barbaadiyon-ka-jashn

[barbaadiyon-ka-jashn]

🎻🎻🎻

dekhi sabki yaari mera dil jalao na :DD

Achha ji mai haari, chalo maan jao na :DD

[barbaadiyon-ka-jashn]

As promised – my analysis. Spoilers ahead.

To say that Andaz (1949) is innocent of political undertones is to do much disservice to a film that starts like this:

India had gained independence a mere 2 years ago, and was still undecided about its ideological future. The USSR was actively wooing the government, and filmmakers like Mehboob Khan were well aware of these global shifts.

His movie, therefore, grapples with the dichotomy of modernity versus tradition, gendered constraints, and the contested nature of belonging. It is set in a world caught between Nehruvian aspirations of a progress and deep-seated anxieties about (the loss of?) the traditional moral order.

Neena (Nargis), is introduced as an affluent, foreign-educated, spirited young woman. Her easy camaraderie with Dilip (Dilip Kumar) and scepticism toward patriarchal restraint position her as an early archetype of the “modern Indian woman” – confident, mobile, and self-possessed.

But she is forced to operate within a lattice of patriarchal scrutiny, voiced lovingly but sternly by her father. His doubtfulness towards Neena and Dilip's friendship is basically prophetic. A “daddy knows best” undercurrent flows throughout the film.

Even if daddy's dead.

INTERESTINGLY, Neena’s tragedy is not precipitated by Dilip’s misunderstanding, but by Rajan (Raj Kapoor).

It is easy to dismiss the father's scepticism as an artifact of an older order, but Rajan’s betrayal is more telling.

Rajan was meant to represent the "evolved", post-Independence sensibility. Yet even he is incapable of accepting Neena’s fidelity unless confirmed by another man.

His refusal exposes himself and the world he represents as insecure, brittle, and prone to vindictive cruelty.

The climax of the film – wherein Rajan finds reassurance only upon discovering Dilip’s written affirmation of Neena’s steadfastness – only serves to intensify the tragedy.

Can a woman’s loyalty can only be validated when mediated by another man? Is that what defines her worth?

Neena’s final plea to her husband – who is now aware of his wife's innocence but helpless to reverse the situation inflicted upon her by him – is about their daughter.

It is both a reassertion of traditional ideals and an ironic commentary on the very forces that have condemned her.

In this sense, Andaz operates as a dialectical text. Its character dialogue appears to justify traditionalism, whilst its narrative trajectory exposes its cruelty and limitations.

The plot itself swings anxiously between suspecting authority and suspecting those that oppose it (however harmlessly).

The film ends up capturing – maybe unbeknownst to itself! – paradoxes of a nascent nation grappling with its own tensions between heritage and modernity.

Neena becomes a symbol of the new India – she punished not for any transgression, but for daring to inhabit both spaces simultaneously.

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You should watch it again! Probably my favourite film of all time. I think it is one of Satyajit Ray's more underrated ones.

It's one of those movies where you notice something new every time you watch.

New theme behad badhiya hai 😎

Have you watched Nayak?

thankyouu

yeshh back in childhood days

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I've shitposted a fair bit now.

Time for an actual analysis. Long post loading... 👀

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This scene from Andaz (1949) lives rent-free in my head:

Raj Kapoor tosses Nargis' honour aside – his jealousy has made him blind, and he declares the 'flower' as devoid of 'fragrance'. In the same shot, an incredulous Dilip Kumar catches it one-handed.

But does she want him to?

(The next scene between Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor is hilarious because neither of them adjust their acting styles for the other. Very jarring, very funny.)

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Me at the slightest inconvenience:

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The many moods of Nargis in Andaz (1949):

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Dilip Kumar sulking in Andaz (1949):

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Dilip Kumar and the piano in Andaz (1949):

Meanwhile Raj Kapoor and the been:

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The city terrifies me. l don't do well there. Don't you ever mention the city again!

Mountains in wide shot: a land of free yet tragic encounters in Andaz (1949).