what’s with his women? absolutely stunning to look at and completely pointless otherwise. whether it is the ditsy airhead madhubala plays in mr and mrs 55; who actually in a later part of the film finds it possible to bear a husband who beats her up because the stri should be rightfully with her devta pati; or meena kumari in ‘sahib biwi aur ghulam’ who sacrifices her good hindu character by drinking wine to get her man who eventually walks out on her and she is punished by being killed; or waheeda rehman in kaagaz ke phool who willingly gives up everything on this older man who is so self involved that he prefers the melodrama of self flagellation than embracing the women who love him – whether that is his demanding and manipulative daughter who turns over a new leaf too late in life, or the actress star who worships him. and all of this because his wife don’t give him no loving. lovingly made though and gorgeous to look at. as much as he hates his women to think or have any kind of identity of their own he makes them absolutely gorgeous to look at- whether it is madhubala dancing around a swimming pool; or meena kumari’s entry that cuts form the floor and her feet to her face; or the shringar scene in which she dresses up for his love; or waheeda rehman walking in on the set of devdas looking to return the overcoat of the director. of the three films while ‘kaagaz’ was all light and shadow dance the story and guru dutts character were much too self indulgent; ‘sahib’ managed the erotic tension between all those complicated and complex relationships that kept stretching what was taboo brilliantly- especially the relationship between bhootnath and choti bahu; while ‘55’ was silly enough most of the time to be fun.
in ‘awara’ nargis is treated much better. first of all she is a lawyer and even when he slaps her on the beach for calling him and ‘junglee’ the image is reversed later when he is at her feet the sexual tension between them is sizzling. terrific film- especially memorable was the entire flashback scene in dreamlike imagery in the beginning.
The superhero / mutant film ‘push’ takes full advantage of the dizzying spectacle of hong kong- the high rises, the labyrinthine market streets and the dizzying speed of it all. Something like a story connects essentially a chase film about pushers, shadows, bleeders.. nothing exceptional but what a city! I have to go there.
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