Kamla Ki Maut is a 1989 Hindi drama film directed by Basu Chatterjee. The story takes place in Mumbai and explores themes of love, pre-marital sex, and relationships in modern Indian society.

The film stars Pankaj Kapoor, Supriya Pathak, Roopa Ganguly, Irrfan, Mrinal Kulkarni, Asha Lata, and Ashutosh Gowariker.

The film is set in a lower-middle-class chawl (apartment building) in Mumbai. A 20-year-old unmarried girl named Kamla, unable to cope with the news of her pregnancy, commits suicide. Her death shocks the neighborhood and makes everyone reflect on their own lives, secrets, and past choices.

The Patels, Kamla’s neighbors, are deeply affected by her death. Sudhakar Patel and his wife Nirmala have two daughters, Geeta and Charu, who are around Kamla’s age and study in the same college. The girls also have boyfriends and some secrets unknown to their parents.

When Sudhakar and Nirmala learn that Kamla’s suicide was caused by a premarital pregnancy, they are reminded of their own past mistakes and experiences from their younger days.

When Nirmala was a teenager, she fell in love with her tutor, who was already married and did not have any romantic feelings for her. He rejected her proposal, which deeply hurt her. Heartbroken, Nirmala tried to commit suicide.

After her suicide attempt, her mother confronted her, but since no one knew the real reason behind it, the family soon arranged her marriage with Sudhakar.

In the present time, Nirmala realizes that her suicide attempt was a big mistake. As a mother, she never wants her daughters to take such a step, no matter how difficult life becomes.

Years ago, a young Sudhakar met a woman named Anju. They were attracted to each other and planned to get married. However, they became intimate before marriage, and Anju became pregnant. When Anju asked Sudhakar to marry her, he persuaded her to have an abortion instead. After the abortion, Sudhakar left Anju and disappeared from her life.

Sudhakar then moved to a new place, where he fell in love with a village girl named Chameli. One day, the two were caught by villagers while being intimate. The villagers and Chameli’s father demanded that Sudhakar marry her, as no one else would accept her. Sudhakar agreed at first, but later got scared because of Chameli’s angry fiancé, who threatened him. Out of fear, Sudhakar ran away, leaving Chameli behind.

Later, Sudhakar found a new job and became friends with Prakash and his beautiful wife, Lakshmi. The three spent a lot of time together, and while Prakash was away on an office trip, Sudhakar and Lakshmi got close and began an affair. When Prakash unexpectedly returned home one night, he found Sudhakar in his house half-dressed and attacked him in anger.

After these events, Sudhakar eventually married Nirmala, and together they had two daughters.

Years later, when Sudhakar visited his village with his family, he met Anju again. She was now married and had children. They greeted each other warmly, like old friends meeting after a long time.

In the present time, Sudhakar tells Nirmala that Anju, whom they had met once, had also become pregnant before marriage, just like Kamla. But unlike Kamla, Anju chose to hide her past, move on, and build a happy life for herself.

Sudhakar explains to Nirmala that Kamla’s real mistake was not getting pregnant before marriage, but ending her life. By committing suicide, she lost the chance to correct her mistake or move past it, something Anju was able to do.

Basu Chatterjee, the director and writer of Kamla Ki Maut, was known for making simple and realistic films about middle-class life and human feelings. In this movie, he handled difficult topics like love, pre-marital sex, guilt, and moral judgment in Indian society with great sensitivity. His direction made the story look real and easy to connect with. The film shows how one tragic event makes people think about their own past mistakes and hidden truths.

Pankaj Kapoor plays Sudhakar Patel, a man who seems respectable but hides a complicated past filled with moral mistakes. His performance brings depth to the film, especially in scenes where he reflects on his past relationships.

Asha Lata plays Nirmala Patel, who also has her own emotional history and regrets. Her portrayal is sensitive and realistic, especially as a mother who wants to protect her daughters from repeating her mistakes.

Together, the cast, guided by Basu Chatterjee’s realistic direction, created a film that remains bold, human, and emotionally honest even decades later.

Kamla Ki Maut was released 36 years ago, a film that revealed a harsh truth of society, the struggles that many women silently endure, which people often refuse to talk about. These bitter realities leave women in deep emotional conflict. They silently bear society’s taunts and their families’ hurtful words as if swallowing a bitter drink. Those who cannot bear it, like Kamla, end up taking their own lives. In truth, it was not Kamla who deserved death, it was people like Sudhakar.

At the 36th Filmfare Awards, Basu Chatterjee won the Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay for this film.

Photo courtesy Google. Excerpts taken from Google.