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तीसरी कसम: प्यार की अनोखी दास्तान पर बनी फिल्म, जो अफसाना बन गई

बिहार के ग्रामीण पृष्ठभूमि पर बनी फिल्म तीसरी कसम एक यादगार फिल्म है। फणीश्वर नाथ रेणु के मारे गए गुलफाम की कहानी और प्रेम की इस अद्भुत दास्तान को लोग आज भी याद करते हैं।

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तीसरी कसम कहानी की समीक्षा फणीश्वरनाथ रेणु तीसरी कसम फणीश्वरनाथ रेणु की प्रसिद्ध कहानी एक गाँव के गरीब किसान हीरामन और एक नौटंकी कलाकार हीराबाई प्रेम

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Teesri Kasam: Shailendra's painful dream

A poet of great sensitivity and skill, Shailendra could not handle the commercial aspect of films. A passionate man, he sacrificed his life to film a story he loved. On his 93rd birth anniversary, we look at the film that was the greatest evidence of a poet's conviction.

Mumbai - 30 Aug 2016 15:36 IST Updated : 17:03 IST

Shriram Iyengar

Poets are sensitive creatures. They dive into life passionately, and often emerge hurt and damaged by its vicious nature. Shailendra was one such soul who found the commercial burden of films too hard to bear.

The poet and lyricist was one of the famous members of Raj Kapoor's team when he decided to produce his first film, Teesri Kasam. The film proved to be his Waterloo. Declared a flop on release, Teesri Kasam is considered a classic today, and acknowledged as one of Raj Kapoor's better performances. The praise, however, came too late for Shailendra.

Born Shankardas Kesarilal in 1923, Shailendra adopted the nom de plume to avoid being noticed by his father. A practical middle-class man, Shailendra's father was not inclined to support his son's ambition of becoming a poet.

But the young man was too talented to escape fame. At one symposium in Punjab, he stood up to read the fiery poem 'Jalta hai Punjab' (Punjab is burning). Raj Kapoor, who had a keen eye for talent, offered the young poet a job in cinema. Shailendra turned the showman down. It was this self-respect and lack of money-mindedness that was to prove fatal to Shailendra.

In an interview, Shailendra's son, Dinesh, said, "His film is a legacy. Teesri Kasam was very close to my father’s heart. He lived and died for it." Based on a short story by the great Hindi writer Phanishwar Nath 'Renu' titled Maare Gaye Gulfam, the film was born on the sets of Bimal Roy's classic Madhumati (1958).

The story goes that the poet spotted Roy's assistant Basu Bhattacharya engrossed in a book during a shoot. On being asked, the soon-to-be director remarked that he was reading a short story by the famed author Renu. The poet was even more surprised when it was described to him as 'the best short story ever written'.

Shailendra's literary curiousity was piqued. The story and its theme touched him to the core. Soon, two of the core members of Bimalda's troupe were planning a film themselves.

Filmmaking is not as simple as it sounds, particularly for the producer. Shailendra knew he lacked the directorial vision to complete the project. This is why he decided to give Basu Bhattacharya his big break with the film. A man of fine tastes, the producer spared no expense on his favourite project.

Today, the cast of the film reads like a who's who of the golden era of Hindi cinema. Basu Chatterjee, another fine filmmaker, worked as assistant on the film. Lacchu Maharaj was roped in to choreograph the dance sequences of 'Chalat Musafir' and 'Paan Khaaye Saiyyan'.

The film's star cast is another matter. Not wanting the faces to take precedence over the story, Shailendra had initially cast Nutan and Mehmood in the lead roles. Unfortunately, the actress was carrying her first child and had to drop out. Meanwhile, close friend Raj Kapoor, on hearing that Shailendra was producing a film, simply walked into his office one morning and demanded, "You are making a film without me?" The lyricist-turned-producer could hardly turn his close friend, and a very good actor, down.

The passion the poet poured into the story was such that it cost him his personal fortune. In Nalin Saraf's biography of Shailendra, Suhana Safar Aur Yeh Mausam Haseen, he quotes the poet's wife saying, "The bank books went empty. I had saved some money in containers in the kitchen. But he even spent that. We had to give up our servants after some time. I know of no other producer who spends his own money on a film." 

The story that so captivated the poet was that of Hiraman, a bullock cart driver. Having been cheated twice of his dues, he swears never to transport black-market goods, or bamboos. His third transport is to ferry a dancer for a local nautanki  troupe to another town. The story revolves around the simple-minded Hiraman losing his heart to the dancer Hirabai, while the dancer discovers freedom in the simplistic life of the bullock cart driver. In the end, both find themselves bound to the real world, and part. This leads to Hiraman's third vow: to never ferry a nautanki troupe dancer.

The film was plagued with problems from the beginning. Financiers were unwilling to cast Raj Kapoor in the role of a simpleton bullock cart driver. They complained that he was too old, and not fit for the role.

Another point of contention was the ending of the film. According to lead actress Waheeda Rehman, even Raj Kapoor was against the parting shown in the end. She said in an interview, "Rajji thought the ending of the film should be changed and Hiraman and Hirabai should go away together. But no one agreed to that. The whole point of the story was Hiraman's teesri kasam [third vow] — never to let a nautanki girl travel in his cart again. The writer Renu — who had also written the dialogues for the film — would have been furious if the ending had been changed."

The producer himself was stubborn at not changing the ending. But these were just the little issues. Shailendra's lack of understanding of logistical matters enmeshed the film in further problems. He was conned into buying bulls for the shoot, which were later sold off, forcing him to buy another pair at extravagant cost. In addition, distributors were considering the film too offbeat to find popular audiences.

The financial pressures took their toll on the poet's health. Nalin Saraf quotes playback singer Lata Mangeshkar as saying that even in his worst health condition, Shailendra would remark, "I just want Teesri Kasam to release everywhere. Once that is done, I will get well by myself."

