Oct 22, 2002 02:57 PM
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(Updated Oct 22, 2002 03:02 PM)
Woman- I wonder how God made her! She can be man's best friend when he is low, and can also be the cause of his ruin if she takes something to heart. The revenge of a woman is something that should be dreaded. It's difficult to fathom the depth of a woman's heart and the height of her love. The only one capable of giving unselfish love which can only come from a mother's heart. The only one capable of giving sensual love which can only come from a lover's touch. The only one capable of giving undivided attention, which can only come from a wife's dedication.
The only one capable of jeopardizing a man's life when she feels insulted- which can come only from a highly dangerous enemy!
ABOUT THE MAKER
A visionary named Shantaram Vankudre graced the Indian film industry in the mid-twentieth century. Popularly known as V.Shantaram, he made a mark in both the Hindi film industry and Marathi Film Industry. V. Shantaram joined the film and theatre world with a job in the unit of the Marathi legend Bal Gandharva, in 1914. Highly influenced by people like tabla wizard Thirkawa Khan saab and music enthusiast Govindrao Tembe, Shantaramji did some odd jobs before joining Baburao Painter in his company. His first break was as an actor when he did the lead role of Lord Krishna. Very soon, this man completed the triangle by establishing the legendary Prabhat Studio in competition with Calcutta's New Theatres and Bombay's Bombay Talkies. For trivia seekers, Prabhat Studio was established by four visionaries- Syed Fatehlal, Vishnupant Damle, Vaman Apte and V.Shantaram- all four trained by the great Baburao Painter. V Shantaram was perhaps the first man who attempted to make a colour film way back in 1932. He took the prints to Germany for processing, but failed in his attempt to colour the Indian panoramic screen. This first unsuccessful attempt was carried out on the film Sairandhri, which was originally filmed by Baburao Painter.
After the success of his film Shakuntala(1946), V.Shantaram went to US and signed a contract there- and Shakuntala became the first Indian film to be officially released in USA.
That was V.Shantaram.
Ask any Maharashtrian which he thinks was V.Shantaram's best film. Chances are nine out of ten that the answer will be- Pinjra.
ABOUT THE PRODUCT
I do not remember the exact year of release, but it must be somewhere in the sixties. Pinjra means a cage. The film deals with the revenge of a woman. There is this typical Maharashtrian village where a morally responsible school teacher resides. An idealist, he believes in spreading literacy in his village. The whole village respects him and loves him. As luck would have it, a band of tamasha performers come in the village. Tamasha is a Maharashtrian folk dance, which is famous among the villagers mostly for the woman performer rather than the folk aspect. The school teacher feels disgusted that the villagers rush to see the woman rather than attend his school and learn something worthwhile. So starts the showdown. The woman, angered by the schoolmaster's ethical lectures, vows revenge, and her revenge spells doom for the poor teacher. She involves him in a murder, and acting to be his friend, advises him to dress the dead body in his clothes to fool villagers and the police, and escape in the cover of the tamasha party. The unsuspecting schoolmaster does just that and in the bargain, ends up being an all-purpose hand in the unit. The very thing that he hated becomes his world. He is ill treated and abused by the woman and her unit. The schoolmaster has no escape. He is in a cage- the cage of a woman.
But the real twist is in the climax, which I will not disclose in this review. Suffice to say that it is bound to jolt you. This happens to be one of the two climaxes which have really impressed me, the other being Sadma.
THE TEAM
As I had seen this movie long time ago, it is indeed difficult to remember all the credits. But nevertheless, here is an honest attempt.
The film was produced and directed by V.Shantaram himself. The music is by my all time favourite Ram Kadam. The cinematography and choreography was handled by Shivaji Sawant.
In the cast, the enraged woman was played by Sandhya. The schoolmaster's role was the lifetime role for the highly talented Dr.Shreeram Lagoo. Ably supported by Nilu Phule.
IN CONCLUSION
Pinjra was released in Hindi in the year 1973. However, I strongly recommend that you see it in the original Marathi form. Even with subtitles, the film is worth it!
