Filmy Musings: Amar Prem (Immortal Love)

A new post in the series - "All Music is Only the Sound of His Laughter"

"तुम्हारा नाम पुष्पा  है? मीरा होना चाहिए था"
(Your name is Pushpa? It should have been Meera.)

Remember this line from the classic Hindi movie Amar Prem? In a way, this one simple line from one scene of the film captured much of the essence of the film, by reminding the audience of the purity of Meera's love, love that is selfless and simply exists for the sake of loving and becoming one with the beloved.

The 1972 film directed by Shakti Samanta spoke of an immortal love, of a love beyond the conventions and rules of society, of a love that is not meant to be imprisoned by the hypocrisy of the so-called moralists and guardians of social order. It spoke of a love that doesn't need to shout from the rooftops to be accepted but is quietly convinced of its truth and therefore its purity.

The forms of the love portrayed in this film are several -- between a man and a woman who are not related to each other in any socially accepted way, between a mother and a child who is not really her child, between a father and a son who is not really his son, between a child and a mother who is not really his mother, between a sister and a brother who is not really her brother. Basically, it is love that brings these strangers together and ties them in bonds that are stronger than any blood tie or any other socially accepted relation. The love portrayed through these different characters in this film is pure, soft and selfless, and expressive of deep caring and self-giving.

Sure there are some sequences and characters in the film that remind the audience that such love is rare and that majority of minds are imprisoned in the narrow and conventional views of what is socially acceptable and what is not. The plot however gradually moves in such a way that the hearts that are relatively more open to the deeper truth of things begin to see what love really is and should be, and find a way to accept love as simply love beyond any definition of society and society-approved morality.

The best part is that the film doesn't do any of this in any preachy, lecturing sort of way. It does this through a simple story told simply but beautifully.

With its soft and feel-good acting, a gently paced and unpretentious narration, beautiful music, heart-touching poetry and tender writing this film will always remain one of the all-time favourites of mine.

Image: The Kiss, Artist: Freydoon Rassouli

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Linking this with ABC Wednesday, L: L is for Love