Filmindia (1941)

PtLMlNDtA February, 1&41 his own passive and sympathetic one. The passive attitude of Mirza seems to enrage Thakur even more and strengthens the suspicion in his mind. This strained atmosphere is suddenly broken by the parrot's "Well, Thakur, did you finish your "bhajan." For a moment, the friends react to this sound in their natural way but as quickly they recover their new poise of militant silence. This mood of the elders has imposed itself on the entire household and the two little boys Akbar and Sarju, divining the trouble, take a hand at solving the same. They start playing chess at the usual place. As the game proceeds and as the boys quarrel, the elders gradually get interested till the boys are lifted and kept aside and Thakur and Mirza are in the midst of the play to the utter relief of every one. Just then the parrot says "Coward" and fhe memory of that word so often uttered in previous games brings Thakur back to his sullen mood. The game is spoiled and friendship is once again strained. This scene is a masterpiece of psychological direction and in its gradual development is seen the great art of the director. UNSEEN BEFORE Elsewhere Gokul and Girja meet in a lover's quarrel which as usual ends in a reconciliation. But this time Jairam makes an unwelcome appearance on the scene and annoys Gokul. Gokul threatens to burn down his house. Now we are taken to the best dance sequence that has ever appeared on the Indian screen. It is a community dance of torches. Beautiful in composition, exquisite in execution and masterly in presentation it is certainly a pictorial high light of the picture. In a cut aside are shown Girja and Gokul doing the torch dance. The rhythm of the dance travels with a terrific speed and the lovers are happy on their way home when the way is cut short by the sudden flooding from the dam by Jairam. Jairam also rushes with a torch and sets fire to his own house and soon runs about accusing Gokul. We are now taken to a community meeting and Mirza is sitting in judgment over the offence of Gokul. Gokul is accused of arson and all the circumstantial evidence leads to his conviction. Gokul cannot tell, even in self-defence that he was with Girja at the time of the fire for fear of compromising her position. Thakur knows that his son is not guilty and he raves like a mad man accusing Mirza of ruining him and his family. Mirza however has to dispense justice and he directs that Gokul should pay the price of the house and a hundred rupees more as a fine. , Later on Mirza is relieved to hear from Gokul that he had not burnt the house. DISSECTION OF THE HEART This decision makes Thakur more furious. He beats his head and raves Jayshree is angling in shallow waters and strangely enough she did catch a gold fish in "Shejari" a Prabhat picture. and now openly abuses Mirza. Jairam relentless in his vengeance comes to his door and demands the money. Thakur has nothing to give but Mirza goes to his own savings and takes a gold ornament from his wife's neck to make up the deficit and throws all at Jairam and asks him to clear out. But Jairam's interpretation of this action as adding insult to injury exasperates Thakur who is on the point of kicking the money away. But Mirza stops him saying that there was his wife's necklace in it too. Thakur's temper now reaches a crescendo and so does the scene travel to a climax. He abuses Mirza mercilessly and gives an ultimatum that either Mirza should leave his home or he would. Mirza had borne a lot for friendship and neighbourhood, but the limit had reached now and in a fitful temper he decides to leave the home — rather two homes, his own and Thakur's — also his own. The most pathetic sequence in the picture is now reached as Mirza goes with his family, cattle, fowls, slieep and odds and ends to another place. The fowls also take unkindly to the poisonous atmosphere and stage a fight. Tears flow profusely as the single heart of the two neighbours is cut in two. Finally, Mirza throws the basket of chess pieces on the ground saying "Let them lie there — a graveyard of the neighbours and a carcass of our friendship." ELOQUENT mSERY In the frenzy. Thakur slips and falls down and gets a hit on the head which henceforward gives him attacks of intermittent madness. The neighbourhood which had stood the test of a life time was debauched because foreign interests chose to interfere. A friendship that had rolled several hearts into one was now broken because outsiders had created separate interests for them. Both became miserable — Mirza and Thakur. People talked about them and with every new day the morale of the villagers was going down. Omkar was now ready to 66