| Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Abrar Alvi |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Based on | Saheb Bibi Golam by Bimal Mitra |
| Produced by | Guru Dutt |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | V. K. Murthy |
| Edited by | Y. G. Chawhan |
| Music by | Hemant Kumar Shakeel Badayuni (film song lyrics) |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 152 minutes[1] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Box office | ₹8.4 million[2] |
Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (transl. The Master, the Wife, and the Slave) is a 1962 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Abrar Alvi and produced by Guru Dutt, who also co-stars in it alongside Meena Kumari, Rehman, and Waheeda Rehman. The film is based on Bimal Mitra's Bengali novel Saheb Bibi Golam (1953) and was the second adaptation of the novel after the 1956 Bengali film of the same title, starring Sumitra Devi, Uttam Kumar and Chhabi Biswas. Having seen the novel and its staged version, Dutt wanted to adapt Saheb Bibi Golam into a film. It is set in the 19th century during the British Raj and focuses on Bhoothnath (Dutt), who meets Chhoti Bahu (Kumari), the lonely wife of a zamindar (Rehman). The film follows Chhoti Bahu's effort to keep her husband—who likes drinking and watching tawaifs perform—at their home by drinking with him. She becomes addicted to alcohol, leading both of them into bankruptcy.[3]
The book's rights were bought after his production venture Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960) became commercially successful and covered his company's loss following the failure of Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), his previous directorial project. Mitra and Alvi took a year to write the screenplay, facing difficulties in translating the novel from Bengali to Hindi. Principal photography took place in Andheri and Dhanyakuria with cinematographer V. K. Murthy; the film was edited by Y. G. Chawhan. Hemant Kumar composed the soundtrack and Shakeel Badayuni wrote the lyrics.
Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam was released on 29 July 1962. Although it commercially failed with a gross of ₹8.4 million (US$100,000),it garnered positive responses from critics; most appreciation was given to the cast's performances, particularly that of Kumari, and Murthy's cinematography. Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam won four Filmfare Awards, including Best Film, Best Director for Alvi, and Best Actress for Kumari. It also received the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi and the Bengal Film Journalists' Association Award for Sixth Best Indian Film, and Alvi was awarded the Best Director trophy at the latter function. The film was chosen as the Indian submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film but it was not nominated.
Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam became a milestone of Bollywood[citation needed] and is considered among the most important films in Dutt's career.[citation needed] In 2012, its screenplay was published as a book titled Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam: The Original Screenplay, which also contains interviews with the film's cast and crew. On the centenary of Indian cinema in 2013, IBN Live included Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam in their listing of "100 Greatest Indian Films of All Time".[4]
- ^ Rajadhyaksha & Willemen 1998, p. 374.
- ^ "Box Office 1962". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 22 September 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
- ^ "Courtesans in Bollywood: How the tawaif transitioned into 'modern' Indian woman".
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
IBN Top 100 Indian Filmswas invoked but never defined (see the help page).