Synopsis:
Parineeta is about Lalita
(Meena Kumari), a young orphan brought up
by her maternal uncle and his family. They
live next to the affluent family of Shekhar
(Ashok Kumar) and Lalita is almost a family
member for them. Shekhar and Lalita love
each other but Shekhar realizes about his
love only when a distant relative Girin
Babu comes in as a house-guest to live with
Lalita's family. Since either family does
not know about the secret love between Shekhar
and Lalita and Lalita's uncle has fallen
onto bad days, he negotiates a marraige
between Lalita and the affluent and kindly
Girin Babu in the hope that he will help
them out of their problems...
The Film
Bimal
Roy’s Parineeta belongs
to one of three Sarat Chandra Chatterjee
classics he adapted for the screen, the
other two being Biraj Bahu (1954)
and Devdas (1955). All three films
are defined by strong and powerful characterizations
of women even though of the three, Devdas
is named after the hero of the novel.
Sarat Chandra Chatterjee’s (1876-1938)
earliest writings show the striking influence
of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. In Devdas,
written in 1901 (published in 1917),
Parineeta (1914), Biraj Bou
(1914) and Palli Samaj (1916),
the themes and their treatment are not very
much different from Bankim Chandra’s.
But they are presented in a modernistic
setting and in an easier and more matter-of-fact
language. Tagore’s influence, especially
that of his short stories and his novels
Chokher Bali and Gora,
is revealed in some of Sarat Chandra’s
stories and novels as well. Sarat Chandra
was always sympathetic to the woman –
repressed at home and tortured outside.
He was partial to those who, for no fault
of theirs, incurred the disapproval or displeasure
of the family or community. The social and
domestic ambience of Sarat Chandra’s
writings has ceased to exist. But the story
interest still keeps the reader hooked,
irrespective of the plausibility or otherwise
of the narrative. He was a critique of contemporary
society when it did not agree with his own
ideas. But not once did he flout the accepted
morals of Hindu society. No wonder then,
that till this day, his literary outpourings
remain the most attractive for Indian filmmakers
across the country.
 The
most striking element of Bimal Roy’s
films, including Parineeta, was
his ability to project the Bengali family
in a language like Hindi, without losing
out on the essence and spirit of the ethnic
ethos the story and the characters belong
to. The narrative is unhurried, lingering,
yet never tending to drag like slow-paced
films usually do while the editing is marked
by his characteristic spontaneity while
the dialogues are always delivered in low-key
and soft tones. Loudness, in other words,
as in all Bimalda films, is conspicuous
by its absence.
Meena
Kumari’s brilliant award-winning
turn as Lalita brings Sarat Chandra’s
heroine beautifully alive on screen, coy
yet firm, apparently timid, yet in command
of herself when the situation so demands.
Her strong conviction in the Hindu ritual
of exchanging garlands as a sign of being
married to the one the garland is exchanged
with, even if this has been done as a light-hearted
joke, underscores the strength of her character
vis-à-vis Shekhar, who is too weak
to articulate his wish to marry her to his
dictatorial father. Yet, she is prepared
to surrender her love for what she feels
is her rightful duty towards her uncle who
brought her up when she was orphaned in
childhood. Though Ashok Kumar
plays off against Meena Kumari well and
does what he has to performance-wise, it
has to be said he looks much too old to
carry off Sarat Chandra’s young, ineffectual
hero, convincingly.
The other characters – Lalita’s
uncle played by Nasir Hussain, the affluent
guest who drops in enacted by Bengal’s
Ashit Baram, Lalita’s cousin - gave
solid support to the principal characters.
The film has multiple perspectives that
essay the importance of the joint family,
the significance of values like faith, responsibility,
friendship hidden between layers that alternate
between light camaraderie such as a simple
strategy like a game of cards, or, Lalita
taking out money from Shekhar’s cupboard
whenever she needs some, underscoring the
richness of human relationships during the
time-setting of the film.
Bimal Roy did not believe in straying away
from the original literary source except
through the use of songs in these films.
Manna Dey’s rendering of Chale
Radhe Rani Ankhiyon Mein Paani Apne Mohan
se Mukhda Mod ke in Parineeta,
lip-synched on screen by a beggar, remains
one of the best situational songs in Hindi
cinema till today. The other song, Gore
Gore Haathon Mein Mehndi Lagaake sung
by the girls during the dolls’ marriage
ceremony, is also a memorable number. The
dolls’ marriage is more metaphorical
than literary. It has more than a purely
surface role to enact in the film’s
narrative. Looked at in retrospect, it raises
questions about the institution of arranged
marriage within the Hindu family where girls
are reduced to dolls when the issue about
their marriage comes in. But the song of
the film is undoubtedly the Geeta
Dutt soulful solo, Chand Hai Wahi. A
brilliantly intense, romantic composition,
the song is one of her best though sadly
overlooked songs. All in all, music director
Arun Kumar Mukherjee has done a fine job
with the music aspect of the film.
Lighting has always been an extremely important
element in Bimal Roy’s works. Whenever
the narration grows nostalgic or throbs
with inner crisis, whether in anguish or
in ecstasy, the mood is captured most ably
in delicate chiaroscuro patterns of black,
grey and dove white by cinematographer Kamal
Bose. There is this shot of Lalita hiding
under a dark staircase, moving her fingers
along the now-withered garland of flowers,
tears streaming down her cheeks, that offers
a classic example of how personal pain can
be handled with great restraint. It is a
classic example of how Bimada’s cinematic
language was masterfully painted in every
possible shade of grey, white and black.
One never thought of colour even in a pastoral
romance like Madhumati
(1958) nor did one miss it. The camera
was Bimalda’s brush and his unfailing
grip over it made him manoeuvre it with
gentle strokes, sweeping into his canvas
the rich poetry and the powers of human
beauty, the intensity and the variety of
human emotions.
It is a sad comment on public opinion to
find very few takers for Parineeta
today. When one discusses Bimal Roy’s
films, one usually mentions films like Do
Bigha Zameen (1953), Devdas, Madhumati
and Bandini (1963).
Equally powerful films like Parineeta,
Naukri (1954)
and Biraj Bahu are hardly discussed,
if ever.
Shoma A Chatterji is a freelance journalist
who specialises in cinema and gender. She
has won the National Award for Best Writing
on Cinema twice.
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