All posts by GGaurav

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About GGaurav

I am passionate about old movies, songs and trivia.

Janam Janam Ke Phere (1957)

My Reviews,

Manmohan Desai (born 26 February 1937) was one of the most renowned directors of Hindi Cinema. His early 70s films like Sachaa Jhutha, Raampur Kaa Lakshman, Roti, Aa Gale Lag Jaa were successful. But he achieved greater recognition with muti-starrer masala entertainers like Amar Akbar Anthony, Parvarish, Dharamveer, Chacha Bhatija, Naseeb, Desh Premee and Coolie. With megastar Amitabh Bachchan featuring in almost all of them. The plot was not always great on logic but it was entertainment guaranteed.

His filmography reveals he has been a director since the late 1950s with films like Chhalia, Bluffmaster, Budtameez and Kismat to his credit. His debut was at the age of 20 with the 1957 release “Janam Janam Ke Phere” (JJKP) where he is credited as Manoo Desai for some reason. It was his home production as the film was produced by his brother Subhash Desai and dedicated to their father Kiku Bhai Desai. So over to JJKP.

The Plot

JJKP’s beginning explains its context. Lord Vishnu (Mahipal) is conversing with goddess Lakshmi. He points to the earth and talks about human birth. A baby grows up to an adult man. And man is surrounded by vices or enemies of the mind like Kaam (Desire or lust), Krodh (Anger), Lobh (Greed), Mada (Ego) etc. In short, he has to face them throughout his life and find a way around them.

We are introduced to a middle aged couple Mahapatra and Kamala. They are childless but soon blessed with a boy thanks to their devotion to God. However they are warned that the boy may grow up to be fully astik (i.e. theist or a believer in God) or nastik (atheist/non-believer). 15 years pass and the boy Raghu grows up, fully devoted to God. But things are about to change. The enemies of the mind line up to enter his body (or soul) and introduce negativity.

They do so and Raghu starts questioning the existence of God, the need to worship and so on. The three Gods in the home mandir converse with each other and know that disaster is around the corner. Raghu visits the local Shiv temple. He asks a sadhu, where is God? The sadhu gives a sermon explaining God is everywhere; in the earth, water, sky, wind and fire. But Raghu is not convinced.

A frustrated Raghu prohibits anyone to perform pooja in the temple going forward. The villagers including a boy Kishan attack him. Raghu’s friend Annapurna steps in and saves him. She brings an injured Raghu to his parents.

This is exactly what the parents had been fearing and Raghu may change for the worse. Annapurna pledges she will do her best to bring a transformation in Raghu’s beliefs and make him astik.

A decade passes. Raghu (Manhar Desai) is now a young man of 25 and still a nastik. Annapurna (Nirupa Roy) and Kishan (B.M. Vyas) have grown up too and Kishan hopes to marry Annapurna. Annapurna is as astik as one can be. She worships many gods including the Naag devta (snake God) in the local temple.

Kishan kills a snake on a tree near the temple. Immediately, the temple and its surroundings start experiencing tremors and a deadly storm engulfs the village. Kishan tries to put the blame on Raghu but Annapurna intervenes and tells the truth about Kishan being responsible for the snake’s death. She begs the Naag devta to restore calm. The storm subsides. During the storm, Raghu saves a child trapped in a building but the child does not survive. Raghu mocks Annapurna that her God did not do anything, else the child would have been alive. And there is no point in her faith and devotion in the almighty. But Annapurna sticks to her faith.

Raghu
Annapurna
Kishan

Later, Raghu proposes to Annapurna but Kishan is one step ahead. He has bribed her uncle Gangadhar. Gangadhar declares that Annapurna will marry Kishan. A woman Radha appears claiming Kishan is her husband but runs away. Annapurna smells a rat and threatens to expose Kishan in front of the village. He backs away and Raghu and Annapurna are free to get married. On the day of the marriage, Annapurna leaves the house to perform Naag dev pooja. Kishan’s men kidnap her. She seeks divine intervention from the Naag devta. Miracle! The snake not only unlocks the door but speaks to her and guides her back to the wedding venue on time.

But even after marriage and a closer influence of Annapurna, there is no change in Raghu’s attitude. He tries to uproot the tulsi (basil) plant in their courtyard. On Vat pournima, Annapurna is not allowed to perform pooja. She prays to the goddess, who arrives and blesses her. In spite of all this, she remains a devoted wife and promises her husband she will always follow all his wishes.

Meanwhile Raghu will go to any means to insult God and “disprove” his existence. He invites two brahmins (sadhus), treats them with honour and gives them two pots of wealth. But there are snakes in the pot and the sadhus die a painful death. His father Mahapatra can’t bear this and soon passes away.