It is not known why the poet felt so strongly for the story or the film. Perhaps it was the cruelty of the world against simple hearts. Lata Mangeshkar says, "Shailendra could never utter a lie. He did not have the penchant for it."

Regardless of his efforts, the film was declared a flop. The failure of the film to lure audiences in the first three weeks proved fatal to its box-office life.

Sadly, it proved fatal for Shailendra as well. The poet's health worsened with the film. Teesri Kasam had become the Horcrux which stored the final ounce of his life.

The poet gave up on his poetry as well. The story goes that Vijay Anand, on the cusp of making Jewel Thief (1967), would often coax Shailendra into composing a song for the film. Unwilling to lie to the producer, the poet would step out of his house every time Vijay Anand called.

But Anand was adamant. To catch the poet off guard, he left his car in the garage and camped at the corner around Shailendra's house. Surprised, the poet agreed to compose one song for the director. The song was ' Rula ke gaya sapna mera '.

It was the last song Shailendra wrote. On second hearing, the song is one of regret and pain. Shailendra passed away in 1966. Jewel Thief was released in October 1967.

Teesri Kasam is considered a classic today. The film went on to win the President's Gold Medal, the equivalent of the National award for Best Feature Film in 1966. It is considered by many critics as Raj Kapoor's finest performance. It is Basu Bhattacharya's finest film. The songs, from 'Paan Khaaye Saiyyan' to 'Duniya Bananewale' continue to be popular. By any measure, it was a creative victory for Shailendra. Sadly, the poet did not live to enjoy the praise.

Yet, there was no doubt that Shailendra never compromised on the quality of the film. It might have been a bad business decision, but it was creatively pure. He finished the film, like he lived his life, on his own terms.

As Raj Kapoor narrated in Nalin Saraf's biography, "The man was a poet, really. He even left on such a day... it will bother me every year." Shailendra died on 13 December. The next day happened to be Raj Kapoor's birthday.

People in this story

Lyricist, Actor, Dialogue Writer

Actor, Producer, Director

Waheeda Rehman

Basu Bhattacharya

Director, Screenwriter, Producer

Lata Mangeshkar

Singer, Actor, Music Director

Movies in this story

Teesri Kasam

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Jai Arjun Singh is an independent writer and critic. He has authored the books Jaane bhi do Yaaro: Seriously Funny Since 1983 and The World of Hrishikesh Mukherjee: The Filmmaker Everyone Loves, which won the Excellence in Writing on Cinema Award at the Mumbai Film Festival. He has also edited the anthology The Popcorn Essayists: What Movies do to Writers, a collection of essays about movies.

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• What is the release date of 'Teesri Kasam'? Release date of Raj Kapoor and Waheeda Rehman starrer 'Teesri Kasam' is 1966-03-04.
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T he first time the audience gets a glimpse of Waheeda Rehman in Teesri Kasam, a character on screen exclaims, “Arre, ye to pari hai.” Hiraman, a bullock cart driver played by Raj Kapoor, was actually speaking about his passenger Hirabai. But his exclamation might as well have been a comment on Rehman’s presence in Indian films.

In Basu Bhattacharya’s  Teesri Kasam  (1966), which released a year after her memorable turn in  Guide , Rehman played a character that has since acquired an iconic status.

A commercial failure at the time of its release,  Teesri Kasam  was produced by lyricist Shailendra, possibly to infuse a bit of literary quality in Hindi cinema. Litterateur Phanishwar Nath Renu penned the story and dialogue, based on his 1954 short story,  Maare Gaye Gulfam .

Also read:  Remembering Sahir Ludhianvi, the rare ‘poet’ among Bollywood lyricists

The basic premise of the story is the bond that Hiraman and Hirabai form during a 30-hour journey in the northern belt and over subsequent days — not a novel idea, and in fact, something filmmaker Imtiaz Ali has turned into an industry in the last decade.

While  Teesri Kasam might just have been a tale of another doomed love story, the social status of its protagonists, and its melancholic tone, added layers to the film’s texture.

Hiraman is a country bumpkin, the kind of role Kapoor made a living out of. When police catch him with black-market goods, he vows to keep off them. When he meets with an accident while carrying a bamboo, he promises to never carry a bamboo again. Hiraman is a conservative simpleton, one who sings philosophical musings about the value of truth — “ Sajan re jhooth mat bolo, khuda ke paas jaana hai…”  and karma  — “Bhalaa kije bhalaa hoga, bura kije bura hoga “.

Also read:   Raj Kapoor, the ‘greatest showman’ of Indian cinema

It is then quite obvious for the drama to feature a character that stands for something other than the untainted innocence of Hiraman. This becomes Hirabai. Both have similar first names — Renu’s comment on their similar destinies — a fact that Hirabai finds amusing.

Hiraman is easily scared — he prays to God to save him when he (initially) suspects that the passenger in his cart was some ‘pishach’ (demon). Hirabai finds this charming. She has always been surrounded by men who might have been demons themselves.

On their journey to a village fair, where Hirabai is supposed to join her nautanki company, both experience something novel. He, who has been single all his life, has never spent so much time in proximity with another woman. Neither has she been in the company of another man who sees the ‘devi’ (Goddess) in her. So she play-acts. Seeing that he is besotted, she ‘plays’ the woman of his dreams — after all, that’s what she does for a living, without much societal approval.

But at some point, she becomes too immersed in this real-life play and starts to believe it. Once she reaches her destination, she asks him to stay back for a few days, ‘see’ her nautanki company. She finds excuses to meet him, talk to him, and also gets him to attend her plays.

It is at the play that Hiraman first gets a sense of the difference that exists between them after an audience member leers at her lecherously. Hiraman picks a fight with him only to be scolded by Hirabai.

But the house of cards collapses once a local zamindar brings her down , ending her ‘delusion’ that she could be something more than just a nautanki performer — “ Laila ka paath karne wali, laila banne chali thi… hai na anhoni baat .”

