Prem Patra (1962)

Honestly, I was already prepared to love this movie, simply because it stars both Sadhana and Shashi Kapoor. Moreover, this is the only movie that they did together, so I was very excited to see this one anyway. But even with all this, I was still not prepared to find this movie as beautiful as I did.

First of all, the storyline is excellent- typical Bollywood trope of miscommunications and switched identities. However, there's nothing over-the-top about the movie. No melodrama, no excessively intense emotions, and certainly no unnecessary fight sequences. Just a quiet passion that blooms as the story progresses, and makes you fall in love with the idea of love even more. There's also no "villainisation" of any character- even the characters who make mistakes are treated as humans, not reincarnations of the devil himself. After all, it's human to make mistakes, the movie seems to say- and to add to that lovely sentiment, it also says that it's human to apologise and to forgive.

There's a certain tenderness in the way Bimal Roy tells the story- one of my favourite scenes is one in which Kavita Kapoor (Sadhana) reads a letter from Arun (Shashi Kapoor). There is space for the characters to mature and evolve into people capable of maintaining relationships, and that for me, is one of the best things about this movie. Another thing that I, as a 21st century gal, really appreciated was that the women in the story were allowed to live life the way they wanted to. There was none of the usual parents forcing daughters to marry drama happening here- in fact, Kavita's mother actually tells her that she is free to marry whoever she chooses. The sisterhood between KK and Tara was also refreshing, especially when one has seen one too many Hindi movies with women being catty to each other over a man, or other petty issues (sorry Shashi Kapoor). Oh, and KK and her friends are students in a medical college near the time of Independence; one of them later owns a nursing home establishment with her husband. Quite ahead of its time, if I may say so myself. Plus, the men of this movie legitimately treat the women as equals. Yes, the standard is very low, but it is what it is, and I will not hesitate to point out the good in Bollywood when I see it, so fuck off.

The soundtrack is not very popular, and I don't understand why. The lyrics are beautiful, and the music is haunting. Some of my favs are "Do Ankhiyan Jhuki Jhuki Si", "Sawan Ki Raaton Mein Aisa", and "Yeh Mere Andhere Ujaale Na Hote". I realised while listing them that I've literally mentioned 3 out of the 5 songs on this soundtrack, and yep, it is really that good. Also, just found out that the lyricist was Gulzar. Of course. No wonder it's so close to my heart now. *cries tears of joy*.

One thing that I wish had been edited out of the movie was the whole hunting sequence- for starters, it had neither Sadhana nor Shashi, and moreover, it did not move the story forward at all. Plus there was a weird "tribal dance" bit that I did not enjoy at all.

Before I forget, Kavita Kapoor said #YesAllMen. Also, I am too emotional to elaborate, but just the scene when she looks on as Arun's ship sails away. And as for dearest Shashi, this was one of his earliest movies as an adult actor (I think he was only 24 when it released), and he so does not disappoint in the least. The movie is the masterpiece that it is, all thanks to the incredible performances by the two lead actors. Also, it was a bit surprising to see Sadhana without her trademark fringe. Maybe Bimal Roy liked it better that way, because it's also not there in Parakh (1960). But it wasn't there in Parakh because she plays a village gal, but here, she is very much a city gal. Who knows. One of life's biggest mysteries, I suppose.

Definitely one for the rewatch list. And yes, now I am more committed to exploring both Sadhana and Shashi Kapoor's filmography. Thanks.