Arth

Ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh has passed away. The world of Ghazals and Shaayari is mourning the sad demise of the one and only Jagjit Singh. Ghazal singing has never been a profession for him. He always took it as the worship of the Lord. His soulmate Chitra stopped singing after the demise of their the only son - Vivek in an accident in 1993 but Jagjit did not stop it. Can a devotee stop worshipping the Almighty in any condition ? No. Hence Jagjit Singh continued, suppressing and trying to forget the grief in his heart.

Jagjit Singh always sung from the heart. And he always chose Ghazals and Nazms of very high literary quality for singing. That's how he became instrumental in popularizing Ghazals as a form of light music. He sang for Bollywood movies too. The Ghazal, Nazm and songs of Saath Saath (1982) and the immortal love song - Hothon Se Chhoo Lo Tum (Prem Geet - 1981) are a few illustrations. However Mahesh Bhatt's Arth (1982) is different in the sense that Jagjit Singh not only sang the Ghazals and Nazms but he only composed their music also. The music director of Arth is none other than Jagjit Singh himself. Though he had composed the music of Prem Geet also, Arth is his unique contribution to Bollywood music because in addition to composing the music, he and his soulmate Chitra sang all the Ghazals and Nazms included in the movie and all are invaluable gems for the lovers of music and Shaayari. I pay my tribute to him through review of this movie which was considered quite bold at the time of its release.

Arth (meaning) is the story of extra-marital relationship of Inder (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) and Kavita (Smita Patil). Inder is married to Pooja (Shabaana Azmi). Inder leaves Pooja for the sake of mentally insecure and unstable Kavita but finally Kavita also discards him. Pooja is heartbroken whom Raj (Raj Kiran) tries to console through his love for her. However Pooja decides to search an identity for herself in the world, independent of the support of any male.

Mahesh Bhatt used to direct average movies prior to Arth (Manzilen Aur Bhi Hain, Lahu Ke Do Rang, Vishwasghaat etc.). Arth was a milestone in his directorial career after which he never looked back. He always blew the trumpet that Arth was inspired by his own life-story (Parveen Babi being the abnormal other woman in his life). Whether it has anything to do with his life or not, Arth is an admirable movie. A good story was taken and the climax made the announcement of the true woman-lib, i.e., liberation from the shackles of dependence on men.

Arth boasts of power-packed performances of all the three principal actors - Shabaana Aazmi, Smita Patil and Kulbhushan Kharbanda. I won't try to show lamp to the sun by saying anything about the leading ladies who were the pillars of the parallel cinema movement of the seventies and the eighties. However I say about Kulbhushan Kharbanda that it is definitely one of the best ever performances of this underrated actor.

But the trouble lies in the fact that Mahesh Bhatt painted all these three characters with very thick colours. So thick that they lost their naturalness and turned from flesh and blood human-beings to lifeless portraits on the canvas. Mahesh Bhatt could not restrain himself in certain matters and went for exaggeration. And his over-enthusiasm did not allow the movie to become a classic or a masterpiece. What Kavita realized later (that when Inder could leave Pooja for her, he could leave her too for someone else), could have been (and should have been) realized by her earlier too. Inder returns back to Pooja (after he has been discarded by Kavita) like a beggar. It does not match his basic Character.

Raj Kiran as the Ghazal singer has performed even better than the main threesome and he has impressed the most because his character has not lost its natural flavour like the other three. His performance in the song - Tum Itna Jo Muskura Rahe Ho is simply lovable. That's why Shabaana's refusing his love in the end does not appeal to the audience because independence from men does not mean a life devoid of love.

Other than Raj Kiran, the other supporting characters also performed very well. And it's the performance of the supporting cast which elevated the movie by a few notches. The performance of Rohini Hattangadi as the maid of Pooja deserves special mention.

