Showcasing two trends

Two films, ‘Teesri Kasam’ and ‘Teesri Manzil’ released in 1966 are a clear proof of this diverse trend and are celebrating their Golden Jubilee this year. Apart from the word ‘Teesri’, there is nothing common between these two films.

Both movies had big stars but differed in nature and treatment. ‘Teesri Kasam’ is a serious, with an almost introvert style of storytelling and ‘Teesri Manzil’ is a pure extravaganza and yet both are trendsetters.

‘Teesri Kasam’ tell us about incidents in the life of a simple bullock cart owner Hiraman (convincingly played by Raj Kapoor). Carrying material and people is his profession. Due to some unpleasant incidences he has vowed not to carry illicit material and bamboo. One day he is hired to transport an artist to a Mela (Fair).

The artist turns out to be a good looking young woman, who dances in a Nautanki (theatre group). Hiraman likes this young dancer called Hirabai and falls in love with her. She also likes his simple nature and a certain bonding emerges between them. Hiraman longs for her but is she reciprocating? Nobody knows.

Hirabai is a courtesan of a touring theatre company, who is supposed to provide pleasure to rich and powerful men. Whereby, her profession does not allow her to stay at one place for too long. This reality leaves Hiraman devastated.
Notably, 'Teesri Kasam' is the first feature film of director Basu Bhattacharya and remains, arguably his best work. Having worked as an assistant to the great director Bimal Roy he brings in the Bengali style of filmmaking to Hindi cinema.

In the film, Basu explores a man-woman relationship. Hiraman encounters, perhaps for the first time, an emotion called ‘love’. Hirabai is street smart and has accepted her fate without complaining. Suggestiveness is the strong point of the film. Bhattacharya shows the naivety of Hiraman in a scene, where he believes Hirabai is ‘Kuwanri’ (unmarried girl, which also means a virgin)

The film is based on a short story by famous Hindi writer Phanishwar Nath Renu and is about the oppression of women, the treatment meted out to dancers in small, touring theatre groups. Pertinently, it also depicts the power structure in India’s feudal society.

‘Teesri Kasam’ is produced by poet-lyricist and long time associate of Raj Kapoor, Shailendra. Unfortunately, it took Shailendra a very long to complete the film and burdened him with debt. After its release, the film flopped and Shailendra passed away soon after. However, in the 70’s the movie gained the status of a classic.

Undoubtedly, ‘Teesri Kasam’ is a memorable film because of magnificent performances by Raj Kapoor as Hiraman and Waheeda Rehman as Hirabai. Both big stars of that era but they played de-glamourised roles. Raj Kapoor, who portrayed a tramp in films like ‘Awara’ and ‘Shree 420’depicts a simpleton in this film.

The music is by Shankar-Jaikishan and is another strong point of the film. The songs lyrics and tunes reflect a distinct flavour of the land where the story is set. It is captured on celluloid by Subrata Mitra (legendary Satyajit Ray’s cinematographer). The photography and editing are smooth and seamless.

Indeed, the last sequence of the train leaving the station shot through the bullock cart is etched in the minds of viewers. There Hiraman takes his third vow: Not to carry a dancing girl in future. Bhattacharya lends a lyrical quality to the film and the end comes as the last line of a tragic poem.

Questionable, if ‘Teesri Kasam’ is an ‘Art’ film, ‘Teesri Manzil’ is a brazenly commercial venture. Basically, it is a typical ‘boy meets girl’ story with a dash of mystery. Here in the ‘star’ more than the story is important. Shammi Kapoor and Asha Parekh play the lead roles.

Anil alias Rocky (Shammi) is under suspicion for the murder of a young girl, who happens to be the sister of Sunita (Asha). Sunita is determined to punish the killer, who she thinks is Rocky. She falls in love with Anil but later comes to know his identity and starts hating him. But the actual murderer is revealed in time and the story ends on a happy note. Undeniably, the film was a smash hit of the year.

The characters in the film conform to the ‘commercial’ format. They are crafted to suit the ‘star’s image. So there are no layers or shades to any of the persons. They are either black or white. Besides, the major portion of the narrative is devoted to the love story of the two lead players.

Moreover, the film depends heavily on music and glamour. Its music director RD Burman or ‘Pancham’ was a relatively newcomer then. But he did a stupendous job whereby he introduced to jazz music to the Hindi film industry with the iconic “O Haseenaa zulfonwali”, and other songs. Also, the background score reminds us of James Bond films sometimes, but overall it enhances the suspense or the romantic mood.

As the film was clearly based on star appeal and commercial, the demand for histrionics was not there. Both actors fitted the role. That was enough. True, both Shammi Kapoor and Asha Parekh were not in the prime of their youth but were at the pinnacle of popularity and career. It’s another matter, within three-four years later their career as hero and heroine ended.

‘Tesri Manzil’s producer and writer Nasir Hussain too was known for ‘formula’ entertainment films, which depended on more on big star names than content. The film’s big sets, colour and nicely choreographed songs and dance numbers remain a strong attraction even today.

Famed director Vijay Anand was at the helm of this project. His deft handling of the story and cast coupled with adroit editing made the film brilliant. It gave shape to urban dreams of luxurious life and thrills. Though crime thrillers were not new to Hindi cinema, Vijay Anand started a new trend of ‘romantic-suspense- musical-thriller’ with ‘Teesri Manzil’.

In fact, Hussain repeated this formula in his film ‘Hum Kissise Kam Nahin’ in the late 70’s, which also was a big success. The style can be seen, albeit with little difference in new films also.

All in all, while ‘Teesri Kasam’ gave impetus to an art film movement, ‘Teesri Manzil’ led to a big boost of commercial cinema. Both films remain path breaking and trendsetters.

By:Nikhil Gajendragadkar