Bandini (1963) User Reviews (9)

A Rare Accomplishment

[brotherdeacon · 9/10 · 22 May 2011]

Vintage Bollywood films are a new source of wonder for me. With less than ten titles under my belt, I still enjoy the big-eyed optimism of a neophyte, and being something of a film buff in other genres, the critical demands of a cranky old art-house fop. That being my background, I approached Bimal Roy's film, Bandini, with few expectations and was pleasantly surprised, so pleasantly. The intelligently-handled scenes by director Bimal Roy took me back to a few of the great American and French directors of the 1930's, when realism was eschewed for style, and drama was willing to risk sentimentality if it meant giving strength to the ultimate story. The type of film-making I'm thinking of was a breeding ground for humanism's values, complete with conflict, tears, and heroic resolution. In Hollywood, Frank Borzage would be one example, early Capra was another, even the uber-stylist, Von Sternberg. And in France, similarities can be identified with the work of between-the-wars Renoir and a slightly later Yves Allegret. But, of course, what these forerunners to the Bandini movie didn't utilize, and which so many Hindi films demand, is the placement of musical numbers. The musical numbers in Bandini were excellent, not an easy accomplishment given that the dramatic story-line takes place in a woman's prison during the Raj's last dark chapter before Indian independence. Not exactly Ethel Merman territory. The musical compositions and lyrics in Indian movies during 1963, the year of Bandini's release, were still in it's golden era, and playback singers were being revered as national treasures. Listening to the voices of Asha Bosle and Lata Mangeshkar delivering S.D. Burman compositions is a treat to remember for a long time. And though I only know the lyrics through subtitles, their poignancy seemed a very high mark in the marriage of lyric, music and story.

Which brings me to the real revelation of this film, the extraordinary actress Nutan, as she developed our lead prisoner's character into the embodiment of a strong-willed yet tender heroine of considerable depth and spirit. She captures the screen like very few actresses I've ever watched; as the saying goes, "the camera loves her." But, I'm not here to try more than a thumbnail review of this wonderful film. The production value; the acting, which also included Ashok Kumar in his sincere portrayal as a multi-faceted "freedom fighter; the exacting and accomplished black and white camera work of Kamal Bose; all these found just the right tone to create an unexpected masterwork of romantic drama. Glory to Bollywood. Oh, and if you liked this movie, I recommend Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ke Phool, both by the incomparable Guru Dutt. High art indeed.

Nutan, the caged queen of acting, in one of the best performances ever recorded on Indian film

[Peter_Young · 9/10 · 24 March 2022]

Bimal Roy gives the audience a rare glimpse into life in the female prison. At once we are given a fair representation of those people who are never represented, and when they are, always with unidimensional, black-or-white binary characters. Here Roy presents a group of women, without delving into the exact reasons for their imprisonment. Their characters are not romanticised, their crimes are not cleaned, but indeed, they are humanised, which is an altogether different thing, just as they should be because they are human even if some or most of them are there for good reason. This is where the protagonist Kalyani is found, and her story is very conflicting to the average viewer. On the one hand, she is radiantly lovely, gentle and looks as pure as the driven snow. On the other, she is a murderer, which is a fact. Is it okay to like her or sympthise with her? Is anything other than self-defense could justify what she did? Or could we just forgive her?

Nutan is astonishing. Her naturalistic performance is the ultimate antithesis of any stylized acting one can think of and the strongest stamp on the conviction that less is more as here, through sheer minimalism, she masters what few of the best actresses could. Tremendously understated and nuanced, remarkably realistic, beautifully poised, and quietly powerful, she disappears into the most alarming depths of Kalyani and not for a second does she indulge in self-victimization even when it would have appeared the easiest and most natural option. Her expressions are stunning - the rage, the anger, the indifference, the guilt, and finally the dilemma, all rally with brilliant intensity in her eyes. Kalyani is a phenomenal character both in terms of how well it's written but obviously more because of how perfectly it's acted by a woman whose work here easily ranks among the best performances in Indian cinema.

