Verdad, fuerza, belleza

Clearly, a movie much ahead of its time. It starts out with a cheesy commentary about the title (which has been translated into English as "Love Sublime") by the producer/director Raj Kapoor, but turns into a visual treat from then on till the last shot. Movies like these are no longer made in India, this shall remain as one of those movies in the eras gone by. The religious metaphors and sensuality was never before seen in a commercial movie.

Zeenat Aman plays the character of an abused and ugly duckling (a stretch for the former model, Miss Asia, Miss India winner....) quite well. The costumes are amazing in the song "Chanchal Sheetal...", never before had costumes or sets as elaborate or ornate been seen on the Indian movie screen. The temple and waterfall sets were constructed in Raj Kapoor's farm in Chembur and are perfect backdrops for many important scenes. The music and Lata's voice are a perfect enhancement to the rest of the movie.

The lead was initially offered to several major actresses in Bollywood (Shabana, Rekha and Reena Roy) but neither agreed. I just can't imagine anyone else as Rupa, but Zeenat Aman. This movie turned out to be a financial flop for Raj Kapoor and he in turn blamed it on Zeenat. She still walked away the winner because the publicity shots for the movie gave Zeenat Aman's popularity a huge boost. The stills of the movie were pasted throughout the city of Bombay (and I am assuming the rest of India) as well as on magazine covers for years to come. It was perfect PR for her and in the long run, she is remembered for her sensuality in this movie. This movie is much more appreciated among NRI and western circles and to this day holds its own.

The film questions where actual beauty lies; is it skin deep or something that permeates the soul. Beauty isn't necessarily something that can be seen or flaunted; inner beauty (read: true beauty) takes time to manifest itself and finally win.

Rupa (played by Zeenat Aman) has a disfigured face and is hence condemned by her villagers and no one wishes to marry her. An engineer (played by Shashi Kapoor) falls in love with her voice, body but never sees her disfigured half of the face until it's too late.

It's a magnificently made film by Raj Kapoor that shines through though two things let it down. First, the music. Usually, music for his films was composed by Shankar - Jaikishan and lyrics written by Shailendra. But the latter had died and composing duties given to Laxmikant Pyarelal. Mukesh, the voice of Raj Kapoor, had died (the film is dedicated to him) and posthumously one song is attached to him. The soundtrack never touches the highs of say 'Shree 420' or 'Mera Naam Joker'.

There is also a dream sequence in this film that harks back to the original one from Awaara (1951) but this one lacked the intensity and B/W cinematography that defined the latter.

Finally, coming to the female lead. Zeenat Aman tries her best but she doesn't just cut it. She was more suited for glamorous roles and her limited acting range clearly shows. Shashi Kapoor plays his duty well but the film relies on the female core which is not top tier.

Still, Raj Kapoor managed to craft a beautiful film as a director. It might not be as good as his 50s/60s output but still showcased that he had a lot of ideas left.

When I first saw this movie in 1978, I did it because it had two of my favourite actors in it - Shashi Kapoor and Zeenat Aman and at the time I enjoyed it, But watching it after a very long time, I realised why I had enjoyed it.

A village priest's wife dies in child birth - the child being a daughter who is named Roopa. As the baby grows up, she is ignored and called names by everyone in the village except her uncle Bansi. One day a there's a celebration that takes place in the temple for a rich man's son and Roopa is forced to sing when her father is unable to do so. People get mesmerised by her voice and her father trains her to sing. But disaster strikes when she asks him why she is not able to celebrate her birthday like everyone else and in response, Bansi promises to do just that and when cooking oil spills on Roopa's face and she is disfigured.