Raghu’s mother is unwell too. Raghu is disturbed by the developments and sees the dead sadhus in his dream. Annapurna tells him he needs to perform pitru pooja with bhojan so that his ancestors including his father will be happy and things will be back to normal. But Raghu is not ready to bend. His father appears as a hallucination, pleading to set him free by chanting the name of the almighty. Drama ensues, he sees his father’s soul(?) burning and he finally chants Govind Hare Murari... The contented father’s soul disappears. There is calm and a transformed Raghu meets Annapurna. He is now an astik, on the path of devotion.

Ideally, the story should end here with a happily ever after ending. Sadly that is not the case. Raghu seeks permission from Annapurna to become a sanyasi. She reluctantly agrees as she had promised to be his ever supporting (& sacrificing) better half. Their sorrowful journey continues. There are further hardships planned by Kishan, Gangadhar and other characters to ensure the husband and wife remain separated.

Annapurna is termed a widow by Kishan so that he is free to marry her. He seeks the approval from the King (S.N. Tripathi). The king is an able administrator but the enemies of the mind attack him too and he develops an attraction for Annapurna. He is ready to marry her by bypassing Kishan and killing Raghu (if he was indeed alive).

Phew! And responsible for all this mess are the vices surrounding the human beings on earth. If that were not enough, the Gods too conspire to ensure life is not smooth for all those involved.

The Music

Bharat Vyas and S.N. Tripathi have given some memorable scores. In JJKP, we see a weaker result of their collaboration. The title song by Mohammed Rafi appears multiple times. But one song that has gained all time hit status is Zara saamne to aao chhaliye in the evergreen voices of Mohammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar. Set in raga Shivaranjani, this was the surprise top song (sartaj geet) in that year’s Binaca Geetmala countdown hosted by Ameen Sayani.

My Thoughts

The full name of the film is Janam Janam Ke Phere alias Sati Anapurna. It was one of those B-grade mythological movies with special effects made during the period. The film could have been an interesting take on astik v/s nastik but falters badly. There are too many obstacles in the path of the couple and it becomes a tiring watch with the plot going haywire. The only saving grace in the second half is the much awaited song “Zara saamne to aao chhaliye” but the rest is a mess. There are hardly any known faces in the cast and the acting barely leaves any impact.

Perhaps this was the starting point for Manmohan Desai and offered a learning experience. He moved to more commercial cinema and worked with established actors and gave a string of successful movies. His legacy remains but surely JJKP is best to be forgotten expect for that one song which continues to be timeless!

Johar Mehmood in Goa (1965)

My Reviews

Today, lets talk about I. S. Johar whose birth anniversary falls on 16 February (born: 1920). I was familiar with his roles as a character actor in films like Goonj Uthi Shehnai, Shagird, Safar, Johnny Mera Naam and Pavitra Paapi to name a few. He used to have a scowl on his face and normally played comedy/ villainous characters with sarcasm filled dialogues. But that is a limited introduction. He was an educated man (M.A., LLB) who was an actor, writer, producer and a director. He was also one of the first Hindi actors to work in international productions, notable being Lawrence of Arabia (1962). The movies he produced and directed carried his distinctive stamp. Apparently he had an eccentric personality in his personal life which reflected in the movies he made. One of his famous movies as an actor/producer/director was Johar Mehmood in Goa (JMIG), where he teams up with ace comedian Mehmood.

The Plot

The plot of JMIG as the name implies happens in Goa. It occurs during the time when the Portuguese ruled Goa even after India gained its independence in 1947. The movie opens with a church scene. Mary (Sulochana) is crying and sharing her thoughts with Father (Chaman Puri). Mary, a Catholic was staying in Burma during the 2nd World War. She had secretly married an army contractor (who was a Protestant). Her father opposed the relationship.

One day, she is informed that her husband has been killed in the enemy bombing. A pregnant and desperate Mary walks all the way from Burma to Goa (really?). She has given birth to 2 boys but decides to abandon them considering her hopeless situation. She leaves the babies on the steps of 2 different houses so as not to burden one family with 2 babies (how considerate!) and walks away. She lives in Daman for 12 years before returning to Goa.

The boys are readily accepted by two couples, one a Hindu (played by Ulhas and Leela Chitnis) and other a Muslim (played by Murad and Mumtaz Begum). Conveniently, both couples are childless and are happy to bring up the boys as if they were their own offsprings. The boys are named Ram and Rahim, their fathers being respectively a Pandit and a Maulvi. The boys are fast friends. They hate the Portuguese and openly shout slogans like “Portuguese murdabad” in school mildly angering their teacher Mr. Pinto (Mukri). Mr Pinto serves the Portuguese Government but is their critic in private.

