Recently, I happened to come across two of the most beautiful love stories in history of Indian cinema- Devdas(2002) and Saawariya(2007). And decided to analyse the fine thread of unrequited love that runs common in both these films. Both made by the brilliant Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Devdas is the story of the quintessential lover who pines for his love and takes to drinking alcohol to ease his pain. Saawariya is the story of a young boy in love whose first love remains unrequited.
Both stories are about men who lose their love to either factors- situation or person. Devdas has been defined in history as the epitome of love. The film is based on the Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay novella Devdas. This is the third Bollywood (Hindi) version and the first colour film version of the story in Hindi. Dev is a boy who belongs to the zamindar family in Calcutta in the pre-independence era. He was sent to London to study during that time. His father was a lawyer who decided to discipline his son by keeping him away from his pampering mother and a wasteful life, full of luxuries and indulgences. After he returns to his home after finishing his studies he gets reunited with his childhood love, Paro, who belongs to a lower caste and a poor family. Due to unfortunate circumstances she is married off to another man, much older and richer. Dev cannot take the pain of losing Paro and turns to Chandramukhi, the courtesan and to drinking. It is the situation of Bengal in 1900s where the zamindars ruled villages. In such a set up Dev from rich Brahmin zamindar family and Paro from middle-class Vaishnav (merchant) family cannot find social acceptance of their love. Time and place do not allow such liberties in love for Devdas. It is a social drama which ends in tragedy within the prevailing societal customs, which are largely responsible for preventing the attainment of love.
In Saawariya, the young boy who is the main character of the film, epitomizes love. It is a romantic drama based on the famous short story “White Nights” by the exceedingly acclaimed Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky. “White Nights” is a beautiful and a poignant story that encompasses the ideas of love, dreams, loneliness, expectations, desires and memories.Raj is the true loverboy after one's own heart. His character is a tribute to every simpleton lover boy Raj Kapoor ever played in Hindi cinema. Raj who is 'saawariya' loses his love to another older man, who is the girl's first love, and for whom she was waiting when she met him.
The beauty of Saawariya lies in its abstractness. The character of the protagonist called lovingly 'saawariya' or lover boy, is open to interpretation. He is first introduced by the narrator, Rani Mukherjee, who plays a prostitute in the movie. He is the boy of her dreams, her imagination creates him and brings him to life. Or is he the innocent boy who comes to her life bringing with him his story of love. Is he real or is he a figment of her imagination? Is it the story of that prostitute's unrequited love that she laments through this narration? Is Raj's wait for love, her own wait to find love. Woven intricately within her narrative is 'saawariya'/Raj's own love story. He falls in love with a Muslim girl, Sakeena, who is waiting for her lover to return. This love blooms from friendship and blossoms into love. Unfortunately, Sakeena's love for Raj is platonic and more for a friend, than a lover. Love in Saawariya is unrequited and one-sided. The prostitute's love for Raj, Raj's love for Sakeena and Sakeena's wait for her lover. Only Sakeena gets her love, when the man of her dreams returns to her but not without a long and uncertain wait. The entire movie is set in the shades of blue. The mood for love is sad and blue, not vibrant, romantic red. It is love in pining, loneliness, suffering and sacrifice that is best portrayed in this movie.
It is unrequited love that binds both the films, Devdas and Saawariya together. Love is not always about possessing, binding or conditionally gaining. Time, place or spaces are unimportant when it comes to Saawariya because events in love hold more importance. In Devdas, it is historical time, place and cultural spaces that lead to certain unfortunate events and misunderstandings that lead to loss of love. Both films are unique and heart-felt examples of love in Indian cinema.
No comments:
Post a Comment