Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam

Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Abrar Alvi
Screenplay by	Abrar Alvi Bimal Mitra
Based on	Saheb Bibi Golam by Bimal Mitra
Produced by	Guru Dutt
Starring	Meena Kumari Guru Dutt Rehman Waheeda Rehman
Cinematography	V. K. Murthy
Edited by	Y. G. Chawhan
Music by	Hemant Kumar Shakeel Badayuni (film song lyrics)
Production company	Guru Dutt Movies Pvt. Ltd.
Release date	29 July 1962 (1962-07-29)
Running time	152 minutes[1]
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Box office	₹8.4 million[2]

Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (transl. The Master, the Wife, and the Slave) is a 1962 Indian Hindi-language drama film that was directed by Abrar Alvi and produced by Guru Dutt, who also co-stars in it alongside Meena Kumari, Rehman, and Waheeda Rehman. The film, which is based on Bimal Mitra's Bengali-language novel Saheb Bibi Golam (1953) which was the second adaptation of the novel after the 1956 Bengali film with the same title Saheb Bibi Golam starring Sumitra Devi, Uttam Kumar and Chhabi Biswas. Having seen the novel and its staged version, Dutt wanted to adapt Saheb Bibi Golam into a film, was set in the 19th century during the British Raj and focuses on Bhoothnath (Dutt), who meets Chhoti Bahu (Kumari), the lonely wife of a zamindar (Rehman). The film follows Chhoti Bahu's effort to keep her husband—who likes drinking and watching tawaifs perform—at their home by drinking with him. She becomes addicted to alcohol, leading both of them into bankruptcy.^[3]

The book's rights were bought after his production venture Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960) became commercially successful and covered his company's loss following the failure of Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), his previous directorial project. Mitra and Alvi took a year to write the screenplay, facing difficulties in translating the novel from Bengali to Hindi. Principal photography took place in Andheri and Dhanyakuria with cinematographer V. K. Murthy; the film was edited by Y. G. Chawhan. Hemant Kumar composed the soundtrack and Shakeel Badayuni wrote the lyrics.

Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam was released on 29 July 1962. Although it commercially failed with a gross of ₹8.4 million (US$100,000),it garnered positive responses from critics; most appreciation was given to the cast's performances, particularly that of Kumari, and Murthy's cinematography. Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam won four Filmfare Awards, including Best Film, Best Director for Alvi, and Best Actress for Kumari. It also received the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi and the Bengal Film Journalists' Association Award for Sixth Best Indian Film, and Alvi was awarded the Best Director trophy at the latter function. The film was chosen as the Indian submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film but it was not nominated.

Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam became a milestone of Bollywood^{[citation needed]} and is considered among the most important films in Dutt's career.^{[citation needed]} In 2012, its screenplay was published as a book titled Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam: The Original Screenplay, which also contains interviews with the film's cast and crew. On the centenary of Indian cinema in 2013, IBN Live included Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam in their listing of "100 Greatest Indian Films of All Time".^[4]