One day the boys are shouting slogans on the road when the police start chasing them. Mary (now the Mother Superior in the Goan church) sees the police and shields the boys. She reminds them of her own children who would be of the same age today. This scene reminds us of Amar Akbar Anthony. Did Manmohan Desai seek inspiration from this movie? I wonder…

The police manage to catch the boys and bring them to the police station. And guess what, we are introduced to their father! Yes, Mary’s husband Peter (Surendra) who had supposedly died in Burma is actually alive. He was caught by the enemy and later released. He is now in the Goan police, serving the Portuguese. So we know the parents and children are in Goa but their connection will not be revealed till, well the movie’s climax.

12 years pass and the Portuguese oppressive rule continues. The Superintendent of Police (SP) Albuquerque (played by Kamal Kapoor) ensures that freedom fighters are punished by putting them in jail. He is on the trail of Ram (I.S. Johar) and Rahim (Mehmood), who are now young men. Ram and Rahim have started an underground movement for opposing the the Portuguese and their (often hilarious) schemes seem to be successful. These include robbing the bank, setting the house of the SP on fire (posing as firefighters) and so on. These comedy scenes turns out really good. Helping them to gain inside knowledge of the Portuguese authorities’ plans is Mr Pinto, who is now the school principal.

The city’s new chief i.e. Hakim (Sapru) is arriving with his daughter Rita (Soniya Sahani) in Goa. A big welcome procession is being planned. The DSP Peter informs the SP that Ram and Rahim are sure to target the procession. Just then news arrive that Ram and Rahim have been arrested and are being taken to the jail. The duo sing the delightful song “Ye do deewane dil ke, chale hai dekho milke” in the police van. Both manage to escape making the SP furious. He tells DSP Peter that the procession will go ahead as planned. But there will be a fake Hakim in it. The real Hakim and his daughter will be transferred by motorboat to their residence. Pinto shares these details with Ram and Rahim.

Ram is entrusted to “take care” of the Hakim and Rita while Rahim will look after the procession. Ram impersonates Peter and meets the Hakim. Hakim asks him to to take Rita to the official bungalow safely. Ram fools Rita easily and takes her to the forest. He makes her sing an “inquilabi” freedom song with him (Na koi raha hai na koi rahega, mera desh azaad hoke rahega) which is directed against the Portuguese. The real police reach their hiding place and Ram is forced to flee. Rita is furious that she has been fooled by Ram and seeks revenge. The SP Albuquerque cajoles her; he is also her fiancee.

Ram reaches the underground hideout to meet Rahim and their freedom party members. Pinto brings with a new recruit, a young lady Simmi (Simi Garewal). Being a woman, her inclusion is opposed. She has a fiery temperament and is an excellent knife thrower. She gives a demonstration to showcase her skill and is accepted as a party member.

There are celebrations for the Hakim’s arrival and the freedom party plans to kill him by participating in a dance performance. Ram and Rahim pose as female dancers singing “Mar gayi allah, chhod de palla” while Simmi attacks the Hakim. But the SP is alert and foils their plans.

Ram and Rahim are chased by DSP Peter and they enter the church. Mary and Peter come face to face and are shocked to see each other. But Mary behaves in an aloof manner and asks him to leave as this is a place of worship. Ram and Rahim are thankful to her for saving them. Meanwhile the SP chases Simmi, and Rahim arrives in time to save her.

Rita plots with the SP to capture Ram by calling him to meet her in a secluded area away from the city. But the plan fails. Ram outwits the police and holds Rita captive in the forest. She is forced to spend time with him waiting to be rescued.

Rahim’s father is staying in the mosque, he is seriously ill. The police lay siege to the mosque to capture Rahim. Rahim hatches a weird plan (again!). There is a famous plastic surgeon in the mosque. He performs plastic surgery on 4 men and makes them look identical to Rahim. So we have 5 Rahims coming out of the mosque and the police are forced to arrest all of them. They sing a merry song in the jail “Aji aisi nazar ko kya kahiye.”

The madness continues! Rita is stuck with Ram in the forest. It is the perfect time to get impressed by him and fall in love. Ram sings “Dheere re chalo mori baanki hiraniya” and she sings a dream song “Ankhiyon ka noor hai tu.”

Rahim is freed from jail by Simmi and there is another song in disguise “Kuch bhi kahe duniyawale hum hai abhi jawaan” as they are on the run from the police and enter a club.

