FilmIndia (1940)

FILMINDIA December, 1940 one in the world, since time began, are yet enjoying the privilege of a cloistered secret. $ * * $ The happenings of the next hour were too lurid for words. The man whipped his desire and argued his right. The woman quailed before him and appealed for his mercy. Not that she was a stranger to the ways of men, but she had turned a new leaf in her life and come what may she had sworn to be faithful to Suman. Once men went down on their knees before her begging their turn for the warmth of her arms, but now she was the one who was praying to be saved. Even thus has virtue always begged quarter from vice. The words that came out to the ears of the "discreet" servants were pathetic. "Save me from this, Sethji," said the pathetic voice of Sandhya, "1 respect you like a father. I do not know who my father was. Be a father to me, Sethji. Help me to forget the past. I want to be respectable. I want to love and live. I love Suman and I can't be unfaithful to him." "Shut up, you damn prostitute" roared the enraged man who had so far been pushed away and who had struggled in vain to come to grips with his prey, "What right have you to talk of love and life? You, a cheap prostitute, who has made love an argument and turned life into an opportunity. How dare you talk like that? Come, take me as one more of your customers and let us make merry when the time is ripe and desire has still an edge. Come, Sandhya, I'll make you a star overnight if you will only listen to me. What is one more man to you? And at my age I am not so dangerous. To-morrow, you will hardly remember me. Come, dear." And he caught her in his greedy arms and with hungry lips showered on her slimy kisses. Poor Sandhya! She was overwhelmed with disgust. She struggled desperately to get free, shouting "Leave me! Let me go, you dirty wretch! Leave me!" With one supreme wrench she got free. "I'll shout Sethji," she threatened. "But who'll hear you except God above and He is too far to be useful," laughed the man, "Don't think that I am so old as not to force you to my will. I'll bend you to my desire with force now. Shout, shriek, if you like, but submit you must." * * * * The sounds of a terrific struggle were heard by the discreet servants. Furniture crashing, words flying, loud groans and suppressed screams — all suggested a wild primitive fight for sexual mastery. Even the wild brutes of the jungle show more restraint in their passionate outbursts. Suddenly with one big crash it seemed to end. The incense burner as it descended heavily on the man's head sang a short-timed lullaby to the lust of the man. He fainted. Sandhya rushed out, with bruises all over her body and tiny drops of blood oozing out of her innumerable scratches. Her beautiful clothes were in pitiable tatters. Before any one could stop her, she ran out wildly through the . large grounds into the streets beyond. Some kindly soul picked her up and brought her home. For days, Suman talked of murdering the man who had outraged his sweetheart thus. But Sandhya held him in check. Her film career was now over. All the work that had been done was scrapped. Sandhya dared not go to the studio, nor was she called. For her there was to be no more of a film studio. Her short-lived stardom had taught her a bitter lesson. She could not go back to her hereditary profession. She loathed it now, having been in the other world for some time. So once again Suman was on the streets hunting for a job and Sandhya stayed at home waiting for him. ♦ * ♦ # A year later, in a small room at Parel two young persons — a handsome boy and a beautiful girl — were found dead in a final embrace. Sandhya and Suman could bear it no longer. Rather than go back to where they came from, they made a suicide pact and went to a new land from where one has never to look back. Anis gives a great performance in. "Padosi " a Prabhat picture. 28