Achhut Kanya (1936)

 
If my records are right, this was the 150th Hindi film I've seen!

The earliest film I'd seen before was from 1951, so this is much earlier, and my knowledge of India and of the film industry from that time are pretty slim. Still, here are my impressions.

The film is set up as a flashback, with only a few minutes in the present day (as in, 1936-ish) and most of the film in the distant past.  The frame story starts with a troubled couple driving up to a railway crossing. They are told they will have to wait an hour to cross because ghosts wander at this time. They get out and end up standing in front of a memorial which says, "She gave her life that others might live." A sage appears out of thin air and offers to tell them the story. Learning that hearing the story can give peace of mind, the woman readily requests it, and the story begins.

Kasturi (Devika Rani) is an untouchable girl who spends her time roaming with the Brahmin boy Pratap (Ashok Kumar). The fathers of the two are close friends in spite of their difference in caste because Kasturi's father, Dukhia, had saved Pratap's father, Mohan, from a snake bite when Kasturi and Pratap were small children. Unfortunately, the friendship between the families gives Mohan's business enemy, Babulal, a chance to stir up the village against him.

At the same time, Pratap's mom begins suggesting that it is no longer right for Kasturi and Pratap to see so much of each other, as they are now of marriageable age. They are told to stop seeing each other, and the parents set out to arrange marriages for them, which apparently was supposed to help them forget each other.

The film progresses steadily from there, without big twists or miracles. I was struck by the even pacing of the film and by the submissive acceptance of Pratap and Kasturi, with none of the heart-wrenching sob scenes, farewells, or dramatic music I've come to expect in later Bollywood films. The frame story has made it clear that the ending will be sad, and the whole tone is pretty melancholy, but the engaging side characters keep the story moving. The cast of side characters is excellent, especially the family members.

I really enjoyed the music, which reminded me oddly of traditional English ballads, in spite of the very Indian sound; perhaps it was the beauty and simplicity of the melodies. I found it interesting that Devika Rani and Ashok Kumar sang their parts themselves, and did a very good job, too! (If you follow the link to this video to youtube, this song has captions available, and they're pretty cute!)

It was great to see Ashok Kumar so young! According to Wikipedia, this was his first film, in which he was cast as a last minute replacement by the director due to a scandal involving the original hero. Ashok Kumar had been the laboratory assistant. A comment on Memsaab's review of the film (which she had seen without subtitles -- several of the details are a little mixed up) mentioned that one of the side characters, Mannu, was also the assistant in charge of continuity. I wonder if that was more common back then?

Thanks to Memsaab for the link to this film!