Bandini is a classic piece of art, and a true visual, emotional and intellectual experience. The cinematography and camera work are stupendous, and the lighting is especially impressive in the way it's used to highlight the story, the characters, and their situation. It's obviously almost impossible to watch the film without forming an opinion about Kalyani's act, whether to resent or forgive. Other than that, like many viewers, probably, I wish the ending had been the other way around. But Roy chose the way I think he knew would be less popular. Ashok Kumar and particularly a tremendously handsome and likable Dharmendra provide fantastic support. The film remains Bimal Roy's crowning glory, but even despite how good the film itself is, the lead female performance remains its prime asset. An actress who transcends time, Nutan dominates her scenes, she dominates Bandini, and she was clearly one actress fully versed in the craft of acting.

... a classic Indian Movie by Bimal Roy

[peanutz454 · 9/10 · 23 November 2003]

Directed and produced by Bimal Roy, the genius who brought out such masterpieces as Do bigha zameen and Devdas, Bandini explores the human conflicts of love and hate intertwined in the mind of Kalyani (Nutan). The movie tells the story of Kalyani, the all suffering, selfless, sacrificing, and strong yet week Indian woman. She must make a choice between two very different men.

A female role centric movie, Bandini revolves around Kalyani or Bandini (meaning imprisoned). How could she commit a crime? We learn the circumstances in flashback. Kalyani falls in love with a freedom fighter/anarchist - Bikash (Ashok Kumar) during the British Raj, who latter leaves her in the village promising to come back but never does. The society treats them the best way it could in the situation, the family is the butt of mockery. Broken by her father's misery and that of her own, Kalyani moves to the city, to the singing of the "O jaanewale ho sake to laut ke aana". In the city she works as a caretaker of an almost insane woman, who is also the wife of Bikash. When Kalyani is told her father came to the city looking for her and died in an accident she decides to poison her lover's wife, identifying her as the cause of her miseries. Bimalda captures her emotions with light and darkness falling on her face due to a welder's torch and the thumping of Iron in the background.

In the jail Deven (Dharmandra) the jail doctor falls in love with her. Kalyani is not ready for it and starts to stay away from him. They are always shown with a partition in between after Deven proposes her. Another symbolism used in the movie is the occasional shouting of "All is well" by the prison guard when nothing in the movie is.

The lines "Main Bandini Hoon Piya ki, Main Sangini Hoon Saajan ki" in the end score of the movie tells us that Kalyani is imprisoned by her love. "Mere saajan hain us paar" is sung by the musician S D Burman himself. The climactic song, it beautifully expresses Kalyani's dilemma of having to choose between Bikash & Deven. Though the movie features excellent songs they all depict the situation like nothing else could. This should not be looked upon as the traditional dance and sing Indian style of cinema. Without wanting to add more spoilers in my comments I will give some little details.

The character of Kalyani gets lifted from that of a woman who is a prisoner of destiny to one who defines her own freedom

Nutan is considered the finest actor in Indian Cinema. Nutan is strongly supported by Ashok Kumar, whose flawless performance matches Nutan scene for scene and Dharmendra, just beginning to make an impact in the film industry. Bimal Roy is another one of the best. He won eight filmfare awards in his career the last one for Bandini and the first one for "Do Bigha Zameen" (which incedently was the first filmfair award). S D Burman is another one of the best. The songs are sung by Mukesh, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha bhosle, Manna Dey and S D Burman again all of them are either the best or one of the best singers. Bandini is brilliantly photographed by Kamal Bose with its rich tonal quality and evocative framing.

An excellent film on all counts based on the renowned author Jarasandhu's story.

[burman · 10/10 · 10 January 1999]

A perfect commercial film made in the 'art film' genre. One of Bimal Roy's best films. Cinematography by Kamal Bose is superb. And performance by Nutan in the role of Kalyani is one of the best ever performances by any heroine on the Indian screen. Musical score by S. D. Burman is unforgettable and shall always remain so. Two songs by Asha Bhosle viz., "Ab ke baras bhej, Bhaiya ko Babul" and "O' panchhi pyare, sanjh sakale" are among her best. Again both the songs sung by Lata Mangeshkar, viz., 'Mera gora ang laile, mohe shaam rang daide' and 'Jogi jab se too aya mere dware" are again superb. And a song each by Mukesh (O' jaane wale ho sake to laut ke aana), and Burman dada himself (O' re maanjhi) are again among their best ever. Manna Dey's (Mat ro Maata), a patriotic song, is also a soul stirring number.

In short, a classic of Indian Cinema.

Not-to-be-missed, one of the greats of Indian cinema in every aspect.

