The Defiant Women of V. Shantaram's Cinema

Traditionally, women characters in early Indian films were merely decorative. Their characterisation ranged from the sacrificing and submissive to the sly and dominating but Shantaram made his films around forceful true-to-life women who defied the traditional mores of the society in which they lived.

All through the 1930s Shantaram’s films set new benchmarks for a women’s cinema which spoke of strong defiant women who stood steadfast against an unyielding society. Later, even in films which revolved around strong male leads, the leading ladies were not mere decorative props. In the fading years of his career his films centered around strong female characters: Ladki Sahyadri Ki, Jal Bin Machhli Nritya Bin Bijli, Pinjra and Chaani.

Saudamani (Durga Khote) of Amar Jyoti (1936) is denied custody to her son by an evil Queen and her Minister. She rebels and becomes a pirate, helped by little Rekha (Vasanti Ghorpade). On the high seas she captures the ship carrying Princess Nandini (Shanta Apte). The three team to carry out Saudamani’s revenge. A social reformist drama disguised as a fast-paced adventure. Durga Khote and Shanta Apte do well but little Vasanti Ghorpade steals our heart.

Neera of Kunku (Marathi)/Nirmala of Duniya Na Mane (Hindi) (1937) refuses to consummate her marriage because she has been tricked into marrying an old widower, Kakasaheb. One can bear suffering, she says, but not injustice. She fights trying to build relationships with other members of the family till the widowed daughter Chitra brings in the feminist angle. Kakasaheb has a change of heart. Shanta Apte in the lead brings the necessary feistiness to the role.

Shanta Hublikar plays Maina in Aadmi (Hindi)/Manoos (Marathi)(1939), a woman who lives on the edges of society. She is picked up in a police raid but Constable Ganpat (Shahu Modak) allows her to escape. A socially unacceptable love affair develops between the two but it is a love with no redemption. Ganpat tries his best to integrate her into his society but she thinks she is too tainted to be acceptable and so murders her tormentor and faces the death sentence.

The ancient poet Kalidasa immortalised the story of Shakuntala, born of an illicit relationship between Sage Vishwamitra and apsara Menaka. She is brought up by Sage Kanwa at whose ashram she falls in love with King Dushyant who secretly marries her and then denies ever meeting her. Shantaram first made Shankuntala in 1943 starring Jayashree opposite Chandramohan playing King Dushyant and then, dissatisfied, remade it as Stree in 1961 with Sandhya and himself in the lead roles.

Though Dr Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani (1944) is centered around Dr Dwarkanath Kotnis (played by Shantaram himself) and his male colleagues, the Chinese girl Ching Lang with whom he falls in love stands rock-like by his side through all manner of adversities. Jayashree played the role with consummate ease and, though the role is limited in scope, she gave one of her best performances.

Jayashree plays Chanda who is married off to Suraj, the son of an influential lawyer in Dahej (Hindi) (1950). And though her father makes it clear that he will not be able to afford a dowry the avaricious mother-in-law makes Chanda's life a living hell. This classic melodrama which was probably being played out in real life in most middle-class Indian homes in the 1940s and 1950s brought about a change in dowry laws.

Six leading ladies (Sandhya, Shashikala, Sheila Ramani, Smriti Biswas, Minakshi, Nirupa Roy) are centrestage in Teen Batti Char Raasta (1953), a frothy social comedy inspired by India’s multilingual society. Lala Gulabchand, a Punjabi, has six sons, five of who are married to girls from different states: Marathi, Sindhi, Bengali, Tamil and Gujarati. The sixth son falls in love with an unseen radio singer Kokila, who turns out to be their dark complexioned maid Shyama. The deglamorized Sandhya won a million hearts, including that of V.Shantaram who went on to marry her.

Champa, the voluptuous toy seller of Do Aankhen Barah Haath (1957) may seem slightly extraneous in what is essentially an all-male open prison melodrama but she serves a definite purpose: not only brings the much-needed soft feminine touch to the unrelenting harshness of the theme but also actually helps advance the story in many places.

The ordinary-looking Jamuna is married to poet Diwakar in Navrang (1959). The romantic Diwakar’s muse is Mohini, an ultra-glamorized girl of his dreams. He writes and composes lyrics in her praise and Jamuna, mistaking her for a real woman, takes umbrage, fights with him and leaves for her parental home but unknown to her she is his real muse. Once again, Sandhya is superb in what is essentially a dual role but more so, as the quarrelsome Jamuna.

Alaknanda of Jal Bin Machhli Nritya Bin Bijli (1971) runs away to a theatrical troupe run by Prince Kailash with whom she falls in love. During a performance she fractures a leg and is told by doctors she will never dance again. Heartbroken she once again runs away only to be rescued by Kailash who encourages her to realise her true potential and dance again. Sandhya plays Alaknanda and choreographs the film.

Sandhya excels as the vengeful tamasha dancer Chandrakala in Pinjra(Hindi and Marathi) (1972), an adaptation of the Marlene Dietrich classic Der Blaue Engel aka The Blue Angel with shades of Nora Prentiss. Chandrakala plots her revenge against the moralistic school master Shreedhar Pant who will not let her perform in his village. But when the revenge is complete she is aghast at its brutality and is shattered.

Strong uncompromising women characters were always the pivot of Shantaram's cinema - even when the protagonist was male (Dr Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani, Do Aankhen Barah Haath). But as entertainment emerged centrestage social reform took a back seat. In most of his later films the women characters seem strong on paper but the impact does not come through.