Film

User reviews of this film

• usman khawaja said...

  Posted on Apr 21 2008 18:05 the pen ultimate romance which belittles any other love epic
  this is stylized cinema at its best and it is more tasteful then any opera or ballet you have ever seen,
  its chic,high camp and ravishingly artistic
  in its set design ,use of subtle colour with dazzling costumes and jewellery.
  the sound editing used to describe the effortless camera movements that sweep gracefully in a montage of the most melodious soundtrack ever from bollywood is embellished by the most insightfull dialogues from the genius of kamal amrohi and who can mouth the poetic urdu prose better than meena as saheb jan-the doomed virginal courtesan who searches across the vastness of a fertile indian plain in a spiritually desolate terrain as a victim hunted by the vultures os social aristocracy .
  that she is a muslim aristocrat herself is the cruel but humourous prank played upon the establishment by the story in one of the greatest romantic adventures on screen
  the train is the real revelation as the eighteenth century steam locomotor persistently haunts ,deceives and succours our love protagonists .
  the first meeting in a train compartment where a stranger stumbles on a sleeping sahib jan to leave an eternal written note at the feet of the dancing woman is the ultimate chivalryous tribute a man can pay to a woman .
  DO NOT PUT YOUR PRETTY FEET ON THE GROUND ,THEY MIGHT GET SOILED .
  THE URDU RENDITION IS MAGICAL and the satire immersed in romance works from showing the family life of muslim aristocracy in india to the cultural spendour of the institution of courtesans and the callously civilized exploitation of the weaker sex ,but all this is nothing compared to the loneliness of the young courtesan who is virtually entombrd in a gilded cage of gold and gems ,the debate on sexual repression and emancipation within the context of sex trade is even more relevant in todays milieu ,making this universal and evergreen .
  the most artistically consummate commercial movie ever done in india and a jewel in the crown of urdu language ,this is an immortal epitaph for the great vocals of meena with her absolutely graceful body language and for the genius of amrohi to capture a social satire in the confines of a romance without even baring the arms of his leading lady [let alone a kiss],yet she looks like a celestial beauty descended from heavens itself -
  i believe 2 versions exist with the directors cut showing a tragic end but the one available is no less profoundly moving -a masterpiece
  jbz7879

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