So, she leaves, inevitably. And Hiraman takes his third vow — never to ferry another nautanki company passenger.

Also read:  As India mourns legendary Neeraj, is the era of poetry over in Bollywood music?

In the beautifully shot film by cinematographer Subrata Mitra of the Apu trilogy fame, the actors bring dignity to their parts with fully realised performances. Notice Rehman’s change of tone when she speaks to Hiraman and when she speaks to everyone else. Kapoor himself has played similar parts before, and to much greater effect, but here he plays the perfect foil to Rehman’s incredibly heartbreaking rendition.

Bhattacharya, who went on to make several other acclaimed works, could never repeat the honesty portrayed in this film, perhaps attributable to its poetic quality. That poetry could be created, not in the least, courtesy the 10 songs (many composed like folk songs) by Shankar-Jaikishen and Shailendra. The profound work in all the songs belongs more in a book than in a Hindi film.

Shailendra — hailed as perhaps the greatest Hindi lyricist of all time by greats like Gulzar and Javed Akhtar — produced this film despite much advice to the contrary. The film won a National Award but its crushing failure had already killed him before that. Few lyricists attempted to produce a film ever again.

In the climactic sequence, as Hirabai’s train departs and the parting becomes real, Hasrat Jaipuri’s words float over Mitra’s lyrical images of separation — “ Sapne jagaa ke tune kahe ko de di judaai,   Kahe ko duniya banaayi …”

The copy has been updated to reflect changes.

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• Filmi Flashback
• Teesri Kasam
• Waheeda Rehman

In a world that celebrates and rewards mediocrity ,such gems lie underfoot, coated by the dust of neglect until wisdom Dawn’s ans true cineastes realise, they have been mistaking the chaff from the grain ,the coal for the diamond!

Very good movie and its last dailigue is worth remembering which was dpoken by addressing to bullocks, like, “ghoor ghoor ke kya dekh rahe ho, kabhi koi ladki nahi dekhi hai kya”.

In India many such gems ie movies have failed commercialy and that is why people do not attempt to make good films, thus no big acclaimed movies from India having a global appeal or name are known. This movie was a gem.

The exquisitely beautiful Waheeda Rehman turned 81 recently. Raj Kapoor left too early, much before his contemporaries, Dev Anand and Dilip Kumar.

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Home > Movies Music and Sitcom > Movies > Hindi Movies > Teesri Kasam

Teesri Kasam Movie Reviews

Teesri Kasam

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Teesri Kasam (1966)

Directed by basu bhattacharya.

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Description by Wikipedia

Teesri Kasam is a 1966 Hindi language drama film directed by Basu Bhattacharya. It is based on the short story Mare Gaye Gulfam, by the Hindi novelist Phanishwarnath Renu. The film stars Raj Kapoor and Waheeda Rehman. The duo Shankar-Jaikishan composed the film's score. The film's cinematography is by Subrata Mitra. Dialogues are by Phanishwarnath Renu and the screenplay by Nabendu Ghosh.

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Teesri Kasam – A Story of Love That Meandered to its Dead End

Teesri Kasam – the name given to Maare Gaye Gulfam for its cinematic version – was hailed a classic and collected reasonably well at the box-office though a little too late for its producer – the great poet Shailendra. Vijay Kumar explores the similarities and deviations between Teesri Kasam and Maare Gaye Gulfam , both written by the renowned Hindi literatteur Phanishwar Nath Renu. In this exhaustive critique, he peels the layers off five songs of Teesri Kasam , revealing the deep and profound message they express about the anguish of women in the rural hinterland.

Raj Kapoor and Shailendra (Pic courtesy: Apnaorg)

Maare Gaye Gulfam … this is the title of the story that Phanishwar Nath Renu wrote. And this is the story Shailendra was so smitten with that he decided to give it a cinematic form, when the best lyricist of Hindi cinema ever decided to make a film. Had he reached a creative plateau as a lyricist and was overcome by an urge to diversify his channelization? Or was this decision a destinational quirk? Perhaps it was both. Teesri Kasam – the name given to Maare Gaye Gulfam for its cinematic version – was hailed a classic and collected reasonably well at the gates though a little late for the great poet. Shailendra was gone before that, heart-broken and in deep debts.

Gulfam means one who is rose-faced. Popularly, it is also used for a handsome male. Quite symbolic for the context in hand. Shailendra was handsome though not in a conventionally understood sense. His persona radiated a positivism owing itself to an evolved inner-self. Shailendra was a dreamer as his poems so abundantly evidence yet his dreams sourced the realities of his impoverished, struggling early existence. Consider the brutal truths beneath the sheen of hilarity in Dil ka haal sune dilwala or that ode to rupiah… Suraj ki jaisi golai!

Shankardas Kesarilal popularly known by his pen name Shailendra (30 August 1923 – 14 December 1966)

Shailendra was charismatic. He had an aura – an aura that glimpsed his Kabiresque depth and vision. Or was it because of a heady mix of an innate sublimity and the smoke he inhaled? The man of the other world – ‘ uss paar ’ – yet so much here – the ‘ awara’ ! He was a non-believer who mused on the life-death metaphysics with an astonishing conviction.

Phanishwarnath Renu , author of this story, was a revolutionary too though this fact remains a little understated in the account of times specific to the Indian Independence. He participated In the freedom struggle. Later he was an important person in the Nepali revolutionary movement in 1950 which resulted in the establishment of democracy in Nepal. He was awarded Padma Sri for his contribution to literature. He later returned the award, protesting the imposition of emergency.

Renu (pen name that means a speck of dust) is regarded as the most notable Hindi writer post Premchand period. The rural India is centric to his stories. The language that he employed is full of life and incisiveness and has a liberal infusion of local lingoes – Bhojpuri and Maithili. He had an exceptional ability to create visuals through words. His collaboration with Shailendra, also from Bihar, was meeting of two great minds with shared concerns. Renu not only gave his story for a cinematic adaptation, he also wrote its dialogues.