Ultimately, it's the music composed by Jagjit Singh, using the Shaayari of Shabaana's father and the great Shaayar - Janaab Kaifi Aazmi which makes this movie an unforgettable one. You can forget the movie, not its songs. Whether it's the Ghazals - Tum Itna Jo Muskura Rahe Ho and Jhuki Jhuki Si Nazar Beqaraar Hai Ki Nahin (both sung by Jagjit Singh himself) and Tu Nahi To Zindagi Mein Aur Kya Reh Jaayega (sung by Chitra Singh) or it's the heart-piercing Nazms - Koi Ye Kaise Bataaye and Tere Khushboo Mein Base Khat Main Jalaata Kaise, every piece is enchanting for the listener. Jagjit himself sung the songs because no other voice could do justice to the lyric and the composition. Ghazal word has been derived from Ghazala (female deer) and the painful sound coming from its throat is known as Ghazal. And that's why the true Ghazal singer is one who is able to convey the Soz (pain) inherent in the words. Jagjit Singh with his God-given voice perfectly suiting Ghazals and Nazms, only could do it as far as the songs of Arth are concerned. The music of this movie is an invaluable jewel in the treasure of Bollywood music.

I recommend this sentimental movie with a strong message to the people interested in watching meaningful cinema.

Arth is a brilliantly made film. I guess no other director in Bollywood, other than Mahesh Bhatt, had the guts to portray their real life relations on screen. By deciding to portray his relationship with actress Parveen Babi on screen, Bhatt comes up with a timeless masterpiece that rests on the shoulders of two of its able performers: Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil.

Arth is the story of a woman (Shabana Azmi) who is trying to come to terms with her separation from her husband (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) who is having an affair with a schizophrenic actress (Smita Patil). Bhatt intelligently weaves a grand saga of emotions because he is aided by nothing other than his own life's story.

Talking about the performances, this is undoubtedly one of Azmi and Patil's best performances. Azmi leaves no stone unturned in trying to convey the turmoil within her as she is dealing with the separation from her husband. Patil, despite a shorter role compared to Azmi's, leaves a great impact as a depressed, disillusioned actress. She shows why she was one of the best actresses of the 80s. Kharbanda is equally competent as a weak man, torn between two women. Rohini Hattangadi lends ample support as a maid whose life mirrors the life of Azmi's character in the film. Raj Kiran is good too as Azmi's admirer in the film.

The editing is brilliant. Praveen Bhatt's cinematography is outstanding. The memorable soundtrack by the Ghazal duo, the magnificent Jagjit Singh and Chitra Singh leaves an everlasting impact on the hearts of the viewers.

Overall, Arth is a must watch!

Mahesh Bhatt was one of the finest filmmakers of the 1980s in the Hindi film industry. Most of his films of that period, whether it's Arth, Saaransh or Kaash, dealt with subjects most people have to deal with in their lives. Arth is one of his finest works and is perhaps the most famous of his films of that time. The movie is mainly about marriage, infidelity and divorce, but it also deals with other relevant issues through some of its minor characters. These issues are handled exceptionally well by Bhatt, who keeps everything genuinely life-like and pays attention to details. Arth depicts a world which is real and authentic and it captures the urban lifestyle of that time with complete precision. The dialogues, the characters and the situations are very simple and realistic. That may be the main reason Arth is so moving and riveting. It has the ability to captivate and enthrall simply because it is very easy to relate to.

Arth may particularly inspire women to fight for their rights, but it can equally hearten any individual to never give up, showing that there always is a way of starting everything afresh. The story shows consistent development and is very interesting to see, particularly because its realism allows the viewer connect to the story. The film's main protagonist, Pooja Malhotra, is a true example of that. She is first a dependent wife who cannot even imagine her life without her husband, then a broken woman who mourns his betrayal and abandonment, still hoping to get him back. And finally, after coming to terms with herself, she understands the meaning of life and realises her own strength and ability to stand on her own and do it her way without anyone else's support or mercy. Pooja is a brilliantly written character which is well developed and the viewers highly anticipate the moment she makes a place in the sun.

