Pyar Ki Jeet

(1962)

One day a young Queen is in the forest to hunt. Pundarik, who is doing a study of pair of a birds suddenly finds the Queen aiming an arrow at one of the pair, he shoos the birds away and saves its life. The Queen is is angry and argues with the respectful Pundarik, but she is fascinated by the young artist and hints at her love for him, when he walks away. Later that night she secretly visits his hut, to find that the artist has already a devoted girl friend, Chitralekha, the daughter of Guru Sharnghdar of Painting academy. Chitralekha is happy in her love but is too shy to reveal in to Pundarik. Pundarik is tortured between duty and love, he cannot concentrate on his art, for he can think of nothing but Chitralekha. To him all beauty is centered in he and his work suffers and he refuses to admit to himself that he is in love. Pundarik is finally so much distracted that he quietly leaves the ashram to go to his mother. His mother is happy and more so later when Pundarik paints a portarait of his late father. However Pundarik acutely feels his separation from Chitralekha and absent mindedly paints her portrait. The mother shrewdly knows his mind and starts of Sharangadhar's ashram in order to ask of the Guru, Chitralekhas hand in marriage for Pundarik. But just then Chitralekha herself comes with a royal order received at the artist Pundarik at the royal court, for painting project at Ajanta. The lovers now meet, only to part again. For Pundark declares it is his duty to go to court to immortalise life with his art and thus repay the debt of his Guru who has taught him all these years. The Guru approves of this, as well as of Chitralekha's engagement to Pundrik. The King assigns to him the task of painting at Ajanta but the Queen intervenes to insist that the artist must first prove himself to be one. Pundarik agrees, and the King says that the the test should be the Queen's portrait, to be done in the next few days. The Queen takes over the artist in her charge. At the palace the Queen is doing her utmost to tempt Pundarik who however remains indifferent to her. She is furious, and to the King who unecpectedly returns at that time, she complains that Pundarik has attempted to outrage her modesty. The King is very angry and hands Pundarik over to the Queen to give him the punishment of her hearts desire. The Queen takes away Pundarik to a lonely cave in the mountains and shuts him up until he should agree to her wishes. At the cave Chitralekha has found a small opening through which she establishes voice contact with her improsoned lover. He is restless without the means to express himself. Chitralekha passes to him painting materals through the opening and soon he starts to paint. The Queen goes to the cave and finds that Pundarik has painted a picture. Chitralekha disguised as holy woman arrives on the spot but the Queen unkasks the holy woman. In a towering rage the Queen orders the cave to be walled up so that Pundarik may die inside by suffocation. There upon the desperate Chitralekha escapes from the Queen and rushes to the King for a final appeal. At the court she dances and sings, and her words reveal her charge against the Queen. The King is angry, and at the Queens instigation he is about to sentence Chitralekha to death, when the monk arrives to intervene, The monk urges the King to verify the truth of the case before committing any hasty action, The King agreess and all reapair to the cave as it is being walled up.