Frame 1 - Sharmila visits Dharmendra's family house and is asked by his sister to take him a cup of chai. For the first time she is introduced to Dharmendra's environment. She silently brings him the tea. Dharmendra is so immersed in his writing he is unaware of her presence. The camera is watching and does not represent the point of view of either character but observes how the characters interact from a 'fourth wall' perspective.

Frame 2 - Dharmendra realizes that Sharmila is there and begins to tell her about the story he is writing. He holds the manuscript between them. This is the third character in the relationship, that of the story Dharmendra is writing about/for Sharmila, the camera reflects this by placing it between them. The camera watches both characters equally in the same frame. The elements of the film techniques of point of view and shot - reverse shot are not present, instead the camera chooses to view the scene from the theatrical fourth wall of the audience.

Frame 3 - Dharmendra narrates the story he his writing to Sharmila and she listens. The characters no longer look at each other but to opposite sides of the frame at nothing in particular. If they see anything at all, it is the words that Dharmendra is speaking. At this point both of the characters visual point of view has dissolved completely. The way the shot is staged illustrates and reinforces this conceit. Sharmila's character has now transcended into the realm of imagination.

Frame 4 -This could be considered the antithesis of a point of view shot. Dharmendra continues to narrate his story. Dharmendra has not changed position from where he is viewed in frame 3, it is the camera that has changed position. Sharmila was not even looking in his direction when the camera changed shots. The implications of this shot have nothing to do with the very direct visual language talked about in the first example on page 1. The meaning of this shot is symbolic and metaphoric. Behind Dharmendra's right is a portrait of the Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore symbolic of the transformative power of words. Behind Dharmendra's left is a window to the outside, symbolic of liberation. In Dharmendra's hands at the bottom of the frame is his manuscript that is the catalyst for change. The shot is like an altar with symbols representing the films offerings to Sharmila.

Sharmila's character evolves in the course of "Anupama". Director Hrishikesh Mukherjee and cinematographer Jaywant Pathare subtly illustrate this transformation through sophisticated manipulation of filmic techniques, a few of which I've given example of here.

*(As movie trivia asides, "Anupama" was nominated for 'Film of the Year' at the 1966 Filmfare Awards, the award though went to Vijay Anand's "Guide". Jaywant Pathare won the Filmfare Award the same year for his cinematography for "Anupama". It is interesting that the Bengali writer Rabindranath Tagore is on the wall of Dharmendra's room. Sharmila Tagore, the main character of "Anupama" comes from the same family and is directly related to the Nobel Prize winning poet.)