There's one person who owns Arth and makes it the memorable picture it is today. It is of course Shabana Azmi, who delivers one of the finest performances of Indian cinema. The power of her portrayal seems to come in equal parts from her understanding of the character, and of course from the fact that she does not just act, but becomes. With ease and conviction she transforms into a simple woman who deals with problems in her life. Despite her heartbreak, Pooja never loses her sense of optimism and is brave enough to summon up the courage and fight for her dignity and for her right to find new happiness in life. Pooja's pain, suffering, honesty, growth and ultimately her coming of age, are very real and involving, and that's simply because they are portrayed with rare subtlety, depth and sincerity by Azmi, who, by the way, looks absolutely beautiful, authentic and graceful throughout the movie.

Azmi utterly dominates her scenes, and some of them are unforgettable. Just see Pooja's phone call to Kavita, when she begs the latter to give her husband back to her as she has nothing without him; just see Pooja's devastation and the astonishing pain in her tearful eyes upon seeing her husband with his lover at a party during the poignant Ghazal "Koi Yeh Kaise Bataye"; just see the subsequent scene in which she gets completely inebriated, attacks Kavita and publicly calls her a whore. These scenes show emotional conditions few actresses could master. Apart from other scenes between Pooja and her husband post their separation, another great scene is the one when Pooja goes to meet Kavita. The scene, devoid of clichés, shows both Kavita's conscience and Pooja's forgiving nature, and at the same time we see that Pooja has finally overcome her divorce from her husband and does not hold any grudge.

An equally great actress, Smita Patil delivers an incredibly convincing performance as the mentally unstable actress Kavita Senyal, a role that is smaller but even more complex than that of Azmi. Patil is amazing, performing the most difficult of scenes with unsettling intensity. She displays something very disturbing within her, and yet balances it with naturally played feelings of guilt and moments of sanity. While watching Azmi and Patil share the screen, one can see a competition between the two, a healthy one I mean, not the sort of childish rivalry between the young actresses of today. They were true actresses and unlike the new girls in the industry who may fight over who's had more hits, they competed to enhance the quality of their performances, and this extracted the best out of them. Kulbhushan Kharbanda is excellent as Inder, the infidel husband whose own weakness and confusion lead him to self-ruin.

The supporting cast--from Raj Kiran who plays the aspiring singer who falls for Pooja to Mazhar Khan, Dina Pathak and Kiran Vairale who play minor parts--is superb. But the one who stands out is Rohini Hattangadi, who plays Pooja's nameless housemaid. People often overlook Hattangandi's role, but she is pretty much a reflection of Pooja. Given a role of very minimal screen time, she plays a lower-middle class woman who herself is married to a drunkard who abuses and cheats on her. And she does it with great skill, getting the mannerisms, the dialect and the hopes of people of her region and class exceedingly well. She manages to convey so much of her character's essence, whether it's her way of accepting her fate, her dreams of building a future for her daughter, or her compassion towards Pooja's state (despite having pretty much the same problems and even worse), that it's hard to believe she is there for only 20 minutes. Truly a remarkable feat.

Arth is a fascinating picture about realisation, relationships, and the power of the overcoming human spirit. It proves the talent of all those who were associated with it, and the ending is terrific. A classic gem which deserves the highest of praise, that's it.

My Rating : 9/10

I've seen this movie twice now and thoroughly enjoyed it both times. 'Arth' is one of Mahesh Bhatt's finest and captivated me from the start.

If you don't mind slow-burning drama, certainly seek this out, it is semi-autobiographical (about Mahesh Bhatt's extramarital relationship with Parveen Babi) and with great performances from everyone.

Moving, riveting and simply a classic of parallel Indian cinema. Absolute Must-See.

One of the finest movies of India, Good acting, nice background score, and very good directing is the bonus point of this movie. The story of this film is also realistice. Amazing movie.