The story line of "Barsaat" follows a theme that was central to many of Hindi Popular Cinema's films of the late 1940s and 1950s (more precisely, the two decades following Indian independence), the corruption of the urban upon the innocent soul of the countryside. It was a question and issue within the public consciousness and collective psyche that played itself out and conversed to the nation as romantic dramas in darkened theaters projected on movie screens. The urban and the rural, as two lovers from completely different backgrounds, passionately drawn to each other and clashing with mutual passion often to a tragic * 'post-interval', but by the end finding a reconciliation and often resurrection of the urban to a deeper, noble metamorphosis, which was often a sacrifice, to the traditions of the rural. These films were all grand, lightly veiled metaphors for a changing India in headlong transformation.

The above photograph of Nargis and Raj Kapoor is one of the most lasting images of Hindi Popular Cinema. It is the famous embrace on a moonlit night as Nargis has rushed to Raj Kapoor in secret. The more one learns about Bollywood, the deeper this single image becomes. A whole book about Hindi Popular Cinema could stem from this one image. If you are new to Bollywood this concept could seem totally mysterious, however the whole history of Bollywood, and even the present day reverberates from this image. I return to it from time to time, I even have it hanging on my wall...