We have more plotting and entertaining twists before the Portuguese are vanquished, and there is a happy ending.

The Music

Kalyanji Anandji are the music directors. There are multiple singers including Mohammed Rafi, Manna Dey, Kishore Kumar, Mukesh, Shamshad Begum, Kamal Barot, Suman Kalyanpur and Usha Khanna. Ye do deewane dilke, chale hai dekho milke (Mohammed Rafi and Manna Dey), Dheere re chalo mori baanki hiraniya (Mukesh) and Ankhiyon ka noor hai tu (Suman K and Mukesh) stand out.

My Thoughts

Overall, I.S. Johar succeeds in making an entertaining film. While meant to be a comedy, it has a serious undertone which increases its impact. He manages to balance the fast moving story line and multiple characters, churning out a successful narrative. Mehmood appears subdued compared to his other comedy roles. The female characters are shown to be fiesty and decisive which is a welcome change. There is a scene where Ram’s and Rahim’s mothers run away by operating a train engine! This is Soniya Sahani’s debut movie. She appeared in multiple movies with I.S. Johar and also married him later.

So, it was a revelation to watch a movie where I.S. Johar is the hero who acts and entertains in a fun way. A final bit of trivia – I.S. Johar is the uncle of Karan Johar.

Mahal (1949)

My Reviews

Some movies are trendsetters. Mahal (literally: palace) can be termed as such a movie. It was probably the first Hindi movie involving a haunted mansion, a beautiful ghost singing a haunting song. And the hero all ready to follow her, mesmerized by her beauty and singing. Welcome to the horror / suspense genre.

A comparatively young Ashok Kumar and even younger Madhubala at her ravishing best, accompanied by horror elements, great music and an unpredictable story line add to the charm of Mahal.

Some trivia. Ashok Kumar was the co-producer of the movie under the Bombay Talkies banner. It was Kamal Amrohi’s first movie as a director. Kamal Amrohi passed away on 11 February 1993 and its Madhubala’s birthday on 14 February.

The Plot

The movie begins with a man arriving at a palace like residence on a stormy night. This is the Mahal named as Sangam Bhavan. It was built on the bank of the Jamuna river in Naini close to Allahabad. There is a voice over which informs us that the Mahal is regarded inauspicious and haunted due to its history. The old gardener (maali) of the Mahal is narrating the Mahal’s unfortunate history to the man.

Some 40 or 45 years ago, an unknown man built the Mahal/ Sangam Bhavan. He would cross the Jamuna river every night, inspect the construction and go back in the morning. After the Mahal was built, a lady called Kamini came to stay here with him. She would wait for his arrival by boat every night. He would visit her and leave in the morning. One night, the boat was caught in a storm while crossing the river and got sunk. Later, Kamini also dies in the waters of the Jamuna. The gardener serving the owner does not know the owner’s name or his origins. He has continued to stay there acting as a caretaker.

He is narrating all this to the new owner of Mahal – Hari Shankar (Ashok Kumar). Shankar is the son of a reputed judge in Kanpur who has purchased the Mahal. Shankar asks the gardener to go and inform his friend Barrister Shrinath in Allahabad that he has arrived at Sangam Bhavan. The gardener leaves and Shankar prepares to spend the night in the Mahal.

A painting suddenly falls down and Shankar is shocked to see himself in the painting. This is the original owner’s painting and an exact copy of Shankar. Shankar is thinking whether he is the reincarnation of that unknown owner in the painting. As he is reasoning, the clock strikes 2.00 a.m. The storm continues outside, the chandelier sways and he hears a woman singing a song. This is Aayega Aanewala, perhaps the most iconic of haunting songs in Hindi cinema.

Shankar follows the woman (Madhubala) throughout the Mahal but she keeps disappearing and reappearing. The song ends. Shankar is shaken by the spooky atmosphere. The storm, the painting and now this woman and her song! He is still in a state of disbelief when his friend Shrinath (Kanu Roy) reaches Sangam Bhavan. He advises Shankar that the painting is a coincidence and to forget the imaginary woman. Upon hearing this, the woman suddenly appears and tells them she is not a fantasy. Apparently, she is Kamini, the same woman who was associated with the previous owner and had died after his death. It seems she is Kamini’s soul, waiting for her lover to arrive again and unite with her.

Shrinath convinces Shankar to forget the Mahal and the woman and return to Kanpur. Apparently, Shankar has a fiancee in Kanpur and they are about to get married. Shankar’s father has admitted his mistake in purchasing the “manhoos” Sangam Bhavan and wants to get rid of it soon.

