Biraj Bahu (1954) – Bimal Roy’s Masterpiece

Film Review posted on Trivia – The Spice of Life on 13/08/2023

Regular readers of my blog would know that I do not write reviews of movies. I focus more on golden era songs. As is wont with many a music lover, a song leads one to watch the movie because of the curiosity associated with learning about its context. More than a year ago, I had written a post on songs with Sanchari. One of the songs I discovered while researching for that post was Mera Man Bhula Bhula Kaahe Dole – a keertan sung with great devotion by Hemant Kumar. This song remained with me and I had wanted to watch Biraj Bahu – the Bimal Roy movie in which this keertan featured.

It is strange that though this is a stunning movie based on Saratchandra Chattopadhyay’s Bengali novel – Biraj Bou (1914), there is seldom any mention made of it. When ever a reference is made to the great movies of Bimal Roy, the list usually includes Devdas, Parineeta, Parakh, Bandini, Do Bigha Zameen and Sujata. Biraj Bahu is hardly recalled.

Biraj Bahu released in 1954 and in fact was very well acclaimed. It won Bimal Roy the best director award and Kamini Kaushal the best actress award. Kamini Kaushal read the novel Biraj Bou several times over at the insistence of Bimal Roy to perfect the character. She also was going through a tumultuous phase in her personal life and the character of Biraj, the unwavering wife, only mirrored her turmoil. It is said that Madhubala wanted to act as the eponymous Biraj Bahu but Bimal Roy did not cast her as he feared that he would not be able to pay the handsome fee that she would demand.

Set in rural Bengal of the pre-independence era, the plot and the social milieu obviously are no longer relatable. However, if one wants the true-to-life portrayal of the countryside of Bengal, this is one of the best movies to watch. The story line is somewhat borrowed from the Ramayana. Biraj Bahu is all about a couple that is completely devoted to each other. The perceptible age difference between the wife and the husband and the fact that they are childless does not affect their simple and sweet relationship.

The husband Nilambar Chakraborty – played by Abhi Bhattacharya – and the wife Biraj – essayed by Kamini Kaushal – are happy even with their hand to mouth existence. Biraj has only one wish – that when she departs from the world, she should be at her husband’s feet. She believes that she is as pious as Savitri who fought Yama – the god of death – to get her husband Satyavaan back to life. Biraj knows that she is beautiful but also has the firm belief that it is not her physical beauty that matters to her husband but the fact that it is the dharma of the husband to love and take care of his wife irrespective of her physical appearance.

Nilambar has a younger brother Pitambar who is more worldly wise and self centred. But his wife (played very effectively by Kammo) has a heart of gold. The wives of the two brothers get along wonderfully. The brothers have a younger sister, whose marriage takes a toll on the relationship between the brothers as well as the already crumbling finances of Nilambar.

Pitambar refuses to share the expenses of the sister’s marriage and forces a division of property. Added to that is the fact that Nilambar does not have a stable job. He is more of a social worker who is also spiritually inclined. He often comes home after consuming bhang especially after attending cremations in the village. Biraj tries her best to make both ends meet by making and selling dolls of clay.

Misery for Biraj and Nilambar is further compounded by the entry of the young amorous Zamindar, Deodhar. The lecherous Zamindar, Deodhar (played by Pran) sets his eyes on the stunningly beautiful Biraj; though she gives him a mouthful and keeps him at arm’s length, misunderstandings crop up about the brief conversation and interaction that Biraj and Deodhar have had. Aspersions are cast on Biraj’s character so much so that Nilambar also mistrusts her for a fleeting moment and assaults her in a rage. Biraj who is no doubt a devoted wife but one who will not let her self-respect and dignity be trampled even by her husband, leaves home in a state of mental turmoil; a parallel is drawn here between Sita being banished to the forest by Lord Ram and Biraj leaving home because of the covert charges of infidelity levelled on her. The rest of the movie is about whether Biraj will ever return to her husband’s home and whether her wish will be fulfilled.

I feel that there is something common between Biraj Bahu and Devdas in that in both, the female protagonists end up being injured, which somewhat compromises their physical beauty. In one of the scenes towards the end of the movie, Biraj is shocked to see her face in the mirror; she looks very ugly especially with an injury mark on her forehead. She then feels that it is good that she has lost her physical beauty for that was what made Nilambar suspect her fidelity.

The music is another highlight of the movie. Salil Chowdhury’s incredible usage of Bengali folk music coupled with Prem Dhawan’s meaningful lyrics produce some great songs. The movie begins with a Bhatiyali – Maajhi Raam Karega Paar (Bengali folk music associated with the river) as the opening credits roll and has some melodious keertans such as Mera Man Bhula Bhula Kaahe Dole and Suno Sita Ki Kahani.

I would strongly recommend all lovers of Bimal Roy’s movies to watch Biraj Bahu. This is no less a masterpiece than Devdas, Bandini or Sujata! Here is the YouTube link of the movie.

Disclaimer

anitamultitasker.wordpress.com, claims no credit for any image, screenshots or songs posted on this site. The images and screenshots are the copyright of their original owners. The song links are shared from YouTube/ other platforms only to make the post audio-visual. The copyright of these songs rests with the respective owners, producers and music companies.