Aar-Paar is a 1954 Bollywood film by Guru Dutt. I would categorize this film mainly as a Romantic genre because the main plot surrounds Kaalu trying to attain the love of Nikki and gaining the acceptance from her father to marry her. There are various subgenres and themes found throughout the film. One subgenre would be the dichotomy between the rich and the poor as Nikki’s father refuses to accept Kaalu because he is poor. Furthermore, this film also presents the theme of ‘Good versus Evil’ as Kaalu tries to escape the smuggling activities of the Captain. Consequently there are few elements of an action film such as a car race near the end of the movie. Thus, I would classify Aar-Paar as a Romantic film with Action as a subgenre and consisting of underlying themes such as ‘Rich versus Poor’ and ‘Good versus Evil’. Moreover, these genres and themes can be portrayed through the archetypes, stereotypes and songs throughout the film. The three songs that I will analyze from Aar-Paar are “Babuji Dheere Chalna”, “Sun Sun Sun Sun Zaalima”, and “Ja Ja Ja Ja Bewafa”.
In observing the various genres and themes within this film, there are many archetypes and stereotypes. Nikki’s father, Laaji, represents the archetype of a ‘despotic’ father as he bans Kaalu from meeting Nikki. However, he eventually gives-in at the end and accepts Kaalu. On the other hand, Kaalu represents the archetype of a ‘Noble’ hero. He has certain goals in the film such as winning the heroine’s heart and achieving material success to support his future family by owning a taxi. He exemplifies the qualities of a ‘good’ Indian boy as he respects his elders and demonstrates a strong ambition for success. Kaalu also maintains the stereotype of a hero as he is considered to always be good (for example, he strives to prove his innocence by taking Nikki to meet the Jailer), he can fight, sing, and most importantly, seeks the path of ‘good’ even when given the opportunity for evil. Also, Kaalu demonstrates the stereotype of social classes as he is poor and portrayed as a simple and gentle person at heart. Similarly, Nikki represents the archetype of the ‘pure’ heroine as she is demure and non-threatening. She is seen as the embodiment of delicate beauty, especially in the eyes of the hero. Nikki also maintains the stereotype of a heroine as she is always good. This is seen when Nikki is unable to leave her father and elope with Kaalu. In contrast, the Captain represents the archetype of a villain as he is heavily associated with various symbols and acts of ‘evil’. For example, he is involved with smuggling, uses ‘evil’ technologies such as guns, and plans on robbing the bank. Consistent with the stereotype of social classes, the villain has abundant wealth and thus portrayed as a bad person. However, this villain moves away from the physical stereotype of a villain who would have a mole and/ or moustache. Furthermore, the Dancer represents the archetype of a vamp in category ‘a’ as a Night Club Girl as she is seen dancing in a ‘Western’ nightclub setting. The Dancer is heavily associated with the Captain and is considered the Captain’s Moll and consequently she is arrested with the villain at the end of the film. Rustom represents the archetype of a comedic figure as he is usually seen lighting up the situation by making comments about his weak body build. Thus, there are many archetypical and stereotypical characters in Aar-Paar. “Babuji Dheere Chalna” is a Night Club Song sung and danced by the vamp character near the beginning of the movie. The picturization of this song consists of the hero, Kaalu, in the hotel where the Dancer dances in front other people drinking and smoking. The arrangement of this song is as follows; Intro, Mukhada, First Interlude, First Anthara, Mukhada, Second Interlude, Second Anthara, Mukhada, Third Interlude, Third Anthara, Mukhada, Outro. The meter of this song is in ‘4’ and there is an on-beat on the first beat. The Intro starts slowly with chords on an accordian and quickly moves to a faster rhythm. A tambourine can also be heard in the background. Also, a lower pitched accordian compliments the main (higher pitched) accordian and acts as a bass. When the higher pitched accordian has a sustained tone, the lower pitched accordian has more moving notes. On the other hand, when the higher pitched accordian has more moving notes, the lower pitched accordian plays few accented notes. There is a quick pause before the Mukhada starts and the accordian exits and a thabla enters in the background. There is also a subtle sound of strings being bowed in the background and is in melodic unison with the voice in the foreground. Furthermore, when the voice pauses or stops singing, the accordian moves to the foreground. Following the Mukhada is a short interlude with the accordian in the foreground. Then the accordian exits and the thabla accompanies the First Anthara. After the First Anthara there is a repetition of the Mukhada. Afterwards, similar to the First Interlude, there is a short Second Interlude with the accordian in the foreground. This pattern continues for the Second Anthara, Mukhada, Third Interlude, Third Anthara, and Mukhada. After the last repetition of the Mukhada is played, a phrase of the Mukhada is used in the Outro of the song. The purpose of this song is to characterize the vamp character in the film. In terms of lyrics, this song seems to foreshadow the deceit that Kaalu will encounter throughout the movie.
