Two of Deepti Naval's lesser known movies

I do not recall exactly how I came across Deepti Naval's blog. What I do remember is how I marveled at her versatility; actress, artist, photographer, traveler, philosopher. One of the earliest recollections of her is the TV serial "Thoda sa Aasaman", a Doordarshan serial I used to watch when I was a mere kid. Later, for perhaps her most popular role of "Miss Chamko" in "Chashme Baddoor". It is quite recently that I actually started to single out her movies and watch them for the sheer pleasure to see her act; what she does effortlessly, and most beautifully. Also, I never recollect her as a beautiful actress, but somehow, when I have started really looking at her, into her, she seems to me a very pretty lady, with an understated beauty, elegance, poise and ....her eyes.... that at once seem vulnerable yet strong and deep.

I was really taken in by her performance in "Memories in March". And the lady looks so damn pretty; the planes of her cheeks, her eyes, her lips.....wow!! But what I want to write about is two of her lesser known movies that I stumbled across quite recently on You Tube.

The first one is "Panchvati" directed by Basu Bhattacharya, starring her alongside Suresh Oberoi and Akbar Khan. She is introduced as an artist, who captures the essence of landscapes and mountains in her paintings. She hails from Nepal, and later, a lot of the scenes make use of Nepal's beautiful temples and picturesque mountains to show us her way of life, her parallel universe, her association with all things surreal and far removed from the material world she has to enter after she gets married to Akbar Khan, who is the younger brother of Suresh Oberoi, a successful businessman. Soon into the marriage, she realizes that her husband has no clue about her feelings, and she gets withdrawn into a cocoon of loneliness, despair and a desperate yearning to be understood. But what is shocking is that the only person who seems to be capable of doing that is her brother-in-law, played excellently by Suresh Oberoi. Oh...his baritone alone would make any girl fall for him.....and Deepti inadvertently falls for him, his brooding manner, his poetry and his equally lonely married life that has long ceased to exist with his rich and bratty wife. One day, in the middle of a big fight, Akbar Khan hits Deepti, and all semblance of bliss is shattered. She decides to leave the house and goes to Nepal, accompanied by Suresh, who goes to Kathmandu frequently on business. There, love finally blossoms between them, and they fall into each other and satiate their need for love and understanding. But reality is much harsher, therefore, Deepti goes away to stay with her Art teacher, a renowned Nepalese artist, and later gives birth to twin sons. Akbar Khan comes to reclaim them, thinking they are his, but Deepti patiently and firmly tells him that he is not their father, and they are hers only. A bold decision considering that now she is all alone. The character of Suresh realises that he needs to support her, but all he can do is buy her a place in Nepal, where, ages ago, Rama and Sita had resided, called "Panchvati".

Deepti's character is a troubled mix of yearning for love as well as a need to break free when she is smothered by that love. Her art pulls her through, and in the end, when she is pregnant, all she has is a paintbrush that her teacher had gifted her after her wedding. She wields that, to paint, to create, to dream, to escape and to live. Seeing her, we know, that no matter the despair and the loss of love, she has found her place in the world, her very own exile, her "Panchvati".

The second movie is even more off beat in the sense that considering it was an 80's movie, the theme of an extra marital affair seems to be dealt with quite maturely, without pandering to cheap gimmicks and overt sensationalism. Deepti is married to Suresh Oberoi( yes, again the same cast, yet the character of Suresh is quite the opposite in this movie), who is a very successful actor and they are in London for a shoot. Suresh the actor, is in every way the quintessential bratty "star" with a bloated ego and a very arrogant unprofessional approach to his work. Womanising is also one of his favorite hobbies, and although Deepti is aware of his promiscuous ways, she tries her best to maintain the semblance of marriage. While in London, she befriends a young Art student, played by Pradeep Varma( I confess I dont know who he is) and they get along as peas in a pod. After a while, a strong bond of attraction develops between them, and even though bound by custom, Deepti succumbs to her desire and they both become lovers. But soon, Deepti has to confront reality and choose between marriage and love.

What liked best about the movie is that they have used the backdrop of London to build Deepti and Pradeep's love. He drives a broken down car of some vintage make, and takes her to his cubbyhole of an apartment, filled with nude sketches of imaginary women, and they spend little blissful moments cooking small meals on his stove and making love ih his narrow single bed, getting cozy and nice and loving. Deepti, defying all trends, prefers to wear chiffon saris rather that the bell-bottoms she once wears, to Pradeep's amusement.How she braved London's cold in those flimsy silk sarees , I haver no clue. But the ending is really nice and apt. Here is a woman, well educated, well to do, empowered, so why cant she just give up the life that she is leading in the shadow of her actor husband, and seek love that another, much younger, less successful but loving man wants to give her. It is not a very profound tale, nonetheless, Deepti infuses a certain charm and depth to the character and we only applaud her for her final decision.

I'm going to see other movies of her, also read her short story collection, "Mad Tibetan". I'm in love.......