The Threshold. Review on Seema

The era ofB&W films, ** the period when cinema was getting very popular and films that had an impact on society, telling them about the evils and the wrongs were doing well as they emotionally appealed to the masses..

Seema, was one such film with a female protagonist, where Amiya Chakrabarty, presented a woman in despair, anguish and pain. He went on to make the woman victorious in her tirade and made her a heroine of the masses!!

Seema, literally meaning, BOUNDARY. Here I can safely say, its the boundary or the threshhold of bearing pain, inflicted injuries and wrong doing!! It is the sheer limit where a person when cornered and left no other alternative, will, in its fight to keep alive, retaliate, will rebel and will not at any cost listen to reason! **Screenplay, Written & Directed by Amiya, this is an unusual saga of a fight of a woman rising from the brink of being wronged and helpless to justice!!

The Plot

Gauri, Nutan Behl, has nowhere to go but to her uncle since her parents have passed away. As was the case, the unlce's wife in order to justify her niece's stay at their house, free, would make the niece work like a dog and make money for the household. The money would go to the aunt's kitty and not to the niece!! Gauri takes another job as a maid in some other household as well, but with the fate and lady luck not smiling upon her, she gets accused of stealing.... She refutes the advances of a male servant... **She is tried and then sentenced to a Orphanage where she is undergoing her punishment and her reform process as well...

Ashok, Balraj Sahni,the warden of the orphanage, is a reformist by nature. He tries his best to ensure justice for Gauri.

With the above premise, in the given period, sympathies would definitely follow the woman and women would see the film for its revenge drama. Gauri's nature is fiesty. Doesnt give up easily and is determined to right the wrong!!The scene where she in her real fiery mood sets across at Bankelal, C S Dubey, and thrashes the hell out of him is probably the first time ever that a man was shown beaten on screen!! And the way Nutan has enacted the scene is just magnificient!! Her anger is evident, her determination... rock solid, her pain ... incessant..

The portrayal of a woman being subjected to cruelty was not new as these topics were dealt with admirably in films like Dahej, Doli etc... This film comes with a difference!!

This film effectively deals with the agony of the woman and then courageously smashes through the point that if one decided, "enough is enough", there is virtually no stopping the person from achieving what he/she wants!! The thrashing of Bankelal by a woman was indeed a bold move!! The intense drama that unfolds in the orphanage between Gauri andPutli, Shobha Khote, **gives you an insight of the things they were then!!

It is quite natural for people to feel pain and sympathise with it, but at that time to make a cinema on a woman as an underdog and make her beat a man and emerge victorious in the then world of men was not going to be easy for Amiya. He made it possible by making Ashok the backbone! He made Ashok the reason for Gauri's actions to be justified to the masses and he did it with a scene where Ashok admonishes a husband for ill treating his wife in front of an audience!! **Now, that according to me was the point where people as viewers were made aware of the cruelty and were also filled with remorse at their own actions!! Bold move indeed!!

Then he did something even more amazing. He created a scene where Shobha Khote is on a cycle and driving on the streets like a woman possessed against the backdrop of mumbai's Queens Necklace!! Now if that wasnt a show case of womans strength, what is??For me it is a very reformist cinema and one that taught the society a thing or two about morality and woman as an important being in the society!!

Films like Doli, Dahej may have in their own ways created a flutter at the ill treatment of women and the ghastly acts that were forced on them, but they were only showcases of PAIN inflicted and the woman bearing it. Viewers were moved only upto the level of sympathy and not beyond it. **Seema takes you at least a floor higher. It introduces to you the protagonist in pain. Then moves over to show the cruelty inflicted arousing your sympathy, and then you have the protagonist rebelling against the system which fills you with compassion and then the rebel fights back with violence not known to women at all... Thats where you rise up and applaud this film makers idea of creating this reformist cinema!!

All the cast and characters were so beautifully created that not one moment do you sdit back and think, maybe a Madhubala would have been better here or a Nadia!! Its just so perfect...Nutan has delivered a stellar performance. her face has the quality of being emotionally filled. Her happiness, her anger, her anguish... Her face says it all!! When you see Balraj Sahni as Ashok, you know that this is one man of principles. He is stoic in his approach and very straight forward. One look at Balrajsaab and you know you can trust him to be a man... Perfect!!

"Suno Chotisi Gudiya Ki Lambi Kahani...", will bring tears to your eyes and will wring your heart. The pain and the injuries created will be felt and your heart will sing along with Gauri. The light and chirpy,"Baat Baat pe Roothona.., "Tu Pyaar Ka Sagar hai. Teri Ek Boond Ke Pyaase Hum. "Kahaan Jaa Raha Hai, Tu Ai Jaane Wale." Shankar Jaikishen at their best! Manna Dey saab.... Gazaab!!

Its true, when you are in a corner led by the world, you will know that the world is trampling on your toes and the threshold of resilience is slowly diminishing. You will BREAK FREE!!