Madhumati

On the surface, it may seem like an ordinary story about a village girl falling for a city boy and their love affair cut short by the lust of a wicked villain. But if you look closely, you would see a much greater story - the story of how Man destroys Nature out of his greed and lust and how Nature takes her revenge and never stops to haunt him for his misdeeds.

Madhumati represents Nature, in all her effervescent beauty, in all her creative agility and strength. Vyajayanthimala depicts her as so completely one with the wilderness that she might be mistaken for a deer or a peacock or any other creature of the forests. She sprints about mountain turfs and valleys effortlessly like a rivulet. She is Nature herself.

She is also the lonely mountain girl. In her song, we hear her intense yearning echoing in the valleys:

“Aaja re…pardesi...
Mai to kab se khadi is paar
Ye ankhiyan thak gayin panth nihaar”

In the beginning, she remains concealed from Anand (Dilip Kumar). Like most creatures of nature, she is fearful of someone new. But when she sees that he is a good man, a harmless man, she presents herself before him. Then there is a lot of natural freeness in her being, a pure childlike innocence which acts intuitively.

We find that she Is a free-spirited young girl. She lives with her father, who was the king of the region at one time. So, in a way, she is a princess. But, with changing times, her family lost the royal title and they now live a simple life.

Soon Madhumati allows herself to fall in love with Anand. She confesses her love for him, with a very natural ease. Actually, she's the first one to vocalize love between them. It happens as a song:

“tumhari ho chuki hu mai, mujhe tumse pyar hai” 
(I have become yours. I love you)

Anand’s employer, the estate owner Ugranarain (Pran), represents the evil in Man, who is cutting down the forest, who treats people worse than animals, and has his eyes set on Madhumati. He tricks her into his trap and tries to overpower her but she escapes and jumps from the terrace to save her honour. Such is her fate.

But her story does not end there. Her real strength is seen after her death. She continues to stay in spirit with Anand. When he finds her lookalike and considers loving her, Madhumati exerts restrain, as if to say that she was more than just a pretty face. He fell in love with her whole being, not just her face. This is a thought-provoking idea.

In the climax, we find that she herself appears before Ugranarain, as if to say that she doesn't need anyone else to avenge her. She is capable of avenging her own self if she so desires. 

Finally, we see that she leads Anand off to the same terrace and makes him jump from there. They are thus united in death.