A love that meanders forward on a bullock cart through an idyllic setting!

Maare Gaye Gulfam is a fairy tale of an un-confessed love between the one who knows too little about the ways of the world and the other who knows too much – a love that meanders forward on a bullock cart through an idyllic setting! It is love in passage, in passing – in transit and transient! Fortuitousness informs it. It concludes with the separation of the central characters – Hira Bai and Hiraman – while their emotions still ran high. In fact there could have been no other end to it. For, it was well nigh impossible for a romance in stealth, of this kind, getting even a semblance of acceptance in the socio-cultural milieu of the times, when a woman outside the wedlock was a being / commodity out-of- bounds, even mysterious. The response of the fellow gaadiwans to Hira Bai, even if an aside to the mainstream of the story, so realistically and brilliantly articulates this aspect.

Phanishwar Nath Renu (Pic: Internet)

The lore of Mahua Ghatwarin occupies only a few pages but its centrality to the story should not be lost on us. She is the motif of a woman oppressed, under seize, wistfully looking to her breathing free, to her feminine fulfillment. Mahua pulls out the story from the ephemerality of the immediate and connects it, even if implicitly, to the woman through the ages… and in sufferance!

But who was Mahua Ghatwarin ? A petite, virtuous girl under the domination of her cruel, oppressive, licentious mother. Her cannabis-dulled father had a marginalized existence. Mahua had come of age but her mother was not interested in her marriage. One night, her step mother tasked her to be in the service of the saudagar (trader) in wait in his barge at the river bank, It was a terrifying night in the month of Shrawan, when it was raining in a torrent and the lightening was streaking across the sky without a breather. Mahua remonstrated with her step mother but that was futile, for she had already taken the price for the service. Mahua was distraught, cried, cried for her mother – if only she were there! And then cursed her in the same breath: why did you die alone?

Teesri Kasam (Maare Gaye Gulfam) by Phanishwarnath Renu

Her cries fell on deaf ears as she was caught by her hair and dragged to the boat. The saudagar promptly ordered a sail down the river to preempt Mahua’s escape. She struggled the whole night. Yet she waited for her time and just before dawn when the servants were overcome by fatigue, Mahua stole a moment and jumped into the river. Swimming against and across the stream was daunting but she was no less than a fish in water. At about the same time, a servant too jumped and got into a chase. This servant however was one smitten with Mahua and kept crying as he swam after her, ‘Pause Mahua, I am not your adversary, I want to be your companion for ever!’

But Mahua did not look back and quickened her strokes instead! The servant was tired, hopelessly tired! And Mahua swam against the stream, against all odds to reach the safe shore, crying – crying not out of any anguish but out of joy of having attained her freedom, for the joy of having discovered the real Mahua, free of 15 years of bondage and suffering!

Teesri Kasam , the film deviates from the original story majorly on two counts.

First, it modifies the final status of Mahua – from the one escaping to her freedom to the one who remains condemned to captivity. In the film, Mahua is portrayed to be in love. In the original story, it is not Mahua but saudagar ’s servant who is smitten and goes after her.

Second, the film interpolates, in the story, a lecherous zamindar who wants to possess and keep Hira in an exclusive resort for the satiation of his senses. And that forces Hira Bai to virtually flee to her earlier company, to escape Zamindar’s clutches. In the original story, it is Hira’s decision, taken out of her own volition and not because of any coercing factor, to return to her old Company.

These are significant changes in the story. It is certain that much thought must have gone in before the incorporation of these changes, especially as Renu himself was there proactively, as a dialogue writer.

Does Hira Bai at the end attains her freedom, like Mahua of the original story?

The question that must have come up for a discussion is: does Hira Bai at the end attains her freedom, like Mahua of the original story? Viewed in a larger perspective, Hira moves from one captivity to another, remaining ever condemned to the drudgery of charming and enthralling her audience that largely holds her as a woman of easy virtue. The woman in her, with all her natural aspirations, remains deeply buried and supplanted. Thus if Mahua and Hira were to be aligned, to be given a kindred existential connect, the story of Mahua needed a major reorientation as to its end. The film brings that in ironing out thereby what could have been a jarring disconnect.

A story in written words presupposes a learned readership and can afford to jump leaving the justifiable space to the ken of the readers. Maare Gaye Gulfam does precisely that as Hira Bai decides rather abruptly to return to her earlier company, offering no reason for the decision. Such void in its cinematic adaptation could have been disastrous. The audience will not understand, will look askance. Also, a film must spice itself with logically acceptable drama or a sub-story, if necessary. Interpolation of Zamindar and his villainous ways which Hira Bai is able to ward off not only sustains the audience interest but also heightens her virtuosity or rather her unsaid fidelity towards Hiraman, leaving audience to sigh – such a good woman undone by the lecherous male dominated system!

I will even dare say that if Renu were alive to rewrite this story, he would have aligned it to its cinematic script. Perhaps this is the only film that changes the story to take that to a higher and more acceptable level.

Hira moves from one captivity to another, remaining ever condemned to the drudgery of charming and enthralling her audience that largely holds her as a woman of easy virtue.

Except for these, the film runs very close to the original story. In fact many a dialogue in the film is taken straight from the story.

Basu Bhattacharya directed this film. This was his first directorial essay and arguably the best. While Bhattacharya maintained that he was influenced by Ray’s Pather Panchali , but for the discerning the film looks straight out of the books of his mentor Bimal Roy – the same faithfulness to the story, the same seamlessness, the same man-nature integrity, the same emphasis on the unsaid. Yet there was a creative X factor in Bhattacharya that made the film typically his own. He surely was a non-conformist whether it related to his creativity which was much in evidence later, or to marrying the daughter of his mentor despite mentor’s strong disapprobation.

