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Reincarnation in Indian Popular film and Milan (1967)

the film Milan (1967) begins with the narration, "The light of the soul is eternal. It is neither born or does it die. As for every passing existence, death is certain. In the same way we believe that if the desire in the heart is unfulfilled, then again birth take place. But for a person to remember all the things of a previous birth, this happens only to one in 100s of millions. This is the story of one youth, who had full knowledge of his previous birth."

Reincarnation is one of the great themes of the Indian Popular film. From Madhumati (1958) to Karan Arjun(1995) and Kaho Naa Pyar Hai (2000) the theme has hit a very popular chord with the Indian audience. 100s of Bollywood films have been made with a reincarnation story line. If one looks at Hollywood, only a handful of reincarnation themes could be sited. The classic Hollywood example would be Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958). And then Vertigo was about the possibility of reincarnation. In the West reincarnation is most often a fanciful possibility seeped in mystery, and often wrapped in the mystery/suspense genre. In Indian cinema reincarnation is a factual inevitability, and stories of love, revenge, and destiny are fulfilled through it.

The ability to transcend class and caste though reincarnation must absolutely appeal to the Bollywood watching audience. What could not be surmounted in the past life, could be fulfilled and united in the next. Lovers who were denied because of class, religion, or caste can overcome those barriers through reincarnation. The unjustly wronged can gain revenge on a deeply personal level through reincarnation. The boundaries of this life can be transcended through the next and satisfaction can be found on the Bollywood screen, the universe is made to be right. Only the pure and good, full of devotion, are reincarnated to fulfil their goals. If not in this life, then the next.

The laws of Karma would then define the hero and heroine. Karma judges on a benign, uncompromising, and objective scale. Only a true Hero and Heroine, "pure of heart and soul" could be reborn in the next life to fulfil their desires. So reincarnation would seen to be the perfect theme for the Bollywood melodrama. For the Bollywood audience this is a comforting fact. We can sit back and watch destiny take its course. The beauty would then lie in how the story, this time, would unfold.