June 4th was the birth anniversary of Nutan. So this post is a late tribute to one of Hindi cinema’s acting greats. Presenting Paradh (meaning hunting), a Marathi movie starring Nutan and other Hindi movie actors. Possibly the only Marathi movie of Nutan, it was also made in Hindi as Anjaam (1978).

The Plot

The story begins with Seth Dinanath (Shreeram Lagoo) arriving at a mansion. He has recently purchased it for Rs 20 lakhs. He is greeted by an old servant Sadoba (Dhumal) working for the previous owners. As he is settling down in his new property, strange things start happening. The lights flicker, windows bang, a painting frame crashes. He feels the presence of someone in the mansion and hears a supposedly haunting song. Is the place haunted?

As he is wandering about the place looking for an explanation, he is met by an old lady. This is Vidya (Nutan), who was the previous owner of the mansion. She thanks him for the purchase and helping her in her difficulties. He tells her about his intention to build a cancer hospital on this property in memory of his late wife.

Vidya notices the fallen frame. The painting is of her late husband Thakur (Ramesh Deo). She continues to narrate her story to Dinanath who is intrigued in general by all the happenings since he has arrived.

Time for a long flashback. After initial issues, Vidya and Thakur are leading a happily married life and Vidya is expecting their child. However Thakur owes one Seth Dharamdas (P. Jairaj) a lot of money and he is required to pay monthly instalments without fail.

Vidya delivers a boy but Thakur gets killed in an accident on his way to the hospital. The boy grows up as Sunil (Sachin) studying in Maharaja college. His friend and soon to be fiancee is Seema (Sarika). Sunil is an outstanding student and wins all the awards in the annual function. He is awarded by Raja Saab (Gajanan Jagirdar) who invites him to his palace.

Sunil is angry when he comes to know of the money owed to Dharamdas. Vidya has been selling her jewellery to repay the money all these years. And the day is not far away when the family mansion will have to be sold. Sunil meets Dharamdas requesting him an extension for the payment but he refuses to show any sympathy. By chance, Sunil saves the life of Shrikant Moghe (who works for Dharamdas). In return he receives a substantial amount of money which helps him repay the full debt of Dharamdas.

Sunil also gets a job in Shrikant Moghe’s office. His boss is Shekhar (Chandrashekar). Things couldn’t have been better. He is also looking forward to get married to Seema who has been visiting their house frequently and Vidya approves of her too. But tragedy is waiting to strike.

Unknown to Sunil, Dharamdas is running a smuggling ring and Shekhar and Shrikant Moghe are part of the gang. When Sunil comes to know the real picture, he is forced to steal a Nataraj statue worth Rs 2 crores from Raja Saab’s palace. Sunil is successful but refuses to give the statue to Dharamdas and team. Vidya hides the statue in the mansion while Sunil calls the police. However Sunil gets killed before the police arrive. Later, a sorrowful Seema commits suicide. Vidya completes her narration.

What happens next is the twist in the story leading to a startling revelation in the climax.

The Music

Ram Kadam gives some catchy music. Ajun athawe ti raat pawsali is a romantic song sung by Chandrashekhar Gadgil. The haunting Ye na sajali is sung by Suman Kalyanpur. But the big surprise is Nutan singing and dancing to Saang sakhya tuja kay hawe? Great effort for a difficult composition! One has to wonder why she didn’t sing more in her hey days.

My Thoughts

As mentioned, this is possibly Nutan’s only film with 2 language versions. She acts effortlessly and lights up the screen with her presence especially during the twist in the end. Then there is a long list of Hindi movie actors including Sachin, Sarika, P. Jairaj, Chandrashekhar and Jagdish Raj but the non Marathi speaking  actors’ voices are dubbed. The spooky atmosphere keeps the viewer guessing as to where the story is really leading to. The thriller element and final reveal are worth watching and of course, Nutan.