“Sun Sun Sun Sun Zaalima” is a Romantic song under the category of Expressing the ‘Inexpressible’ as Kaalu and Nikki playfully flirt with each other. In this song, Kaalu expresses his love for Nikki but Nikki teasingly denies it. The arrangement of this song is as follows; Intro/Mukhada, First Interlude, First Anthara, Mukhada, Second Interlude, Second Anthara, Mukhada, Third Interlude, Third Anthara, Mukhada, and Outro. The meter of this song is in ‘4’ and there is an on-beat on the first beat. The Intro of this song starts with the Mukhada. There are strings in the background which are being bowed and are one octave higher than the singers. Also, the strings are in melodic unison with the voices. These strings continue in the background for the whole song. There are also small ‘fillings’ of the mandolin being played when the singers pause to catch a breath. In the Interlude, the strings accompany but are not in unison with the mandolin and flute being played in the foreground. There is harmony in the strings at the end of the interlude. Afterwards, in the Anthara, a thabla enters in the background and is played throughout the song only when the male voice of the Anthara is being sung. Each Mukhada and Anthara can be divided into two parts by which the hero and heroine have a call and response type conversation. The rest of the song continues in a similar pattern in the arrangement mentioned above. However, the Outro of this song consists of a slight variation of the Mukhada.
“Ja Ja Ja Ja Bewafa” is a Song of Pathos that Nikki sings near the end of the movie. This song is similar to a previous song in the film, “Sun Sun Sun Sun Zaalima”, however with a slower tempo. The picturization of this song consists of Nikki walking and singing in sorrow with tears in her eyes around her house while her father is seen playing chess with his friend. The purpose of this song is to let the audience feel Nikki’s level of sorrow. The arrangement of this song is as follows; Intro, Mukhada, First Interlude, First Anthara, Mukhada, Second Interlude, Second Anthara, Mukhada, and Outro. The meter of this song is in ‘3’.The Intro starts with Nikki humming in the foreground and in the background there is a group of stringed instruments that are being bowed. There is also a subtle bass drum in the background. This group of bowed stringed instruments and bass drum continues for the whole song. In the Mukhada, there is a crescendo in the dynamics of the lyrics Ja Ja Ja Ja. Moreover, each ‘Ja’ is being accented. As the song goes into the First Interlude, the stringed instruments move to the foreground and she is not singing. She continues singing in the First Anthara which is subsequently followed by the repetition of the Mukhada. After the Mukhada is the Second Interlude in which there is a strings instrumental which is shorter than the First Interlude. The Second Anthara is musically similar to the First Anthara however with different lyrics. Once again, there is a repetition of the Mukhada. Finally, a phrase of the Mukhada concludes the Outro of this song.
In conclusion, the arrangement, instruments, and other aspects of the music of these three songs, “Babuji Dheere Chalna”, “Sun Sun Sun Sun Zaalima”, and “Ja Ja Ja Ja Bewafa”, help to characterize the characters, feelings, and even the genre of the film Aar-Paar.