Anuradha (1960)

A sentimental variation on Madame Bovary: Anuradha Roy (Naidu), a lively and successful singer, marries a dull but idealistic country doctor (Sahni) and soon gets bored. Her former lover, who has an accident while passing through her village, ignites memories of her past and persuades her to return to her former profession. However, a timely visit by a famous and worldly-wise doctor, who recognises her sacrifice as more praiseworthy than the genius of her husband, reconciles her to her new life. Some poetic shots in the film play on life’s ironies: while Anuradha looks at palm trees in the moonlight, the doctor gazes at wriggling worms through his microscope. Imaginative cutting (the director is also an expert editor) creates effective narrative ellipses, as when the newly married bride eagerly awaits her husband and he bursts in, years later, tired and irritable. Mukherjee’s traditionally conservative fable about marriage is well served by Sahni’s underacting, the subtle play of shadows suggesting the flavour of Anuradha’a nostalgia for her former success, and Ravi Shankar’s music, including popular songs like Kaise din beete and Hai re woh din kyon na aaye (sung by Lata Mangeshkar).