Arzoo

(1950)

Born in the same village, Kamini and Badal, the two dreamers were made for each other. Childhood playmates became young sweethearts. But her father wanted Badal to be self supporting before he would allow them to get married, otherwise he had a better match in view- the rich young Thakur of the village. Kamini persuaded Badal into going and looking for a job in the nearby town. Not being able to stay away from Kamini for long, Badal returned. Kamini disappointed at his lack of responsibility, gave him a piece of her mind. Badal in a huff, decided to go back to town without telling anyone, and make good there. Though poor of pocket, he was generous of heart. He gave up his little room to an ailing beggar (whom he had bumped into outside his house), and left for town immediately. An accidental fire in his house that night rendered the blind beggar's body unrecognizable. Not having know of his presence there, everybody throught it was Badal's. Kamini was broken with no ray of life in her and she was married to the ardent and adoring hands of the innocent Thakur who was not aware of Kamini's state of mind. She would honour and obey, but waited only for the day she sould die, the day she would meet r Badal. Badal come back. Heraring of her marriage, he went to see her full of accusation, completely broken, Kamini asked him to forget her. Unware of her emotional conflict, full of bitterness and venegeance, badal managed to interest her sister-in-law, Kamla in himself and thus he came to the house often, ostensibly see Kamla, but actually only to hurt Kamini. Shattered by this turn of affairs, Kamini tried to appeal both to Kamla and Badal, but in vain. She took to saying strange things, so that Thakur wondered a little fearfully sometimes, whether his wife was mad. And then, on Kamla's birthday, Badal had a play staged at the Thakur's house. It was Badal's version of his and Kamini's romance. But in the middle of the play Kamini shouted " It is a lie, it is a lie". Now what?