The train leaves Allahabad station and reaches Naini. It is 2.00 a.m. Shankar sees the Mahal from the train, hears the haunting melody and cannot control himself. He gets down at Naini, and returns to Sangam Bhavan. He has a face to face interaction with the ghost/ soul Kamini. This is an impressive scene and Kamini (Madhubala) conveys a lot through her expressions and minimum dialogue. As Shankar is getting closer to Kamini, Shrinath arrives and shouts at Shankar. Kamini warns Shrinath not to come between her and Shankar. She has been waiting for him all this while. Shrinath tries to kill her but is unsuccessful. Can a ghost die?

So Shankar stays back. Every night, the clock strikes 2.00 and Kamini emerges. Shrinath wants to help hs friend. He approaches 2 woman “entertainers” to use their charm and ensure Shankar gets out of his fantasy. The 2 sisters (Leela Pandey and Sheela Naik) perform a song “Ye Raat Phir Na Aayegi.” They are almost successful in diverting Shankar’s attention. But the clock strikes 2.00 and Shankar hurries back to Sangam Bhavan.

Kamini is waiting for him. She shows him the secret passages of the Mahal. She takes him to the spot by the river where she would wait for her lover. Shankar is almost in a trance and ready to do anything for Kamini. She asks him to jump in the river and give away his life so their souls can reunite in the present life. But she is afraid that the attempt would fail and they would remain separated.

She proposes a weird alternative. Shankar needs to kill a woman he loves so that Kamini’s soul can enter the dead woman’s body and spend the rest of her life with Shankar. Shankar tells her he does not know any woman so she proposes he kill the gardener’s daughter. So easy! There is a great build up of suspense and anticipation as Shankar waits to meet the daughter in the morning. But the plan fails when Shankar’s father arrives with Shrinath to take him back to Kanpur forcibly.

After a dramatic interaction with his father and emotional blackmailing, Shankar agrees to get married to Ranjana (Vijayalaxmi). Kamini vents her sorrow through a song Mushkil hai bahut mushkil. On the suhaag raat, Shankar leaves Ranjana as the clock strikes 2.00 a.m. and returns later. Of course, Ranjana is puzzled by his actions.

Shankar informs Ranjana that he has made the decision to leave Sangam Bhavan. He plans to go and settle in a far-off place where he will not be troubled by the 2.00 a.m. musical summons from Kamini. Then he will be able to spend time with Ranjana and be able to love her. Ranjana has no choice and agrees to the decision.

But it is not a very feasible solution. After a long travel, the couple settle down in a mountainous area. 2 years pass by. But things do not go on expected lines. Shankar does not develop a relationship with Ranjana. And strangely, he has still not seen her face all this while! An unhappy Ranjana conveys all this via a letter to her bhabhi (the wife of Shankar’s friend).

Where does this lead to? Will Shankar return to Sangam Bhavan? What happens to Kamini, will her love be successful in this life? And what is the future of Shankar and Ranjana’s marriage?

The Music

The lyrics are by Nakshab and music by Khemchand Prakash. Of course, Aayega Aanewala is the clear winner and remembered even after so many years. It was Lata Mangeshkar’s breakthrough song. Unfortunately, in those times, the film credits or the music records did not mention the singer’s name (this would change soon for the better!).

The other songs including the duet Ye Raat Phir Na Aayegi (by Zohrabai Ambalewali and Rajkumari) are not bad. But there are too many sad songs (in the voices of Rajkumari and Lata Mangeshkar). They slow down the flow of the story and seem repetitive.

My Thoughts

The movie was a big success. Kamal Amrohi does a splendid job in setting the movie’s dark tone and mysterious outline. The ghostly scenes leave their impact on the audience. There is a scene involving Ranjana, and her encounter with a bat and a snake. It is a captivating scene involving some scary close-ups.

This was Madhubala’s first hit film. She performs the serious role brilliantly. Unfortunately, she was typecast in those bubbly roles in most of her later movies. Ashok Kumar is too good. He shows his helplessness where he is seeking to identify his past relationship with Kamini and also come to terms with his present life involving his father, wife and friend. He brings out the psychological impact effectively right from the initial scene involving the painting. Rest of the supporting actors are good. Being a 40s film, some dialogues and scenes sound odd today and may seem slow and boring.

The film is not without its flaws. Some plot points are not explained properly and liberties are taken by the director. There are loopholes in the story. In spite of the shortcomings, the film manages to engage the viewer till the end. There are some surprising plot twists right up to the climax which leave their mark on the unsuspecting viewer. Well that is what makes a suspense film successful, right?