By Kanchi Shah

Theme and technique are often interconnected. Technique helps emphasize the emotion or mood that the theme puts across. This write up shall attempt to see the intertwining of the two in the song Waqt ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam from the movie Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959).

Suresh (played by Guru Dutt) is a film director and Shanti (played by Waheeda Rehman) is acting in it. They start having feelings for each other. Suresh subtly points out that they can not proceed further as he is already married and has a daughter. They are on their set which looks like a big hall. It is dark. There is a door through which the light is entering. Both of them are standing in the light before the lyrics start playing.

The opening lines are;

Waqt ne kiya kya Haseen sitam

Tum rahe na tum, Hum rahe na hum

What beautiful tragedy time did to us,

You have not remained yourself

I have not remained myself

After Suresh speaks, he starts going away (into the darkness) from where he and Shanti were standing into the light. As the song starts, the voice is very low, hardly audible. Slowly the camera moves away from Shanti and the volume of the voice increases. It looks like he is going away from her, and she calls out louder and louder to him. The first line shows the irony of their situation, they both have feelings for each other, Suresh’s wife has left him (because he works in film industry which is not considered a good profession) yet they can not be together. As a result of this devastation, they have undergone changes in themselves.

Stanza 2

Bekarar dil is tarah mile

Jis tarah kabhi hum judaa na the

Tum bhi kho gaye

Hum bhi kho gaye

Ek raah par chal ke do kadam

Restless hearts met in such a way 

As if we were never apart,

You too are lost,

I too am lost,

After walking two steps together on one path

Guru Dutt experimented a lot with cinematography. The theme of star crossed lover continues. Both of them are facing each other. A light enters from above and their souls walks into it while their physical self stands there. It signifies unison of their souls and points out to their platonic love. It took a long time to get the correct amount of light, in the correct angle and a particular time of the day. Also, it shows that a lot of editing work must have gone into creating this one frame, considering editing technology was not so advanced in those days. They must have cut (probably manually) each movement of their walking towards the light and stick it together in one frame.

Stanza 3

Jaayenge Kahan, Soojhta Nahin

Chal Pade Magar Raasta Nahin

Kya Talaash Hai, Kuch Pata Nahin

Bun Rahe Hain Din, Khwaab Dum-B-Dum

Where shall We/I  go, there is no clue,

We have started walking but there is no path.

What is the search for, there is no clue,

But (my) days are weaving dreams every moment. 

As the third stanza starts, Shanti walks away from Suresh towards the light entering from the open door but stops. It matches with the lyrics as they say I’ve started walking but I do not know where to go. One can see the larger parallel with the plot of the film as she her career is progressing towards success but she is not very sure as to pursue it or not. She is young and considering various possibilities and at the moment she does not know about her larger purpose in life. If we look at the images in the song that appear during this stanza, she turns away from the light into the darkness, goes towards the chair she was sitting before Suresh came and picks up the spool of woolen threads with which she weaves sweater for Suresh. On her way from light to darkness, she puts the pallu which has slipped from her head back. One can say that she does not want to pursue a career but rather belong with Suresh.

If we look at the song, it in a way, reinforces the idea of normative gender roles. For instance, their platonic unison. It shows how pure love is platonic and unison of body without the wedding bells is not appreciated. Moreover, in the last stanza, if we consider the light coming from the open door as success and she walks away from it to weave sweater for Suresh. Weaving sweater has been associated as an expression of love and care by women, especially housewives. Thus, being a loving and caring woman who thinks and cares about her male lover all the time is given more importance than a woman who chooses her career. Also, it creates an idea that the woman who loves and cares for her male lover should express it by gender stereotypical ways, like weaving sweater, for example. Also, Shanti putting back her fallen pallu back on head brings in the image of New Indian Women who is modern but within the limits of patriarchy.

Continue reading “Song Analysis of the song Waqt ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam from the movie Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959)” →

By Megha Mariam Sajan

A perfect example of how an innovative venture can go into ruins if not properly maintained, Bengaluru’s Innovative Film City actually lies outside the main city. The place got its name as it was a venture of the Innovative Group. It is located in the Bidadi Industrial area in Bangalore – Mysore highway, about 35kms from Bangalore. 

When it started functioning in 2008, the place was a rare and new attraction in Bangalore. But after 10 years of function and about 500 films being shot there, the condition of the place today is heartbreaking.

Continue reading “Bengaluru’s Innovative Film City” →

By Roshma Vijay

Light plays a significant role in our daily lives. Urban lights create meaningful design to the city space. It helps us to understand the function of city at night. It focuses on human experiences and use of public space during the dark hours.

Continue reading “City lights” →