WHY 'Saath Saath' IS THIS WEEK'S PICK
- Hindi film legend Deepti Naval has a knack for picking out-of-the-ordinary films. Naval, one of the well-known figures in Indian parallel cinema, has been part of experimental films. As her most recent film, Goldfish, is about to hit theatres, we look back at the actor's early career and watch Saath Saath again, a modern retelling of a traditional love story.
New Delhi: We have been still swooning over the romances Bollywood tends to craft, and recently we were bowled over by Karan Johar’s 'Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Khaanii'. Every romantic epic ends with them triumphing over all obstacles and living happily ever after. However, the 80's romance-drama starring Dipti Naval and Farooq Sheikh shows exactly what happens after 'Rocky and Rani' get married and the reality hits.
The story opens with a meet-cute, but it's not one of those typical ones when a boy sees a girl, there are violins playing in the backdrop, and the wind is humming. Avinash (Farooq Sheikh), a modest young man with good moral standards, bumps into Geeta (Dipti Naval), a young college student studying for BA, and she falls in love with the way he views life. As a college student who strives to live an idealistic life and upholds strict moral ideals, he speaks out against materialism and the world of luxury doesn't appeal to him. However, there is one common obstacle in this love story—a class difference—and this is a cliché frequently encountered in Bollywood movies. Geeta is the daughter of a wealthy businessman who rejects Avinash because of their differences in social standing. We uncover later in the movie that Avinash is the affluent landlord's son, but he left his family because of philosophical disagreements.
At this moment, an ordinary college romance changes course and encounters new challenges. Despite the fact that it begins as one, ‘Saath Saath’, unlike most films, does not set down false romance notions. The movie shatters the boredom of recurring fairytale narratives by plunging right into the realities of surviving in an unfair world and reshaping all stereotypes of what defines romance.
They decide to get married in spite of Geeta's family's protests and the fact that Avinash comes from a lower socioeconomic class, realising that it won't be simple for them and will take effort. They start to build their own little world above and beyond their differences as they sing the astoundingly popular song ‘Yeh Tera Ghar Yeh Mera’. In contrast to how most films depict marriage, 'Saath Saath' addresses the challenges that exist. They consider it and decide regardless of the issues rather than just diving in without thinking. And so their quest to make it begins.
It seems relatable how the couple struggles to live up to their beliefs in a society where survival comes before anything else. We see them labour long hours to cater to the basic necessities throughout their marriage. Geeta, who was previously moved by Avinash's speech on socialist ideologies, witnesses him become the kind of person he's always despised in order to cope with his financial difficulties and compromise with his political opinions and moral convictions. Avinash, who once believed in living on minimal means rather than sabotaging his morals, talked about alleviating the suffering of the poor through his articles, at one point considered selling pornographic magazines after joining a publishing house and taking a job that gave him enormous financial security and social standing.
However, Geeta finds it unbearable to witness the guy she loves evolving into the very thing he despises. She isn't portrayed as the one who demands material riches and financial security from her spouse after marriage, challenging a common cinematic cliche. In fact, she takes over as the main breadwinner for the family when Avinash struggles to find work. She also questions him for assuming that he is the one who ought to be the provider of the two.
Even though Farooq Sheikh's character is intriguing, Deepti Naval was able to keep me engaged the entire time. She is portrayed as a truly modern woman as she has the courage to confront her family and a gossipy professor who invades her personal space in order to express her agency in life decisions. She is neither subservient nor timid when it comes to standing up for what she believes, even when her husband confronts her, and this is what is so remarkable about her character. When she discovers that her values and principles have been flouted by sticking with someone who turns out to have an entirely distinct perspective on life, she even opts out of the marriage towards the end of the movie. Director Raman Kumar, however, also chooses to go the route of offering us a happy ending when Avinash has an overnight change of heart because of the romance story's underlying charms. Most likely, seeing Geeta leave with dignity and beliefs that seemed highly believable. However, one would still find it difficult to replicate Saath Saath's level of realism, intensity, and simplicity in films today.