This film found a great emotional response in my heart. For those who want to get acquainted with the work of actor and director Manoj Kumar, I recommend starting with this film. In my opinion, it is in this film that the patriotic position of Manoj Kumar himself is revealed most fully.
In exact accordance with the title of the film, the viewer is invited to look more closely at the face of the West (as a private example of Great Britain, although it could take place in any Western European country) and the face of the East (in this capacity India will be proposed) and in a sense compare.
I read some criticism of this film, it reproached the director that Rudyard Kipling’s famous phrase that West is West, East is East, and together they cannot meet, the 33-year-old director, as well as the writer and performer of the main role of Bharata, turns inside out completely, and in his performance this phrase sounds quite different. But personally, my vision of the West coincided a thousand percent with that of the director. Nothing escapes his attentive gaze: neither wild tasteless music, nor the fact that Westerners do not let cigarettes and alcohol out of their hands, nor the low cultural level of the whole society. And the strongest will be the scene in the club, where the disgust of the hero, and with him and any normal viewer, will reach its highest point.
As for the face of the East, and in this particular case of India, it certainly seems to me more attractive than the face of the West. The director himself cannot be objective towards his country, just as no man can be objective towards his mother. In the film, Manoj Kumar shows the strengths of his country and his people, focusing on them, and he succeeds.
The film turned out and from an artistic point of view is very strong. First of all, Bharat himself (I remind those who don’t know that Bharat is the name of India in Hindi) is a very attractive positive male image on the screen. Of course, Manoj Kumar endowed this image with its beauty, and beauty, as you know, opens all doors, including doors in the souls of people. But really, this image becomes most attractive when the protagonist even before marriage and only in relation to the bride, when you can safely turn around and leave, and many do so, shows flexibility that many are not able to show even in marriage. Thus, he sets an example to his bride, and she will not be in debt.
Secondly, the director created two completely different female images. When I saw the film for the first time, the whole film was persistently identified with Gopi from beginning to end. She was played by a little-known dancer and played very well. Whether I was so struck by the injustice towards her, or in general, this image is more feminine to me, but I looked at the whole life situation with her eyes. But the actress Saira Banu appeared to me in the film as a completely Western woman, and it was completely unclear to me why she was taken for this role at all, and how this female image could attract Bharata at all. I wanted to argue strongly with this film, the director and the main character, in general, there was some confusion. This is the first time.
When I saw the movie again after a short break, I saw something else. I appreciated the brilliant skill of Saira Banu, who played a Western woman, and then all the changes in her soul. I looked more kindly at her character, more detached at Gopi, but most importantly I understood Bharata himself. For him, the main thing in this situation was not his own decision, but the decision of those elders whom he respected. This is exactly what he will advise later and Gopi.
Thirdly, I would like to mention again the brilliant performance of Madan Puri. His role in the film is very important, and the actor played it wonderfully. By the way, my perception of the image he created has also undergone a significant change. For the first time, his character, despite his charm and warmth, still seemed to me internally weak. At the second viewing, I did not find any weakness in it, the actor clearly showed that the weakness of his character remained in the past, it was completely overcome, and it will no longer be.
A wonderful deep film from beginning to end, very interesting.
I am not going to dwell on the songs in detail. Let me say briefly: here is not a song, a masterpiece. Anyone who loves Indian music will appreciate it.
I also love that scene in an Indian restaurant where Bharat sings "Hai Preet Jahan Ki Reet Sada." I think the director allowed himself to go a little beyond the image of his hero, and this scene is more associated with Manoj Kumar himself than with his hero Bharat.
And in the end, I would like to express my deep regret that this film is not in Russian, but only a version with English subtitles.
10 out of 10