Synopsis
Neera (Apte) is trapped into marrying an
old widower Kakasaheb (Date). He is a progressive
lawyer with a son and daughter of Neera's
age. Neera refuses to consummate the union
claiming that while suffering can be borne,
injustice cannot. Neera faces many hurdles
including her mother-in-law and a lascivious
stepson Pandit (Nene). Finally the widower
realizing the unfairness of the situation
commits suicide thus freeing Neera.
The film
Kunku was Prabhat's first film on
a sociological theme and an extraordinary
success. The film based on N.H. Apte's Marathi
novel Na Patnari Goshta had created
a literary stir in the mid 1920s when it
was published. Its central character reminiscent
of Nora in Ibsen's A Doll House,
outraged the orthodoxy. Shantaram
took up the novel for filming despite his
partners' fear that the film would not only
offend traditionalists but would fail to
attract audiences. Shantaram
went ahead regardless and was vindicated
when the film was both a critical and commercial
success.
Shantaram
pares down his narrative to bare essentials
and keeps his treatment starkly realistic.
In this film as in the other Prabhat films,
there is a sure, definite understanding
of the medium of sound film, where the visual,
the spoken word, the music and the sound
effects balance and compliment each other.
Shantaram
eschews the background music, retaining
only natural sounds - effects and voices
in his sound track. Even the songs used
in the film are done so with a source shown
for the music.
 Throughout
the film telling use is made of a grandfather
clock as a symbol for the old widower. When
he decides to right the injustice on the
young woman by committing suicide, he removes
the long pendulum of the clock signifying
taking his life himself and uses it as a
paperweight for the suicide note he leaves
behind.
There
is however the odd dramatic flourish in
the film as in the scene of the old widower
dying his hair in front of a mirror, which
he smashes in a fit of rage with each piece
mocking him.
Apte's
performance in the leading role displays
freshness ahead of its time and established
her as a 'rebel star.' She even sings a
combative song in English in the film In
the world's broad field of battle…Be
not like dumb, driven cattle written
by H.W. Longfellow.
The
major food for thought in Kunku however
concerns the film's ending. It appears from
the film that the girl is now finally free.
But what it doesn't say is what happens
to the girl now that she is a widow in Hindu
Society - a punishment far worse. This takes
away from an otherwise well meaning and
hard hitting, brave film.
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