Saptapadi (1961 film)

Saptapadi (transl. Seven Steps) is a 1961 Indian Bengali-language Epic romantic drama film by Ajoy Kar, starring Suchitra Sen, Uttam Kumar, Chhabi Biswas and Chhaya Debi. Music direction and playback singing for Kumar's voice was by Hemanta Mukherjee and in Sen's voice by Sandhya Mukherjee. The story is based on a 1958 same name novel by Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay. This is regarded as one of the greatest romantic films in the history of Bengali cinema. The film went on to become the highest grossing Bengali film in 1961. It was featured retrospectively at the 45th IFFI in the "homage section" of Indian panorama.
The story takes place in pre-independence India (early 1940) when young Indian students were competing equally with Anglo-Indians in all fields, whether it be education or sports. Krishnendu Mukherjee, a young Bengali Hindu medical student falls in love with an equally talented and attractive Anglo-Indian Christian woman named Rina Brown. Both are students at the Calcutta Medical College and become close while meeting at many sports and cultural events. There is an interesting rendition of Othello within the movie; that portion of the movie was directed by Utpal Dutt. However marriage is not on the cards for them due to their differences in religion, it is particularly opposed by Krishnendu's dad, a staunch, conservative Hindu, and they go their own ways only to unexpectedly meet again later in life.
Most of the movie is presented in flashbacks with Krishnendu pondering over the past after unexpectedly encountering a drunk and passed out Rina in a military hospital in returns.
Saptapadi is reunion of Kumar and Ajay Kar with there production house Alochaya Productions after the mammoth success of Harano Sur. The film was adapted from Tarashankar's 1958 novel Saptapadi. Kumar impressed with the story and brought the rights of the novel. The plot was set in Second World war in 1942 with flashback scene. In the novel's ending Krishendu dies, but for the audience point of view production team decided to change the film ending that Krishnendu doesn't die and again joins with Rina Brown. Atfirst Tarashankar not agreed to changing this end. But makers convinced him because of Bengali audience who not accepted sad ending and Uttam Suchitra separation.
Suchitra Sen finalized for the film as expected. But he demanding the high salary of 1 lakh which was very high at that time. Then production team convincing her then finally she reduced her salary. There also a rumored that there was an ego fight between Kumar and Sen during this period.
Shooting commenced in late 1959. But during the production Uttam's father dies. So film shooting was stopped. Later in late 1960 shooting started again but Kumar busy with other films and Sen also a busy artists so there lack of days to shoot, finally the film shooting completed in 1961. For the film Kumar and Sen practiced dance and reading Shakespeare. The Othello play scene in the film had Kumar's voice-over by Utpal Dutta and Sen's voice-over by Jennifer Kapoor.
Kumar was a Mohun Bagan football fan, and in the football match scene he wanted to play in a Mohun Bagan jersey, but there was none available so he don't want to shoot the scene. Sen who was an East Bengal fan hearing this she forced to him to shoot either she leaved the film. So Kumar played instead in an East Bengal jersey.
The famous bike sequence from the song Ei Path Jodi Na Sesh Hoe Uttam and Suchitra did not ride the bike at all that day. The BMW bike on which this song was shot was not on the star duo ar all. Film critic Swapan Kumar Mallick unearths the famous scene in his book Mahanayak Revisited : The World of Uttam Kumar said the director Ajay Kar manipulated the close-up shots to shoot the bike scene. Multiple dummies were used in long shots. Uttam Suchitra didn't ride that BMW bike.
Saptapadi's music was directed by Hemant Kumar, with lyrics by Gauriprasanna Mazumder. The song "Ei Path Jodi Na" was sung by Hemanta for Kumar and by Sandhya for Sen.
During the advance booking there was long queue and police was lathi charged for the craze. The film was released at Durga Puja on 20 October 1961. There was huge craze for the film because this was the comeback of Uttam-Suchitra pair more than two years after Chaoa Pawa in 1959. The film was released with another Kumar film Dui Bhai.
Saptapadi entered in Moscow Film Festival in July 1963 with English subtitle as Seven Steps and nominated for Grand Pix Award.
Saptapadi received overwhelming response from both critics and audiences. It's regarded as one of the greatest and most popular romantic Bengali film ever and still impressing this generation.
In an article of 2021 Get Bengal wrote that Saptapadi was not only a romantic masterpiece but it's a message to the hated. In today’s times of widening religious divides, this film is an essential reminder of the hollowness and damage-causing potential of bigotry, and the healing power of love.
The Print wrote in 2019 The film’s theme rings too familiar a bell in today’s time, with a significant rise in threats to couples marrying outside their faith. The film is a reminder of what could happen when religious beliefs are allowed to overrule feelings of love — it can lead to disaster and despair. And while many such stories have happy endings, reality will be far from being so kind.
The film was massive success at the box office and breaking all the previous records. It's become all-time blockbuster and ran for 105 days in theater and collected over four times more from the budget. The film become highest grossing Bengali film in 1961. At the same time Dui Bhai was released which starring also Uttam, that also become superhit.
The song Ei Path Jodi Na Sesh Hoe become evergreen blast hit and most popular romantic song in the history of Bengali cinema and the iconic bike sequence from that song remembering as one of the greatest romantic scenes ever. The song still popular among the Bengali audience and used many cultural event and social issues.