[bnanno · 10/10 · 8 February 2002]

A really fantastic film, one of the most emotional I have seen without falling into sentimentalism or being weepy. So many memorable scenes, but the song by Asha filmed on Nutan's prison mate must be one of the most touching, proves songs Are a part of a movie that add to it, when well done. Nutan is just excellent, Ashok Kumar is his usual believable self, and Dharmender does what he is supposed to, young, handsome upright man. Nothing superfluous about this movie, a must see.

Love, Suffering, Guilt and Redemption

[Chrysanthepop · 17 May 2007]

I finally got the DVD of Bimal Roy's classic masterpiece 'Bandini'. 'Bandini' revolves around Kalyani, played beautifully by the one and only Nutan. We see most of the movie through Kalyani's point of view. During a time when women's rights were much more limited (compared to today), Roy tells us a woman-oriented story, part of which is set during the British Raj.

Kalyani is a strong-willed, vivacious, educated, caring and happy-going young lady who lives with her father and cousin in a small village. She then meets a much older Bikash, who's a freedom fighter and is intrigued by his ideals. They gradually fall in love but as fate would have it, Bikash has to leave and he promises to return and marry Kalyani. Time rushes through as Kalyani and her father wait to hear from Bikash. Soon Kalyani hears that Bikash has already married and settled down with someone else. Kalyani is devastated but she has to be strong and prevent her father from finding out. The villagers raise questions and harass Kalyani's father. Kalyani, not being able to bear her father's humiliation, leaves for the city and manages to find a job. Yet, she commits the most unexpected deed and ends up in prison.

The movie is at it's simplest form of film-making. It could have been high on melodrama but hardly anything about it is exaggerated. Even the background sound especially in the scene where we hear the banging iron (when Kalyani is about to commit the crime) is used very effectively. Songs are beautiful and flow with the narration instead of hindering it.

Dharmendra gives a charming performance in a brief role while Ashok Kumar brilliantly plays Bikash but Bandini clearly belongs to Nutan. Her facial expressions (especially her eyes) reminds us what true acting really is (such expressions are hardly seen in movies of today) especially in the climax where she has to make a choice, her expressions are unforgettable. She portrays her character's inner conflict (the guilt and rejection of her second chance in life, the belief that she deserves the worst of punishment, the temptation she feels to live a life with Deven) and complex emotions with near perfection (if not perfection) and is flawless in terms of acting.

Thanks to Bimal Roy for telling us a beautiful story about a strong minded brave young lady, in a time when hardly much attention was given to women.

Life & Times Of A Woman In The Backdrop Of Freedom Fighting. ♦ 81%

[nairtejas · 8/10 · 12 June 2013]

Bandini is a masterpiece for its cinematography and shrewd plot. While most of us YOLO generation teens would have thought of a rather cheeky climax, Bimal Roy brings us the genuine ending based on 40s' & 50s' India.

It talks about the life of a woman which enters bedlam after she meets a freedom fighter. It talks about how she braves all those hard things life puts in front of her. As the second half starts, the plot increases in pace and the story reaches crescendo revealing shocking points. The last fifteen-minute-part is pure classic which also manages a song.

Performance given out by Nutan & Ashok Kumar is exceptional. Supporting cast and the characters involved are truly magnetic. They will stay with you years.

BOTTOM LINE: A classic not to be missed. 8.1/10.

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

Girl Power

[Kammu · 10/10 · 27 November 1999]

If you are a woman in India, it is a punishment. Your own life as such does not exist. You are bound by society and customs even after your death. But Bimalda focuses on that small bright light at the end of the this dark tunnel. He tests the extents of the words ‘redemption' and ‘freedom'. Because if they are truly what they mean, then they have no limit. The choice should be completely of the individual.

Crowning glory of Nutan and Bimal Roy

[rtoac1 · 8/10 · 14 December 2020]

This is a Hindi language film starring the the legendary actress Nutan.

Nutan was one actress who led title roles in films. Where the male characters, even if played by talented actors, felt as supporting cast. Seema, Sujata, and the crowning glory of a film, Bandini are all such.

Apparently, director Bimal Roy brought her back from self-imposed retirement and marital bliss to play this role. And wow what impeccable a performance!

The film is well directed and the music has songs memorable to this day, more than half a century after!

The script is well developed to have the main story parts in the middle. The story likewise has its twists. Due to the above two reasons you don't feel time going past. But the climax though well directed is predictable.

I rated it 8/10 in IMDB.