Why Woh 7 Din Is More than Just a Love Story

It’s by chance that I sat down to watch an old Hindi movie, Woh 7 Din, starring Naseerudin Shah, Anil Kapoor and Padmini Kohlapure. I didn’t expect to be so involved with the movie but watch it and you’ll know what I mean. The movie has nothing of today’s type of cinema – cheesy dialogues, ethereal music, visual effects; dazzling costumes by the best fashion designers, brilliant sets for dancing, foreign locations for songs, and not even the top stars who represent the Who’s who of Bollywood. In fact, the hero starring Anil Kapoor made his debut through this simple love story that has lots of family drama and very little glamor.

Village Belle’s One Sided Love

It’s a simple love story about a young village girl called Maya (Padmini Kohlapure) who tries in vain to attract the attention and win the heart of Prem, the young wanna-be music director (Anil Kapoor) who has only one thing in mind, namely, music. Chottu, played by Master Rajoo, is such a fantastic character of a village boy who follows the music director as a side kick and gets involved in the love story by helping the heroine to win over the hero.

The movie’s got so many funny moments as she tries all ways to get the handsome young man to notice her. Even the glimpse of the beautiful heroine in her bath does not deter the determined music lover from his passion and love for music. It is only the song she is singing that interests him so he delves into the raga’s intricacies with great enthusiasm.

Twists, Turns and Love’s Pace Perks Up

Just when you give up hope and think that this dude is never going to see anything other than the battered looking harmonium instrument he carries in his arms like a lover, bingo! He falls in love with the lovely damsel but again, he is not your typical hero. Nothing that is inappropriate or dishonest is acceptable for our hero because his conscience and heart is governed by his devotion to music.

However, the movie delves into relevant, serious layers of discussion, marking the story teller’s ability to bring in twists and turns that we, as viewers, can still relate to. Prem and Maya decide to marry and she suggests running off. However, the hero says that when we are not doing anything wrong, why should we run off? They decide to wait for dawn and seek blessings of her parents. Just when you feel glad for them, the hero is beaten up very badly by the village men and the heroine is taken away by her angry mother.

One of the village goons say, “Serves you right for eyeing a girl from our mohalla.”

In Love, Some Promises are Meant to Fail

This movie bares the critical prejudices that villagers and families in India have when it comes to marriage. Then and now, couples in love are beaten up or killed in the name of family honor, caste and what not.

Finally, Maya gets married off against her will to Dr. Anand, the picture perfect husband that Indian mothers typically hunt for. He’s a doctor and a widower, with a beautiful home and a loving mother. He marries a second time because his mother is dying and wants his daughter to have a proper mother and the son to have a wife back in his life. When Maya tells him the story of her failed love, the good doctor promises to find Prem and reunite them, provided she keeps his mother happy for the few days that his mother is alive.

Dr. Anand fulfils his promise and brings Prem to Maya. A shocked Prem says to him that this is not proper because Maya is his wife, no matter what happened in the past. The kind doctor tells him that she has been waiting only for Prem and that the couple can divorce so that she is free to marry Prem.

Divorce is for Western People, Not for us

Prem says, “Divorce is for Western people, not for us, Indians. We believe marriage is forever. Once a girl is married, her husband becomes the center of her existence. No other person has a place in a woman’s heart once the mangalsutra is tied with the blessings of God and elders and the seven steps are taken around the sacred fire, it is done once and for all.

” This is a villager’s advice and I loved it. Of course, it’s a different thing that we are smarter and make our choices more intelligently because we are a superior species, or so, we, the educated ones, like to believe and unknowingly, think lowly of those who haven’t been as lucky.

[Swapna Raghu Sanand is the author of this post and a strong crusader of the belief that justice is every citizen’s legal right. In her journey of life, she believes that Law Is Greek holds the power to touch and transform thousands of lives, meaningfully, every hour of every day.]