What a team! Hasrat Jaipuri, Jaikishan Raj Kapoor, Shankar and Shailendra – the coming together of amazing talents in perfect symphony (Pic: Cinema Sangeet)

The Songs of Teesri Kasam

Teesri Kasam has ten songs. Together they take over forty minutes in a film time of 159 minutes. This is easily understandable as music is existential essence of the two central characters. Hira Bai eked a living as a ballerina in a music-dance company, and Hiraman – he grew in a milieu that had lore and music for every conceivable occasion.

The music by Shankar-Jaikishan is soaked in the soil of the countryside of northern India, with rich use of jingling of cow bells, the sounds of rustic, folk instruments, the chirrup and twitter of birds. Sung evocatively by stalwarts such as Mukesh , Manna Dey, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle, the songs of Teesri Kasam touch an emotional chord with the audience as the story moves through them. Ace cameraman Subrata Mitra’s camera lucidly captures every mood, every emotion, every turn of the story and its characters with lyrical finesse, creating an outstanding impact in black and white.

The original story, as also the film, has a prose-verse undulation sustained on a subterranean emotion of love. It is this non-prosaic character of the film that further lends it the impression of a fairy tale. Also, the conception of songs in the film is no different from the one that obtains in the original story. The film takes the opening lines of four of its songs from the story itself – Sajan re jhoot mat bolo, Sajanva bairi ho gaye hamaar, Laali laali doliya and Maare gaye gulfam. The prose interspersed in the lokgeet  – Duniya bananewale , draws upon the text in the story.

Raj Kapoor and Waheeda Rehman in Teesri Kasam

Five songs (1) Sajan re jhoot mat bolo (2) Paan khaaye saiyan hamar (3) Haye gazab kahin tara toota (4) Maare gaye gulfam and (5) Kissa hota hai shuru have an impersonal character even though they flow from within the story and indispensable to its momentum.

Of the remaining (6) Sajanva bairi ho gaye (7) Duniya banana wale (8) Laali laali doliya and (9) Chalat musafir – each alludes to, and even exacerbates, Bai’s fancies and emotions of the moment. In (10) Aa aa bhi ja raat dhalne lagi, Hira Bai directly hints at the hopelessness of her situation.

Mukesh and Raj Kapoor With Shanker and Shailendra

Since these latter five songs not only unfold and take forward the film but also supply its emotional contents, these have been briefly deconstructed here.

Sajanva bairi ho jaye hamar…

Sajanawa bairee ho gaye humaar chitheeya ho to, har koee baache, bhaag naa baache koye karamawaa bairee ho gaye humaar

jaaye base parades sajanawa, sautan ke bharamaaye naa sandes naa koee khabareeyaa, rut aaye rut jaaye doob gaye hum beech bhanwar me, kar ke solaa paar sajanawaa bairee ho gaye humaar

sonee sej gaud moree sounee, maram naa jaane koye chhatapat tadape pareet bichaaree, mamata aansoo roye naa koee is paar humaaraa, naa koee us paar sajanawaa bairee ho gaye humaar

Shailendra builds on the mukhada available in the story, one of the finest poems penned by him. Without getting abstruse, he leaves much to ponder over. In three short stanzas, he creates layers of meaning. The stanzas have a kaleidoscopic character – one has just to change the view angle to get a different picture.

Jaaye base pardesh sajanva – this internalizes a historical perspective even if not mentioned explicitly. The story Teesri Kasam originates from or is rooted in the region that is ridden with penury and want, that drives its men out in search of livelihood and sustenance, leaving behind their hearths and homes, often for good. Shailendra reckons this stark reality, but also concedes the inevitability of a new beginning – jaaye base pardesh sajanva, sautan ke bharmaaye . However, by introducing just one word bharmaaye , he articulates the perspective of the woman waiting back home. It is she – the other woman – who must have enticed and ensnared him for a permanent stay away – na sandesh na koi khabariya, rut aaye, rut jaaye !

The final words na koi iss paar hamara no koi uss paar – grimly reminds Hira Bai of her own station, of a life that has no place for love formalized.

The woman back home though seems reconciled to his no-return as she laments her fate: doob gaye hum beech bhanwar mein kar ke solah paar – was sucked by the existential vortex the moment I crossed the sixteen threshold! Sixteen is the proverbial age when a girl is ready to turn into a woman.

But there is more to a fulfilled womanhood than physical concourse with the partner: sooni sej gode meri sooni . Shailendra almost projecting the companion as a procreative means! Yet he concedes the equal importance of the two: chatpat tadpe preet bechari mamta aanso roye . Hapless desperate love – motherliness, awaiting fruition, cries in silence.

Sajanva bairi ho gaye connects so well with the love that is incipient in Hiraman and Hira Bai, in fact seems to exacerbate that. Yet the final words na koi iss paar hamara no koi uss paar – grimly reminds Hira Bai of her own station, of a life that has no place for love formalized. Hiraman looks good in his self-engrossed, love-fueled singing. But Hira Bai does one better as she responds to the song emotions.

Duniya bananewale kya tere man me samayi

Duniya banane wale kya tere man me samayi kahe ko duniya banai tune kahe ko duniya banai

Hiraman looks good in his self-engrossed, love-fueled singing

kahe banaye tune mati ke putle dharti ye pyari pyari mukhde ye ujale kahe banaya tune duniya ka khela jisme lagaya jawani ka mela gupchup tamasha dekhe wah re teri khudayi kahe ko duniya banai tune kahe ko duniya banai

tu bhi to tadpa hoga man ko bana kar tufa ye pyar ka man me chhupa kar koi chhavi to hogi ankho me teri ansu bhi chhalke honge palko se teri bol kya sujhi tujhko kahe ko prit jagayi kahe ko duniya banai tune kahe ko duniya banai

prit bana ke tune jina sikhaya hasna sikhaya rona sikhaya jivan ke path par meet milayi meet mila ke tune sapne jagaye sapne dikha ke tune kahe ko de di judayi kahe ko duniya banai tune kahe ko duniya banai

This is a longish song of over seven minutes, has the facet of Mahua lore interspersed in Hasrat Jaipuri’s lyrics. This geet could have been to the joint credit of Hasrat and Renu.

