Bhavna: A film ahead of its times

In the period between 1982 and 1986, Shabana Azmi did some of her most important work. These included Shekhar Kapoor’s Masoom, Gulzar’s Namkeen, B R Ishaara’s Log Kya Kehenge, Kalpana Lajmi’s Ek Pal and Mahesh Bhatt’s Arth.

These were films that changed the way we defined the Hindi film heroine and also brought a radical reform in the way the new Indian woman is perceived by society at large. Cinematographer Pravin Bhatt’s first directorial venture Bhavna is a very special film in Shabana’s oeuvre. Playing strong assertive characters who constantly challenged the predominance of patriarchy came naturally to Shabana.

But Bhavna occupies a very special niche in Shabana’s glorious unparalleled career. The story of a woman’s journey from a betrayed marriage to a murder convict , Bhavna deals with the protagonist’s journey with tempestuous velocity without losing out on the quality of grace and restrain.

Of course, Shabana’s ingrained power to convey implosive emotions without toppling into the realm of over-statement went a long way into making Bhavna Saxena a character far ahead of her times. Bhavna’s journey begins as a starry-eyed girl who falls in love with the rich and suave heir (Marc Zuber) who abandons her after marriage.

Left to look after her son (Master Makrand), Bhavna devotes her life to providing her son with the best education. In the tradition of Shakespearean tragedies, the plot heaps the heroine with unimaginable calamities. When she is raped by her trusted employer (Saeed Jaffrey) Bhavna decides she has to use the only asset she has to ensure her son’s future. Bhavna becomes a high-class call-girl.