Flashback Friday: Revisiting Smita Patil Starrer Bazaar, A Drama Exposing Plight Of Child Brides Guarding The Nawabi Ruins

Sagar Sarhadi helmed 1982 drama, centered in Hyderabad, his directorial debut, exposes the reality of bride buying in India.

'Bazaar' was part of a new era in Hindi cinema that eschewed the extravagant and predictable approach of mainstream films.

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WHY 'BAZAAR' IS THIS WEEK'S PICK

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Smita Patil, who is regarded as one of the finest and most gifted actors in Hindi cinema, had a short acting career but gave some powerful performances within that period. Patil, an active feminist, portrayed strong female characters in her films like ‘Mirch Masala’, ‘Arth’, 'Bhumika', and many more. The actor, who was born on October 17, was merely 31 when she passed away. Today, we revisit one of her best works, the gritty drama Bazaar, to honour the artist.

 

New Delhi: In Sanjay Leela Bhansali's ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’, a young girl, Ganga (Alia Bhatt), is sold into a brothel after being brought to Mumbai by her lover with the promise of marriage. In the same vein, though still in a different way, Najma (Smita Patil) is supposedly stopped from engaging in prostitution by her admirer with the promise of being married, which never actually materialises in ‘Bazaar’. Hindi cinema has tried to show the plight of sex workers in an array of ways, whether it be through the inclusion of aesthetic and lyrical portrayal in Bhansali films, with the crudeness of Anurag Kahyap's 'Dev D', or a more intimate narrative like Sudhir Mishra's directed 'Chameli'.

However, Sagar Sarhadi's 1982 drama, centered in Hyderabad, and his directorial debut expose the reality of bride buying in India, a practice in which young girls are sold by desperate parents to opulent Indian overseas residents in the Gulf. The film is an intense romantic drama and, at times, an exploration of despair and hopelessness.

The movie was part of a new era in Hindi cinema that eschewed the extravagant and predictable approach of mainstream films and sought to go beyond the hackneyed narrative and its melodramatic portrayal. ‘Bazaar’ starts off as the story of young Najma, the family's "golden hen," who succumbs to patriarchal norms and drags herself into sex work in a bid to uphold the honour of the Nawabi lineage.

In one of the first scenes, Najma's mother tries to persuade her that getting a job will destroy their family's last vestiges of dignity, whereas prostitution, carried out discreetly in society's eyes, will keep them fed and retain their reputations. As absurd as it may sound, Hyderabadi parents allegedly auctioned their teenage, virgin daughters to the highest bidders, making this tale a reality. These hapless girls are then cursed to live their entire lives with much older 'husbands' in keeping with their whims.

As the mistress of Akhtar (Bharat Kapoor), who has made vows of marriage but hasn't been able to follow through on them for different reasons, Najma (Smita Patil) has been staying in a modest Bombay flat for some time. She flees her home with the hope of marrying her beloved but ends up in another prison, where, ironically, she finds herself compelled to live the life she had intended to leave behind.

Najma, an innocent target of a vicious tradition, unknowingly and reluctantly engages in the same practice so as to fulfill her lifelong desire to get a husband and start a family. She finds herself in a predicament where she must find Shakir Hussain (B.R. Chopra), a young bride. Hussain is an ageing NRI who secretly yearns to marry a woman like Najma in exchange for a hefty commission. She agrees to it despite her better judgement being clouded by greed, and Shakir Hussain locks in on a young teen named Shabnam (Supriya Pathak).

Meanwhile, Shabnam, a cheerful teenager, has her life completely changed in a matter of seconds. Shabnam finds herself in a scenario where only she can lift her family out of poverty even though she dreams of marrying the love of her life, Sajju, played by Farooq Shaikh.

Although Sarhadi packed his movie with intense scenes and stinging dialogue, a single moment that stands out is when Shabnam to give a measurement for her anklet prior to the wedding ceremonies. An accessory that is meant to beautify a woman's look instead symbolises her utter helplessness. She screams in agony as she pleads to be set free from the oppressive load of abiding by her family's demands and from being chained by the same anklet to lead a life she never desired. A tragic scene follows later when Sajju and Shabnam meet for the last time. Equally powerful is the scene at the Dargah where Shabnam seems to have come to retrieve the remains of her deceased desires.

Supriya Pathak and Farooq Shaikh show the innocence of young teens who fall victim to society's detrimental practices, and they give a performance that is fitting for the storyline. The movie's standout actors, however, are without a doubt, Smita Patil and Naseeruddin Shah. Patil has a way of grabbing your gaze from the first frame when she enters the screen and breaks the fourth wall by peering right into the camera. She casts a probing glance as if striving to reach into the audience's conscience to question their own sense of morality. 

The movie has a terrific soundtrack to go along with its stellar cast of Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah, Farooque Shaikh, and Supriya Pathak. From Talat Aziz and Lata Mangeshkar's timeless song 'Phir Chhidi Raat' to Jagjit Kaur's sorrowful 'Dekh Lo Aaj Humko', But Dikhai Diye Yun, a notable song with moving lyrics and a ghazal sung by Khayyam and Mangeshkar, wins the song war with its melodic rhythms and vocals.

'Bazaar' has a compelling overall premise as well as several noteworthy subplots that are all brought together through mindful narrative. It is hard to suppress the seething pity that grips those watching and makes them rue the misery of the innocent girls who are constantly abused in this inhumane trade.