Hirabai visualizes herself as Mahua and looks overcome by a palpable flush of love

While Sajanava bairi ho gaye hamar , is the deepest song of the film, this one – Duniya bananewale is the most important as it creates a deep connect between the lore of Mahua and the unfolding love of Hira Bai. Its part in verse is a loud remonstration with Him as to why this creation of emotion of love and concomitant dreams, the celebration, the bliss, are all to be followed and eclipsed by a separation of the lovers. To the discerning, the song unequivocally hints at the tragedy that will befall the surging Hira-Hira love.

In it’s connect with the immediate, Duniya bananewale looks beyond the initial haziness in love. It turns concrete as Hirabai visualizes herself as Mahua and looks overcome by a palpable flush of love – the woman in her coming to fore supplanting the Bai that danced for a dime for her sustenance.

This geet can be deemed the title song of the film. It speaks volume for Shailendra-Hasrat camaraderie that Shailendra, who wrote title songs for several films, relied on his friend to write the most important song of the film. And Hasrat delivered a beauty.

Chalat musaafir moh liyo re pinjade vaali muniya

Krishan Dhawan and Raj Kapoor

chalat musaafir moh liyo re pinjade vaali muniya ud ud baithi halvayiya dukaniya barfi ke sab ras le liyo re pinjade vaali muniya

a he a he he raama ud ud baithi bajajva dukaniya kapda ke sab ras le liyo re pinjade vaali muniya

jiyo jiyo palakdas jiyo ud ud baithi panvadiya dukaniya bida ke sab ras le liyo re pinjade vaali muniya

Manna Dey and Chorus

Beat, rhythm, relentless pace – this folksy score virtually flies – a musical roller coaster and one is through even before coming to grips with its intent and substance. Like many a folk song of the area, this one too invokes Rama on the way, ostensibly for a singing poise even if for a short moment, and also perhaps for lending His endorsement to every new exploit of the beauty under restraint – pinjere wal munia ! In rural India coinciding with eastern UP and western Bihar, Rama is kept in the picture in every act whether good or bad.

But please pause at the opening words – chalat musafir moh liya re pinjare wali muniya. Shailendra so subtly connecting to the fairy tale of an un-confessed love between Hira Bai and Hiraman.

And then he juggles with contradictions – a beautiful caged bird that flies to partake in and embody the essence of good things in life – the best of sweets (burfi), the best of clothes, the juice of a rolled pan leaf – all to create a cascade on Hira Bai, who though circumstantially shackled – in cage – is yet smitten, yet in love, yet has a yearn to fly!

Lali lali doliya mein…

Laali laali doliyaa mein laali re dulhaniya piyaa ki piyaari bholi bhaali re dulhaniya mithe bain tikhe naino vaali re dulhaniya

Lautegi jo godi bhar hamein na bhulaanaa laddoo pede laanaa apne haathon se khilaanaa teri sab raatein hon diwaali re dulhaniya…….

dulhe raajaa rakhana jatan se dulhan ko kabhi na dukhaana tu goriya ke man ko nazuk hai nazo ki hai paali re dulhaniya

Asha Bhosle

Hira Bai is deep within the quintessential ‘other half’ – day-dreaming to become the companion, the wife of the bullock cart driver Hiraman. Yet her unenviable credentials and the consequent dilemma – to be or not to be – head knowing the futility of it all, but the heart will not give up! And the damning feeling at the top of that that Hiraman treats her as a ‘ devi ’. Yet Hira Bai unfolds and blossoms for few fleeting moments when the young ones of a village treat her as a bride: ‘ laali laali doliya mein laali re dulhaniya …’ Shailendra’s poem in simple innocent words puts Hira’s fancies on the wings.

Aa aa bhi jaa…

rahegaa ishq tera khaak me milaake mujhe huye hai ibtedaa me ranj inteha ke mujhe aa, aa bhi jaa raat dhalane lagi, ho, chaand chhupne chala

teri yaad me bekhabar, shama ki tarah raat bhar jali aarzu dil jala, aa, aa bhi jaa raat dhalane lagi, ho, chaand chhupne chala

ufak par khadi hai sahar, andhera hai dil me idhar vahi roz kaa silsila, aa, aa bhi jaa raat dhalane lagi, ho, chaand chhupne chala ho aa, aa bhi jaa

Lata Mangeshkar

Hira Bai’s world of love is in disarray. The Zamindar has issued a veiled threat that he will take over her forcibly. Her Meeta is upset and missing. And her eyes are open to the damning reality that her love goes no where. And yet the overpowering wistfulness: come my love, somehow! Aa aa bhi ja!

Shailendra is deep, very deep in Sajanava bairi ho gaye hammar , but this one is an irresistible poetry, so pithy, handling the opposites to create a tantalizing poise. It articulates Hira Bai’s angst even as it enthralls her audience. Shailendra leaning a bit on Urdu to create shayari of the highest order.

A life on the Cross of the same damning drudgery and an eternal wait – Wahi roz ka silsila, aa aa bhi ja!

Rahegaa ishq tera khaak me milaake mujhe huye hai ibtedaa me ranj inteha ke mujhe

No sooner had I stepped in love that the woes reserved for the end swamped me! Your love will sure efface me.

teri yaad me bekhabar shama ki tarah raat bhar jali aarzu dil jala aa, aa bhi jaa

Consumed in your thoughts, I burnt bright the whole night, my desires, my heart  burned too… yet come!  Aa bhi ja !

