Cineflections:59 Bhumika – (The Role) 1977, Hindi

Cineflections-59

Bhumika – (The Role) 1977, Hindi.

-Manjula Jonnalagadda

          “I used to think the worst thing in life was to end up all alone. It’s not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel all alone.” – Robin Williams

          Bhumika is a film directed by Shyam Benegal written by Girish Karnad, Satyadev Dubey, and Shyam Benegal based on a memoir by Hansa Wadkar. The film played at the Carthage Film Festival, the Chicago Film festival, and the Festival of images, Algeria where it won the Golden Plaque. It also won the Best Actress Award for Smita Patil and the Best Screenplay Award. 

          Both Girish Karnad and Satyadev Dubey were well known playwrights. They were also film directors, actors, and screenwriters. They produced some phenomenal work!

          Shyam Benegal started his career as a copywriter at an advertising agency. His first film was Ankur which shows life under feudal Telangana, a theme he revisited in another film Nishant. His other famous films are Manthan, Mandi, and ofcourse Bhumika. His films won the National Award for the Best Hindi Film seven times. He was also honored with Dada Saheb Phalke award which is given for significant contribution to the Indian Film Industry. He taught at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. He is the cousin of the illustrious filmmaker Guru Dutt. He passed away last December. This article is a tribute to the legend.

          The film opens with Usha dancing and Rajan leering at her in a costume. This scene is a part of a film shooting. Usha and Rajan are both film stars. The shooting has to stop as one of the dancers injures herself. Rajan while leaving sees Usha who is still waiting for her car. He drops Usha home. Keshav, a jealous husband, sees Usha getting off the car. She has an argument with Keshav, it is revealed that Kesav is not the father of her daughter Kusum. 

          Usha’s mother Shanta Bai was born in the family of courtesans.  Shanta was the first one in her family to be married. Her husband, an alcoholic, is also abusive to Shanta. Usha learns music from her grandmother who was a renowned singer in her youth. After Usha’s father’s death, Kesav takes a very young Usha to a film studio to find her a job as a singer. She becomes an actress. Usha meets Rajan, a budding actor who falls in love with her. Usha decides to marry Keshav in spite of her mother’s objections. The marriage is not a happy one. Usha and Keshav fight a lot and Usha begins to have affairs. Usha’s journey is the rest of the story.

          The entire film revolves around Usha and her life from childhood to matured adulthood. Usha starts to take care of her family at a very young age. She never had a real childhood. Her relationship with everyone is fraught. Success is not easy for her to handle. Kesav marries her mostly for her money. He is much older than her, he has also fancied Usha’s mother at some point. Usha has always been lonely and is tired of men in her life who have only taken from her. Expect her co-star Rajan who truly loves her. He is the one whom Usha leans on. Rajan wants to marry Usha, but she is afraid of committing to him.

          Shyam Benegal’s direction of the film is really good! He takes you through her journey from film to film and man to man. Most of the film takes place indoors, and a lot of it on a film set. Screenplay by Girish Karnad, Satydev Dubey, and Benegal himself was very good as well.

          This film has some of the best performances in the Hindi cinema! This is my favorite performance by Amol Palekar who played Keshav!  In Hindi cinema Palekar mostly played characters of a nice people. Keshav is very different from his other roles. He conveys a lot with quivering lips and his eyes. When Usha meets Rajan at a party, the producer makes Usha and Rajan sit together for dinner. Palekar shows his jealousy without a single dialogue and only through his face. It is a masterclass in acting!

          Smita Patil was just 22 when she played this role. She was excellent and her best actress award was very well deserved. Anant Nag as Rajan was very good as well. Also props who Sulabha Deshpande who played Shanta Bai. No one portrays rage like she does! 

          There is no background score in this film. A thumri in the raag Ghorak Kalyan acts as theme music for this film. There are a few songs that are shown as being shot on Usha. Music by Vasant Desai is very good. 

          Last but not the least, Govind Nihlani’s cinematography is another character in the film. The period of the story is shown through the color of the film. Usha’s childhood was Sepia and her later career is in Eastman color.

          Watch this film to understand trials and tribulations of a female star, excellent performances and masterful direction by Shyam Benegal whose place is etched in the Indian cinema forever.

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