Stupendous Man

It is said that answers to the most important of questions come to you when you are not looking for them. I believe it now. A question had been haunting me ever since Balaji Teleflims irrevocably ruined Indian Television: exactly where does Ekta Kapoor draw her inspiration from, for all her teleserials?

And I am glad to announce I have found the answer the last night. It is from this little known movie:

Sau Din Saas Ke

*ing: Reena Roy, Asha Parekh (Bahus), Lalita Pawar (Saas, obviously!), Raj Babbar, Ashok Kumar and a bunch of other useless men who don’t really have much to do in this enterprise.

The movie begins with a classic shot which quickly establishes the age old power struggle between a Saas and Bahu. The Bahu (Asha Parekh) with a sulken gloomy depressed oppressed face is just about to begin eating that her overweight Saas storms by in the kitchen, kicks her plate, twists her arms uttering “Kyon Kamini maine khaane ke liye kaha tumhe?” and then pushes her to the ground.

The docile Bahu immediately lands on two hands on the floor (an act she’s practiced many a times), looks sideways, tears immediately swelling up her eyes and looks down thereby registering that she is powerless in this household. At a distance, the head naukar observes this through his moist eyes, and is equally helpless.

The credit starts rolling with din-dan-dun-din epic orchestral feel. Ye baby, sit tight, we are in for some Saas-Bahu drama!

It must be said to the writers credit that the opening scene is absolutely effective in so many ways. For one, it quickly gives you an idea how the story is going to pan out - you notice there are two heroines listed on the credits. So obviously Reena Roy is the other Bahu who will come and fix this meanie saas and make her mend her ways. Two, this allows us the viewer to simply put our brains aside and take this movie as it comes on face value. After all, you are watching the very genesis of Kyunki Saas Bhi, Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki, Kiska Pati Mein?, and other Balaji super tele serials.

Anyways, the movie has all the characteristics that make up Ekta Kapoor’s script library, including -

- Women (both Bahus, Saas and any other women passing by) always roam around in prettiest of saaris with a gold necklace or two hanging by their neck. Even when the saasuji goes wild on her bahuji, the bahuji must still maintain excellent makeup and composition on her face.

- The docile bahuji must maintain an excellent source of glycerine by her side; she’s going to sit and cry almost every half an hour and talk about her “ichchas” and “ghutan” and “bahar ki hawaa” and “aazaadi” and all such shit while doing nothing about it.

- The men are equivocally hopeless. They are just there to look at their mom, shrug their head and head to the nearest exit. (which given the haveli that they live in are plenty)

- There’s this annoying kid who goes about getting beaten up by her granny (saas) pretty much every time she opens her mouth. The pesky kid promises her weeping mother infinite times how she would just shut up and sit quiet, but that’s one thing the kid doesn’t do, and gets treated likewise by her meanie granny.

Anyways, in addition to these observations, certain other things caught my attention and do deserve a special mention here.

Reena Roy’s expression when is about to confront her Saas. The moment the Saas lifts her hand to strike this second brave Bahu, the Bahu just lifts her hand in retaliation. Just like below:

Note the palm and the fingers. Very stylish indeed - it fails me whether she wanted to say Hi to somebody or she lifted her hands up to stop the Saas. Anyways, this akhand roop is enough for the Saas to cuddle up in her white cotton puff. This happens a couple of times, a trick which soon enough the badi Bahu also picks up, including the exact same structure!

At some point, the choti brave Bahu (Reena roy who’s come to mend things) has a wishful flashfoward about Kadva Chauth. Now this song is an accomplishment on several levels.

First the lyrics:
“Sau Sau Saal Jiyo Hamare Saasuji!”
“Hum Ko Laage Maa Se Pyaari Saasuji”
“Maa ne tho hame janam diya”
“Tumnhe diya hame pyaar piya” (?)
“Kya Baath meri Saasuji…”

Don’t believe me - the rest of the lyrics are even more meaningful and must been seen:

Now, here’s why I call this song an achievement. In the flashforward, Reena Roy somehow manages to have a flashback about her marriage! I have not seen such a complex structured mind bend for a while - a flashback in a flashforward. Not even LOST manages such a feat.

While we are on the topic of music, it must also be mentioned about the sidey characters in this movie; like typical 70’s movie a side story (preferably providing some comic relief) is an essential ingredient. Here too we have one where Raj Babbar’s bunk mate in academy somehow entangles himself with a village lasso who is our naukar’s daughter. And that daughter is no other than Guddi Maruti. (Thanks for correction Rahul).

Here’s how a comic relief comes by in the movie. The first 2 minutes of the song say it all - The friend is running away from his fat girlfriend, while his fat village lasso girlfriend comes looking for him. She’s thundering behind her garb allright - her voice can create cyclones, her march can shake the earth.

Where will our poor sidey go in face of such fatty fury? Obviously he’s relegated to singing songs like “Motti Palle Peh Gayi!”

For more, watch the video. (Give special attention to Guddi’s dance steps in the beginning).

So, by now you must all agree that this is a momentous movie. With big names like Ashok Kumar and Raj Babbar and all that jazz, its interesting to note that our Naukar gets more footage than everybody combined. Heck, right next to Saas, the naukar hogs the screen.

Then there are the usual bunch of idiots like the Saas’s daughter who is as evil as she can be; her hubby who is as evil as he can be too. His eyes are set on the “locker” which haveli ki gehne and paise are locked. Obviously the Saas can’t travel up and down the haveli, so where must the locker lie?

Right in the living room you see!! And where must she keep her keys? Under the sofa you bet! Obviously when gehne get stolen and paise goes missing, all hands point to Bahuji. The Bahuji faces the heat but comes out cool as a cucumber from such events. More sinister events follow like killing the Bahu with “Chipkali ki zeher” and other assorted animals, none of which succeed in ending the misery of the Saas.

Eventually when all things are settled and Saas discovers her Jamai is the real evil guy and how her Bahus are next best thing to her eyeglasses, she is immediately bit by King Cobra. Now this is a hilarious scene - the cobra goes looking for her to bite, while our poor Saasuji is running hether tether in all directions to no use. One stinging cobra I must say. Anyways, the brave Bahu then sucks the poison out of her Saas and saves her, thereby landing herself in hospital due to poisoning.

Which gives just about enough time for the Saas to run into temple with her “Aaj tak maine kuch maanga nahi” killer lines.

In the end all is well and Saasuji finds true happiness in her new found love for her Bahuraanis. The flashforward comes true, and both Bahus sing - “Sau Sau Saal Jiye Hamari Saasuji!“