But the final three lines ufak par khadi hai sahar, andhera hai dil me idhar vahi roz kaa silsila wahi roz ka silsila give a transcending dimension to her angst, encapsulating the tragedy  of her love life.

I read the story Maare Gaye Gulfam sometime in late sixties. It made a good reading but did not stir my emotions much. The film Teesri Kasam I saw later, in seventies. Must confess it turned me raw with emotions. Its impact was so much more than the original story. A landmark film. Another film which seemingly made greater impact than the novel was Guide . A comparison between the two films should be natural, and apt too.

More to read

Shailendra: The Spirit with a Mass Connect

15 Songs of Shailendra: The Art of Simply Expressing Deepest Thoughts

Guide: The Story of Ordinary People Leading Extraordinary Lives

(The views expressed by the author are his own)

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3 thoughts on “ Teesri Kasam – A Story of Love That Meandered to its Dead End ”

A very comprehensive review of the movie Teesri Kasam. The write up was also about the genius of Shailendra. I love the line….the man of the other world- uss paar and yet so much here- Awara .

This was your second write up on Shailendra and I would request you to please complete the trilogy just like Ray’s. I am sure there are plenty of songs where your view point would be an interesting take.

To my mind Teesri Kasam was also one of the high point of SJ. The songs were folk based which suited Naushad the most but SJ raised the bar just like the music for Basant Bahar . The mujras of Teesri Kasam got internalized in the folk music which is so entertaining and Shailendra knew the art of writing deep even if treatment of songs were to display nautanki /entertainment.

Yours analysis of five songs of the movie was absolute delight.

More power to your pen and I am looking forward to the third part of the Shailendra series.

I’m just wondering – would it be possible to put these two write ups together? As the sequel they are? And add the 3rd part, once it’s done? So that it becomes a feast for any reader!

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Teesri Kasam

Cast & crew.

Basu Bhattacharya

Waheeda Rehman

Vishwa Mehra

Keshto Mukherjee

Nabendu Ghosh

Watch Teesri Kasam

• 2 hr 39 min
• 7.9   (831)

Teersi Kasam is a Hindi drama movie from 1966 which stars Raj Kapoor, Waheeda Rehman, and Dulari in pivotal roles. The film is set in a rural background and tells the story of a naive farmer, Hira (Raj Kapoor), who makes a promise to a nautch girl, Basanti (Waheeda Rehman), to take her to a fair in the city. The movie begins with Hira, a simple-minded and honest farmer, who makes a living as a bullock cart driver. He is mesmerized by Basanti's beauty and is enraptured by her majestic singing. Basanti, the nautch girl, is a captivating performer who mesmerizes the villagers with her stunning voice and charming looks.

Hira, who is infatuated with Basanti, promises to take her to the next fair in Banaras. Basanti, who is used to men making false promises, does not take Hira's offer seriously. However, Hira takes his promise quite seriously and sets out on a journey to get Basanti to the fair.

As Hira and Basanti make their way through the countryside on Hira's bullock cart, they encounter many obstacles on their journey. They have to deal with bad weather, rough terrain, and dangerous animals.

Along the way, the two begin to develop affection for each other. Basanti realizes that Hira is a kind and honest man who has a heart of gold, and Hira sees beyond Basanti's profession to discover her true personality.

The movie explores the themes of love, sacrifice, and innocence. Hira, who is pure at heart, is willing to do anything to fulfill his promise to Basanti, even if it means risking his life. Basanti, on the other hand, is a woman who has been forced into nautch because of circumstances. She struggles to maintain her dignity and self-respect in the face of societal norms that look down upon her profession.

The movie's music is another highlight. Directed by Shankar-Jaikishan, the film's songs are soulful and evocative. The song "Sajan re jhooth mat bolo" is particularly notable, and it has become an iconic song in Indian cinema.

Raj Kapoor's performance is outstanding. He portrays the simplicity and innocence of Hira's character to perfection. His acting is so convincing that the audience is drawn into his world and feels his pain as he struggles to keep his promise to Basanti.

Waheeda Rehman's portrayal of the nautch girl is also notable. She brings depth and complexity to the role, highlighting the struggles of a woman who is trapped by societal norms and conventions.

The movie does not rely on flashy visuals or action to keep the audience engaged. Instead, it focuses on the characters and their emotions. It is a movie that explores the human condition and the various struggles that individuals face in their lives.

In conclusion, Teesri Kasam is a must-watch movie for anyone who appreciates good cinema. Its engaging storyline, brilliant performances, and evocative music make it a classic. The movie's themes of love, sacrifice, and innocence are relevant even today, making it a timeless masterpiece.

• Genres Romance Comedy Drama
• Cast Raj Kapoor Waheeda Rehman Dulari
• Director Basu Bhattacharya
• Release Date 1966
• Runtime 2 hr 39 min
• Language Hindi
• IMDB Rating 7.9   (831)

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Teesri Kasam

• A naive bullock-cart driver falls for a traveling courtesan.
• After nearly getting arrested, Hiraman promises to himself that he will never assist any black-marketeer nor transport bamboo. This incident does cost him his bullock-cart but he did manage to get his two oxen away in time. He manages to save enough money to buy another cart, and is hired to take a female on a 30-hour ride to a Mela. He subsequently finds that his passenger is an attractive woman, Hira Bai, and he falls in love with her - little knowing that she is a traveling courtesan - and it is this attraction that will get him into a physical altercation as well as in the bad books of Thakur Vikram Singh. — rAjOo ([email protected])
• This movie is based on novel 'Mare Gaye Gulfam' by Phaniswar Nath Renu.It tells story of a typical indian villager who is innocent,illiterate & honest trying to find means of livelihood.In his journey he takes three oaths i.e. kasam which is very common in indian village milieu. First oath is about not carrying stolen goods where as second oath is about not carrying bamboos.Then he gets a contract to carry a dance performer where he makes his third oath.It is the journey of third oath i.e. teesri kasam which constitutes most of the movie. This movie brilliantly portrays social scene of north indian village of 1960s.

