despite being aware of the social toll it could have on her.
There is also a sub-plot of little consequence where the family friends of the main couple have a “modern” wife who fails to listen to her husband. She, it is needless to say, by the end, “mends her ways”.None of the characters are exactly likeable but I found the Sunil Dutt character especially annoying. He is come across as a clueless, one-note, cardboard artist type. Plus, the way he is written leaves a lot to be desired. What exactly does he want? He never asks Mala Sinha to leave her husband and get married to him. I also noticed this film’s curious obsession with 4PM.
Everything in this film happens at the said time. Sinha and Dutt’s clandestine meetings take place 4 pm precisely, and I mean precisely. Sinha jumps ten feet in the air each time the clock strikes 4 and Dutt goes all love sick. Dutt’s first song recording takes place at EXACTLY 4 pm.(Here, I also noticed a nice attention to detail where the film gives the impression of playing in real time. Dutt is singing and two minutes into the song the time on the clock in the background is approximately 4:02), the blackmailer asks Sinha to meet her at 4’o clock as well. Though, in hindsight the last can be explained. Sort of.Ashok Kumar had that ease and natural flair about him which suits his role. His performance is almost effortless. Mala Sinha’s reactions at the appearance at Sunil Dutt in the presence of Ashok Kumar are so broad that Kumar would have gleaned about their affair even if he was deaf and blind.
Having said that, her gradual mental breakdown could have been comical but is moderately effective.Despite its outdated outlook ‘Gumrah’ is not entirely without merits. B.R. Chopra should be recommended for, at least, attempting to merge two genres. Yes, from being a domestic drama of dubious quality it deserves some faint praise for introducing thriller elements and making the film suspenseful, albeit mildly. The music is melodious and, I guess, started the long-time fruitful collaboration between Chopra, music director Ravi and singer Mahendra Kapoor. SPOILER AHEAD:The biggest offence is the climactic “twist”. It makes the husband come across as a sadistic prick and the film come across as a cock-eyed, misguided, psychological version of The Taming of the Shrew.
Verdict: While not exactly a terrible film, “Gumrah” is more likely to be appreciated by your old relatives.Remade as “Bewafa” in 2005 by Dharmesh Darshan, which I hope to review in future.
