Ahista Ahista (1981)

Title: Ahista Ahista

Year: 1981

Cast: Padmini Kolhapure, Kunal Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, Nanda, Girish Karnad, Shashikala, Rehman, Soni Razdan, Leela Mishra.

Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. This was such DRIVEL!

Usually, I love movies others dislike, and all unloved movies are received by me with open arms- everything except movies featuring violence against women, or featuring completely incapable, overtly-sacrificial women.

How was I to know that this one would be a prime example of the last type??? Esp when it boasted of such fabulous actors like Girish, Rehman and Shammi?!

[deep breath]

Enough cribbing. Onwards with the movie.

Nanda was abandoned by her husband, and now lives with Shashikala, her aunt and a prostitute, 'cos she has nowhere to go to (Nanda never seems to have anywhere to go to in any movie- sigh).

Shashikala plots with her friend Gundamma (which sounds like hindi for "female goon," but I beleive is a common Tamilian name, and is played by Kalpana Iyer- our Nikki Brown from Disco Dancer!) I love their makeup- insane!

In due time, Nanda gives birth to Padmini and herself becomes a prostitute to Kader Khan (called "Dhani" here, which translates to "rich"- love their subtlety).

It appears to be a very accepting neighborhood, since Shammi lives next door with his family, and is supposedly a well-to-do man. Everyone knows about Nanda and Shashikala's profession, but there are no riots or BJP marches, so I am assuming everyone was pretty open-minded.

Time passes, and Padmini does good at school, which she attends with Shammi's kids, Kunal (stilted, but not entirely without his dad Shashi's charm) and Soni Razdan (Mahesh Bhatt's wife and Pooja Bhatt's step mom, and a really good actor, who is COMPLETELY wasted here- but this was only her 2nd movie, along with the lovely 36 Chowranghee Lane released earlier the same year).

Kunal and Padmini are obviously in love- but of course no one approves.

There is also a pedestrian side-plot involving Deven Verma, playing husband (as usual) to Aruna Irani who cheats on him- its terrible and leaves me cold.

One day, Shammi is visited by his old friend Girish (so young, but painted to look older, and so adorable really. He is not credited on IMDB for this movie, which must be a relief to him).

While leaving, Girish realises that Nanda lives next door- and goes to meet her, and we realise that he is Nanda's missing husband!

Without explanation re: what happend in the past, we are told that Girish has since remarried, and has a daughter almost as old as Padmini :S


Kunal sees Padmini with her father, and jumps to the conclusion that she too has become a prostitute like her mother.


Look at the cute stricken face- aww :D

Abetting Kunal's idiocy is the fact that Girish has made Nanda and Padmini swear not to reveal anything about him to anyone :S

To completely vilify himself, in a completely unnecessary twist, Girish asks Padmini to walk away from Kunal, so that his other daughter may marry him. dear oh dear oh dear...

Padmini behaves in a lamb-like fashion, does not stand up for her mom or herself and does all that she is told. She tries to study, and is encouraged to do so by Rehman, her college president (wasted here, in one of his last movie roles), but has no interest in life anymore.


So she decides to become a prostitute too! (what brilliant logic) and receives no protest from her mom. This really makes no sense. She could go on and work, and support her mom. But no- since her boyfriend has left her, she needs to be silly. And her mom has no advice for her- wth.


On the way back from temple, right after a ceremony announcing her joining of the prostitute-sisterhood, she stops by Shammi's house, and kills herself. As soon as she flops over, Nanda follows suit, and everyone cries.

Argh.

And in conclusion: There may be a worse movie in the world. When I meet it, I shall let you know.