Zindagi Zindagi (1972)

The first thing I noticed about this movie was that Ashok Kumar was so effective as the casteist asshole that I couldn't even recognise him in the beginning. The second was how strongly anti-caste it was (for a Bollywood movie)- this also explains why I had literally never heard about this movie till I started digging through Waheeda Rehman's filmography. I decided to watch it because the poster intrigued me a lot, and I'm glad I did because it not only reaffirmed my love for Waheeda ji (and made me realise just how happy her presence makes me) but also for Sunil Dutt. Till now, I saw him more as an exemplary human being, but now I have an appreciation for his acting too. And when two legends like Waheeda ji and Dutt saheb come together, the result will obviously match their talents.

Zindagi Zindagi is not a perfect film (is there a perfect film??), but I don't see why it seems to have slipped under the radar for so many years. Many issues that it addresses (casteism, elitism, patriarchy, lack of medical facilities and personnel in rural areas) remain relevant to this day, and to its credit, the film addresses them all in a "woke" manner. There is a lot of melodrama in the narrative though, but I didn't really mind it. It wasn't even too much given the context, considering how Hindi films from that era amped up the melodrama for the flimsiest of reasons. I loved Sunil Dutt's monologues on caste, and his character's fierce determination to protect his self-respect at any costs. This is the kind of strong messaging we need more of in Bollywood, and sadly, we are still a formidable distance from it. I also loved how Waheeda Rehman portrayed the typical "widow with a child" role with so much grace and nuance that it didn't seem stifling or boring at all. I was also surprised to find out that Shyama was played by... young Farida Jalal. I could not believe my eyes when I saw her name in the end credits and had to double check with Wikipedia and then find her scenes again. I don't know man, I was not prepared to see everyone's favourite Nani in her youth.

In conclusion, I hope to find more such anti-caste (hidden) gems in Hindi cinema. The feeling of not knowing what the movie is about and then breathing a sigh of relief when it turns out good is unmatched.

PS- I cried so much in the final scene, it's not even funny. I love them so much!!

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