Sahib Biwi aur Gulam

I watched it once, watched it twice, dying to watch it for the third time. I was curious about the recall value the movie bears. It is a great movie well crafted but what makes it to see again. The story and the script has an unusual quality of surprise. It takes you to a world of imagination like any beautifully written book. It constructs reality which we havent experienced but well rooted into our social life which makes it seemingly relatable and not get confused with the art bit. Characters are exploited for a surreal presence. I keep remembering the blacks and the whites of the movie, the sunny visuals to the deep dark scenes, it is a great visual experience. V K Murthy (Cinematographer) captures the tones quite deeply to the theme. The story is set in a zamindars haveli - the backdrop. Mixture of stories weave to capture interesting dilemmas of life. I keep remembering the smiles of two beautiful ladies Waheeda Rehman and Meena Kumari. They smile for different reasons and different desires. Guru Dutt simply quietly explores his role elegantly.
What interests me though is the space created for the visual elements to play between the strong script of the movie. Visuals can do wonders and can capture ones imagination (Watch Emilie), but one makes this space for the creation to happen. Some of the experiments with light in the movie are - The dancers of the Haveli are in dark expect for the main dancer, really giving a dynamic presence, Meena Kumari whose with a tragic role always appear in dark while, lively Waheeda is always in a sunny bright place, this language is well evident to experience. Simply this language gives flexibility for the story to be expressed the way the creator desires. This space creates the oppertunity for the play and the play creates the interest.
If one finds an oppertunity to watch it, it is quite lovely.