Arth (film)

Arth (transl. Meaning) is a 1982 Indian drama film directed by Mahesh Bhatt, starring Shabana Azmi and Kulbhushan Kharbanda in lead roles and Smita Patil, Raj Kiran and Rohini Hattangadi in supporting roles. It features a memorable soundtrack by Ghazal duo, Jagjit Singh and Chitra Singh.

Arth
Poster
Directed byMahesh Bhatt
Produced byKuljit Pal
Written byMahesh Bhatt
Screenplay byMahesh Bhatt
Sujit Sen
Story byMahesh Bhatt
StarringShabana Azmi
Kulbhushan Kharbanda
Smita Patil
Raj Kiran
Rohini Hattangadi
Narrated byRita Pal
Music byJagjit Singh
Chitra Singh
CinematographyPravin Bhatt
Edited byKeshav Hirani
Release date
  • 1982 (1982) (India)
Running time
138 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget₹1 crore[1]
Box office₹2 crore[2]

The semi-autobiographical film was written by Mahesh Bhatt about his extramarital relationship with Parveen Babi.[3] It is one of the 25 Must See Bollywood Movies as compiled by Indiatimes Movies.[4] The film was remade in Tamil as Marupadiyum (1993) by Balu Mahendra. In 2017, Pakistani actor and director Shaan Shahid released, Arth 2 and Bhatt acted as a "mentor" during production.

Synopsis

Pooja (Shabana Azmi), who grew up as an orphan girl and always dreamt of owning a house, becomes insecure when she finds out that she and her husband, Inder (Kulbhushan Kharbanda), have to leave the apartment they rent. The twist that occurred when Inder gives her the keys of a new house proves to be double-edged, when it is revealed that he is in love with another woman, Kavita (Smita Patil), with whom he earned the money (in the film industry) for the new apartment. While previously giving advice to her maid (Rohini Hattangadi) cheated by her husband, now Pooja becomes herself involved in a similar situation. When Inder deserts Pooja for Kavita, she chooses to leave the apartment for a women's hostel with only ₹2000 that she had when she got married. She is helped by Raj (Raj Kiran) to surpass the difficulties of life as a single person, to find a job and to rely morally on herself. Raj and Pooja become good friends. Gradually, Kavita's mental instability deepens her fears of insecurity, even after Inder requests Pooja to sign the divorce papers.

Raj falls in love with Pooja and proposes to her. She refuses saying she is empty and cannot give him anything. Raj tries to persuade her saying that she cannot spend the rest of her life feeling miserable about the past and that she should try to find a new life for herself. Pooja promises to think about it.

Pooja's maid, whose only aim in life is to secure a good education for her daughter, has saved ₹1000 towards her admission fees. She finds out that her drunk husband has stolen the money. Furious, she searches for him to find him in the arms of his lover after spending all the money. She kills him and goes to the police station and confesses her crime. Worried about her daughter, she calls Pooja who promises to take care of the daughter.

After the insistence of Kavita's mother (Dina Pathak) and her personal doctor (Om Shivpuri), Pooja personally assures Kavita that she is not interested in Inder any more. However, Pooja's attitude only convinces Kavita that breaking Pooja's marriage was a mistake. To escape from her feeling of guilt and insecurity, she breaks-up with Inder. The latter tries to revive his relation with Pooja, but is rejected.

Pooja continues to live with her maid's daughter and refuses to marry Raj saying that she has found a new meaning to life in being independent and being a mother to the child and marrying Raj will only weaken her.

Cast

Crew
  • Director: Mahesh Bhatt
  • Producer: Kuljit Pal
  • Story: Mahesh Bhatt
  • Screenplay: Mahesh Bhatt, Sujit Sen
  • Narrator: Rita Pal
  • Cinematographer: Pravin Bhatt
  • Art Director: Madhukar Shinde

Soundtrack

All music is composed by Jagjit Singh and Chitra Singh.

No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Jhuki Jhuki Si Nazar"Kaifi AzmiJagjit Singh 
2."Koi Yeh Kaise Bataye"Kaifi AzmiJagjit Singh 
3."Tere Khushboo Mein Base"Rajindar Nath Rehbar[5]Jagjit Singh 
4."Too Nahin To Zindagi Mein"Iftikhar Imam SiddiqiChitra Singh 
5."Tum Itna Jo Muskura Rahe"Kaifi AzmiJagjit Singh 

Box-office

The film was made on a budget of ₹1 crore and grossed ₹2 crore at the Box-office and was declared as "Hit" by the Box-office.[6]

Awards
Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result
1982 National Film Awards Best Actress Shabana Azmi Won
1983 BFJA Awards Best Art Director Madhukar Shinde Won
1984 Filmfare Awards Best Actress Shabana Azmi Won
Best Supporting Actress Rohini Hattangadi Won
Smita Patil Nominated
Best Film Kuljit Pal Nominated
Best Director Mahesh Bhatt Nominated
Best Dialogue Won
Best Story Nominated

References
  1. https://www.cinestaan.com/movies/arth-5381/box-office/%5B%5D
  2. https://www.cinestaan.com/movies/arth-5381/box-office/%5B%5D
  3. "A tribute to Parveen Babi". NDTV. 4 October 2011. Archived from the original on 4 October 2011.
  4. "Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films by Indiatimes Movies". Indiatimes Movies. 15 October 2007. Archived from the original on 15 October 2007. Indiatimes
  5. "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India – The Tribune Lifestyle". Tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  6. https://www.cinestaan.com/movies/arth-5381/box-office/%5B%5D
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