Pr 1937
Shantaram's concern with outdated social norms and their tragic effect on women expressed itself once again in Duniya Na Mane, made for Prabhat in 1937 in Hindi, and in Marathi under the title Kunku. The film deals with a problem that was very much alive in the society of the 30s. Not only was marriage the sacred duty and destiny of a woman, it was an act considered fulfilling in itself, so that often an old bridegroom was preferred to no bridegroom at all. In Duniya Na Mane, an old widower and father of grown-up children, marries a young woman much in the tradition of Parvati in Barua's Devdas. Yet unlike Parvati, Nirmala, the heroine of Shantaram's film, remains rebellious at what
she considers a social injustice. The old husband finally realizes his mistake, and as divorces were not possible at the time, takes the only way out to free his wife. The enigmatic conclusion of the film leaves the audience with another problem to contemplateÑin an orthodox society which does not allow widow remarriage, is it better to be a widow than a child-bride, tied to an old man? The most interesting aspect of Duniya Na Mane is its subtle characterization. The old man is not a villain. He has acted without questioning the customs of his society and is now faced with the tragic consequences of that act. Nirmala, who has rebelled from the moment she first set eyes on her old husband, which was, true to tradition, only during the wedding ceremony, is confused and disturbed by her husband's final generosity, when he tells her to wipe off the vermilion from her forehead. For it is the essential humanity of the old man that reaches out to the young woman who must reject him for the initial injustice he has done her by marrying her. His death frees her from him, and an unwanted marriage. In a letter he leaves behind, he advises her to remarry. But who knows what the future holds for her as a widow in a society full of obsolete customs? look upDr. V Shantaram
