The climax of Mahesh Bhatt's Arth, in which the protagonist walks away from her wayward husband instead of reconciling, was dismissed as suicidal by distributors and exhibitors. Even top filmmakers warned the director that the film was headed for box office doom.
However, Bhatt, as revealed in a new book titled The Ashes are Warm: Memories of a Lifetime Spent With UG Krishnamurti, refused to conform. The 1982 film starring Shabana Azmi, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, and Smita Patil went on to become a critical hit, still remembered for its unconventional storyline.
A Career Revival
The film gave Bhatt's career a new lease of life after a decade of flops such as Vishwasghaat and Naya Daur. It was nearly reshaped to fit conventional expectations, but Bhatt held his ground, as he tells author Sunita Pant Bansal in the book.
Arth, which also stars Raj Kiran, is a semi-autobiographical drama centered on infidelity, abandonment, and a woman's journey to self-discovery. In the end, Pooja (Shabana Azmi) chooses to walk away from her husband (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) and also the empathetic friend (Raj Kiran) who wants a life with her.
Distributors' Reaction
Bhatt wrote: 'Screening after screening, distributors came, shook their heads, and said: No, it won't work. Change the ending. Change the ending.' The final print, despite stellar performances by the cast and music by Jagjit Singh, was treated like an orphan.
According to the 77-year-old filmmaker, even those he admired, including his guru Raj Khosla and star director Vijay Anand, joined the chorus and urged him to modify what they termed a suicidal climax.
'India, they said, is a traditional country. A wayward husband, when he returns like a prodigal child, must be embraced by the wife. That is what the culture demands. Anything else will be rejected,' he added.
Strength from UG Krishnamurti
The filmmaker drew strength from the radical ideas of philosopher UG Krishnamurti, whose critique of tradition and social conditioning shaped Bhatt's resolve.
'Tradition is only a high-sounding word behind which you hide to protect your patriarchal worldviews. Tradition is your unwillingness to change. All these assurances -- God, ideology, society -- they exist only to prevent the release of what is already there,' Bhatt said, quoting Krishnamurti.
The Turning Point
Arth finally released in 1983, the very day India won the World Cup, at Plaza in Delhi. Bhatt recalled the day in detail.
'I remember pacing through Connaught Place during intermission, July heat pressing down, heart clenched with doubt. By the time I returned, the defining moment had arrived. Shabana asks, If I had done the same thing, would you take me back? He says no. She says goodbye.'
'From the front rows came applause -- not from the balcony, too refined for that, but from the heart of the audience. And in that applause I felt it -- Mahesh Bhatt had made it! The suicidal climax had worked.'
Bhatt also credited producer Kuljit Pal for backing his vision despite the risks and described the film as a turning point in his career.
Priced at Rs 495 and published by Rupa, The Ashes are Warm is Bhatt's private jottings, recounting his memories of his anti-guru Krishnamurti with what he describes as a ruthless and unflinching honesty.