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Indian Cinema

Teesri kasam.

TEESRI KASAM (“The Third Vow”)

1966, Hindi, 155 minutes Directed by Basu Bhattacharya Produced by Shailendra Story and dialog: Phanishwar Nath Renu; Screenplay: Nabendu Ghosh; Music: Shankar, Jaikishan; Lyrics: Shailendra, Hasrat; Choreography: Lachhu Maharaj; Cinematography: Subrata Mitra

Like the earlier JAGTE RAHO (1956), also starring, but not directed by, Raj Kapoor this film combines the sensitivity of great Bengali artists with some of the conventions of mainstream Bombay cinema to produce essentially an art film with songs—no less than ten of these, and all remarkably beautiful and well integrated into the plot. Based on a well-known short story by Hindi/Bhojpuri writer Phanishwar Nath Renu (who also authored the film’s dialog) and shot by Subrata Mitra (who did the cinematography for Satyajit Ray’s early films), TEESRI KASAM features outstanding performances by Kapoor (who is remarkably subtle and subdued) and Waheeda Rehman, assisted by a superb supporting cast. The story is set in rural north India, in the “cow belt” of eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar states. Its characters live in small places remote from India’s cosmopolitan centers, and nurture dreams and tastes (and vices) that are suitably to scale, but the film works wonderfully well to gradually draw viewers into this world and let them share in the emotional life of its denizens. Hiraman (Raj Kapoor) is a bullock cart driver—a provider of transport-for-hire in a world still largely untouched by paved roads and internal combustion engines. His pride in his animals and cart is, however, not unlike that of a long haul trucker with his new sixteen-wheel rig. After two bad experiences, transporting in one case smuggled goods (which are seized by the police) and in the other long bamboo poles (that cause a collision with a horsecart), he takes two vows, pulling on his earlobes in peasant manner, never to carry such things again. He is then asked to transport a passenger: an actress in a nautanki or folk theater troupe, on her way to perform at a small town fair; he agrees. In the course of the long journey (for it takes some thirty hours to cover twenty kilometers via bullock cart!), Hiraman gets to know the actress, the radiant Hira Bai (Waheeda Rehman), whom he first mistakes for a fairy. Both have “diamond” (hira) in their names, and both are, indeed, gems in the rough: simple, honest people who carry the pain life has handed them with dignity and humor. Hira Bai (the suffix –bai often connotes a tawayaf or courtesan, for mostnautanki actresses, who displayed themselves on stage to ticket-buying male strangers, were assumed to be women of easy virtue) is the more complex of the two, and she is charmed by her driver’s blend of shyness, humility, and impassioned opinions (“the people of this area are all busybodies!”), as well as by his awed treatment of her, as a respectable “virgin” (kunwari) who must be shielded from the gaze of passers by. She also loves his singing of local folksongs, and begins calling him guru (“teacher,” since she wants to learn his songs) and meeta (“dear friend,” since they share a common name). Hiraman, whose child-bride died before she could even move in with his family and who hardly knows women apart from his sweetly-domineering sister-in-law, melts under her attention, while still retaining an awareness of the unbridgeable gulf that separates their worlds. When they reach the fair, Hiraman meets several of his cartman pals and Hira Bai invites them all to attend the shows of the “Great Bharat Nautanki Company,” which has just hired her as its female star. These performances, in a tent-theater erected on the street of a dusty provincial town, evoke for the characters all the magic of vaudeville, grand opera, and cinema rolled into one—indeed, the commercial cinema’s debt to nautanki is acknowledged in an excerpt from the (often-filmed) drama of the lovers Majnun and Laila, and in the four songs Hira Bai performs on successive evenings, all of which also play exquisitely on the fluctuating hopes, desires, and inevitable loss that she and Hiraman share. As in the earlier sequences on the road, the camerawork slowly pulls us into the constrained yet complex world of the folk theater, revealing slightly more of its stage and set in each successive scene. Naturally, the beautiful Hira Bai attracts the undesired attention of a lascivious local zamindar or feudal landlord, and naturally Hiraman girds himself to be the protector of her (imagined) modesty—but don’t expect a predictable melodramatic denouement. The songs are superb, from Hiraman’s establishing song Sajan re jhoot mat bolo (“O friend, don’t tell lies…for soon you will have to face God”), a bhajan-style “song of the road” that recalls Mera juta hai Japani in SHRI 420, or Dev Anand’s opening number in GUIDE. Duniya bananewale (“O Creator…why did you make this world?”) provides a melancholy commentary on the tragic folktale of the village girl Mahua, which Hiraman narrates to Hira Bai, interspersing the story with verses of the song. Hira Bai’s performance pieces, from the coquettish Pan khaiye saiya hamaro (“My lover is fond of paan”), to the heartrending Aa aabhija, raat dhalne lagi (“Come back to me, the night begins to wane”) display characteristic themes of nautanki even as they chart the bumpy road of her relationship with Hiraman, who watches entranced from the audience. The author of the short story penned wonderful dialog, rather inadequately rendered in the subtitles, that evokes the multi-glossic milieu and self-effacing yet cocky humor of rural India. Hira Bai’s speeches are tersely effective in conveying her dilemma as a professional woman: her love of her craft (“I get the same intoxication from dancing under the lights that you get from driving your cart”) versus her longing for home, family, and respectability. There are also hints of the Don Quixote story, as when she tells the landlord, speaking of Hiraman: “You think I’m a prostitute, he thinks I’m a goddess. You’re both wrong.” Yet it is clear enough, to us and to her, which of the two projections she would prefer—but does she have a choice? [Although its subtitles are only barely adequate, the Sky Entertainment DVD of TEESRI KASAM offers an excellent quality print of the film, and its songs are subtitled as well.]

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