Bahu Rani
This is my first Guru Dutt movie and I'm delighted to have seen it. Though communicating a clear message of justice and compassion, the movie refrained from being preachy and saccharine - thank goodness, because it less capable hands it could have gone horribly wrong. The visuals are similarly straightforward, yet they're full and beautiful too. The film is meaningful without being heavy, and I think much of this is owed to the sparky performances by the two leads (Mala Sinha as the titular daughter-in-law, Padma, and Guru Dutt as her simpleton husband, Raghu). They're fantastic - lively but subtle. The rest of the cast is also strong. Nasir Hussain nails the "stern but loving patriarch" type with real feeling (take note, Big B), Lalita Pawar* is convincingly icy as the scheming stepmother, and Feroz Khan creates a villain whose comeuppance is a treat to cheer for . I watched this at Jaman and was interested to read a post on its discussion board about Mala Sinh