My watching-one-movie-a-day binge is well on track. Today, the moving finger, rather thumb; while scrolling; landed on an old favourite- Saudagar. And NO, NOT the 1991 one in which Dilip Kumar and Raaj Kumar prance around singing ‘Iss jungle mein hum do sher’ (cringe, cringe). This ‘Saudagar’ came out in 1973 and starred a young Amitabh Bachchan and an older Nutan. An unusual pair, but what remarkable performances! Wish they had made more such movies together.
Okay, to begin with, the viewer needs to get over the sight of Amitabh in a lungi; hitched way, Waaay up his thighs, as he clambers up and down palm trees to tap and collect their juice. But once you’re past that, you get caught up in the story as it unfolds and takes you along at its leisurely, unhurried pace.
Moti (Amitabh) is a rasiya- he taps the palm tree trunks for their nectar, which he then takes to this widow in the village (Nutan); who makes the best ‘gur’ out of it. This is also how she ekes out a living.
Moti is not just a ‘rasiya’ known for selling the best ‘gur’ in the market, he also has an eye for the ladies, and is prepared to pay for what he wants. Hence the title- Saudagar.
So, Moti has his eye on Phoolbanu, whose father wants 500 rupees ‘meher’ from Moti before he can marry her. Moti therefore comes up with the devious plan to first marry Nutan, so that he can save the money he has to pay her to make the ‘gur’ for him. And once he has the required amount in his pocket, he boots her out by using the Triple T mantra, marries Phoolbanu and brings her home.
Moti Miyan was obviously not thinking very far ahead, because he soon discovers that the lovely, luscious Phoolbanu makes lousy, god-awful ‘gur’ which no-one buys and soon he’s left with no money, debts and a mounting frustration and despair that his beloved ‘ras’ is not getting lovingly transformed into ‘gur’ the way it deserves, by his beloved Phoolbanu. The Saudagar’s sauda has rebounded on him.
It’s a pleasure to watch Amitabh in the role of an arrogant, opportunistic, manipulative, Grade-A jerk, who also briefly turns into a wife-beater ( with poor Phoolbanu at the receiving end). It’s also a credit to his talent that you still can’t dislike him. In fact, you actually feel his agony that the ‘ras’ which is his passion can be made into the best ‘gur’ only by this older woman who’s past the first flush of youth and is a widow to boot. Whereas his beautiful, young bride, whom he mistakenly thought would make ‘gur’ as sweet as she was; makes a mess of it.
The songs are melodious and beautifully rendered, especially the title song. But my favourite is the haunting ‘Door hai kinara’ sung by Manna Dey and one of its verses:
“Aandhi kabhi, toofan kabhi, kabhi majhdhar
Jeet hai usi ki jisne maani nahi haar
Maajhi khete jao re, door hai kinara ho”
This Saudagar is certainly a good deal!
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