The movie stars: Shashi Kapoor, Zeenat Aman, Kanhaiyalal, A.K. Hangal, David Abraham, Leela Chitnis and a very young Padmini Kohlapure and is directed, edited and produced by Raj Kapoor. The songs by Lata Mangeshkar are worth listening to but the most memorable one is by the late Mukesh: "Chanchal Sheetal, Nirmal, Komal." Every R.K. movie that I have watched has had a story and a meaning involved and Satyam Shivam Sunderam was no exception. It depicts the saying "beauty is in the eyes of the holder" but in reality it is what we see from the outside. What one needs to see is the inner beauty. Zeenat plays the role of "Roopa" whose face from one side looks beautiful but when the other side is shown is ugly as she is disfigured but yet has a beautiful voice. She has acted this role superbly as has Shashi Kapoor the role of a man who loves beauty but hates ugliness and disfigurement. This movie also goes on to portray the meaning of "Satyam" - truth, "Shivam" - god and "Sunderam" - beauty and hence the title: "Satyam Shivam Sunderam." When this movie was first released there was a lot of discussion and many said that too much body parts were revealed by Zeenat Aman and some even said that more censorship was needed and more so with the kissing on the lips scene. Also the song "Chanchal, Sheetal, Nirmal, Komal" was the last song that the late Mukesh was to sing for a movie for he passed away soon afterwards in the USA during a tour with Lata Mangeshkar.

Conclusion: Worth while to watch, listen and try and understand the message that Raj Kapoor has tried to pass to the audience.

Raj Kapoor the oldest of the Kapoor Clan, had a sublime message in every movie he made and God bless his soul. He made some great movies. The narration by Raj Kapoor (anouther great narrating voice is of Amitab Bachchan,) at the beginning is an enchantingly concise meaning of Satyam (Truth,) Shivam (Godliness,) and Sundaram (Beuty). The Story is poignant but not realistic. Sashi Kapoor, was an accomplished actor and producer on his own-albeit he was not in the same caliber as his older brother. He was more a looker than an actor. He does rise to the occasion as his acting in a few of the wedding scenes. Zeenat Aman, I should say was very bold in accepting this role since it called for few breaking scenes in the Indian Cinema. Raj kapoor, had respect for women more than any Producer of his times and he was very particular in how they were depicted in his movies. He had a sensuous way of relating, but the length of the movie took away much of that sensuality and ended as being overdone and more half-clad than seductive.The dream sequence is visual fantasia and one to be preserved for the latter day producers and art directors.The movie failed because it was too twisted-and repetitive so much so he lost the audience after the wedding.The flood scene is amazingly well shot. This was also the period when he changed his music directors from Shankar-Jaikishan to Laksmikant-Pyarelal-Both great Music teams but there were songs too many. Raj Kapoor believed in giving the audience most for their money-with incredible locations,ornate Sets, elaborate song&dance numbers, but the trusted formula did not work for him in this movie.

Eyes, as humans are we really gifted to be bestowed with them? Or do they blind us and stop us from listening to our heart? Are they a boon or bane? Raj Kapoor takes these questions and weaves a love story to illustrate the point.

The human mind cannot bear too much of truth and precisely on this premise Shashi Kapoor's character Rajiv is based upon. He is unable to see the beauty beyond the skin and fails to see the truth. Raj Kapoor juxtaposes the same logic and toys with the audience. Ample innocent skin show is thrown in for the eyes to feast upon. However does the audience look beyond and see the underlying sublime message? Or suffer from the same predicament as Rajiv. The message has been told since time immemorial. With "Satyam Shivam Sundaram" Raj Kapoor makes his sincere attempt.

Zeenat Aman:: As always with Raj Kapoor's films, the female characters get fleshed out in greater prominence and hence tend to steal the thunder against the male counter-part. Zeenat Aman gets a role of her lifetime and perhaps might now be thanking her stars for having got an golden opportunity to work with Raj Kapoor. Her character is called "Rupa" which is aptly chosen.

The rest of the star cast lend adequate support.

The music and lyrics have always been forte of RK Films and "Satyam Shivam Sundaram" is no exception. Raj Kapoor manages to extract the best out of Laxmikant-Pyarelal to delivery a rich, soulful and haunting melodies. The lyrics by Pandit Narendra Sharma carry a deep meaning. Lata Mangeshkar renders the songs in top form, as always for Raj Kapoor.

The movie was a commercial failure when it was released. It was the time action films ruled the roost. The film was certainly well ahead of its times. The audience lacked the maturity and sensibility to grasp the underlying message. Nonetheless, "Satyam Shivam Sundaram" is a best masterpiece created by the greatest showman of Indian Cinema.