But yes, the rivalry, or more appropriately, the competition of these two actresses is all well known. However, I would rather call it as healthy competition — the two did not indulge in cheap politics or dirty games to win the upper hand, instead tried to excel themselves and with that tried to surpass the other person. The result is a masterpiece, one after other, which audience and viewers devour with great delight. There are far too many movies in which either of the two actresses have acted, yet others where both had roles, though supporting roles, e.g., Mandi (1983). The number of movies where they confronted each other is very small. To pursue this discussion I have selected one scene from the final moments of the movie Arth (1982).

Again, if you pursue the dialogues closely, you would have a fairly good idea of the movie storyline. Still, just to acquaint you with Smita Patil’s state of mind, I have chosen to start the scene a little earlier than the actual confrontation. In the beginning moments of this clip, Dina Pathak tells Shabana Azmi about Smita Patil’s predicament and requests her earnestly to pay her a visit.

Now let us begin our discussion with looking for details. The light arrangement in the room on one side accentuates the intense expressions on Smita’s face, the design of sofa and cushions, and on the other hand, lends a smooth texture to Shabana’s face, giving it even more innocent and calm appearance. There is no background music or any other sound, except in the first and final few seconds, so that even Smita’s whispers reverberate through a seemingly empty room. The two actresses look straight into each other’s eyes throughout the scene, again except for a few seconds towards the end of the scene, indicating a direct confrontation. This is unlike other scenes we had discussed earlier.