Category Archives: My Reviews

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?

Kalicharan (1976)

My Reviews,

Today’s post is dedicated to Subhash Ghai (born: 24th January, 1945), often called as the (second?) showman after Raj Kapoor. I remember watching Aradhana (1969) and noticing a young Subhash Ghai in a scene. Starting as an actor, he moved to direction and launched his own banner Mukta Arts. It would be safe to say he left his mark on the 1980s and 90s with a slew of movies like Hero, Meri Jung, Karma, Ram Lakhan, Saudagar, Khalnayak, Pardes and Taal. And most of them can be termed as “grand” movies for their big budgets, star power, hit music and blockbuster status.

Kalicharan was the directorial debut of Subhash Ghai. While the movie may not be perfect, it shows his craft, perhaps indicating the grander scheme of things to come.

The Plot

Kalicharan has a simple plot. We are introduced to the villain at the very beginning. Meet Seth Deendayal (Ajit). He is fondly called as Lion (also pronounced Loin) by the whole city. The country is reeling with inflation and foodgrain prices have hit the roof. Lion has managed to hoard huge quantities of wheat through is “baniya” friends. The Government is importing wheat and the ship is expected to arrive soon. Lion assures his cronies that the ship will never reach the country. Next, a blast occurs, the ship is destroyed and the grain is gone. The titles start rolling.

Prabhakar Srivastav (Shatrughan Sinha) is a capable and non-corrupt police officer. He has managed to capture a truck driver Raghu who works for Lion’s organization. But Raghu is not ready to reveal his real boss’s / owner’s name. Raghu has a sister Sapna Mathur, who studies in Simla. Sapna thinks Raghu is a hardworking and rich man but does not know the reality and the kind of work he is associated with. Upon some emotional blackmail by Prabhakar, a desperate Raghu reveals the name of the villain as Lion. Prabhakar is aghast as Lion is Seth Deendayal , a respected big shot in the city. Later, Raghu gets shot by Lion’s men and dies in the jail.

A disturbed Prabhakar prepares his report for submitting to the Inspector General (IG) P. N. Khanna (Premnath). Prabhakar is like a foster son for Khanna. Prabhakar’s 2 children (Chinky, Pinky) are like his grandchildren. Khanna has a daughter Anju (Alka) who treats Prabhakar as her brother and is attached to the children. The children are traveling to Simla (where they study) and Anju is accompanying them on the train journey.

A confused Prabhakar goes to Khanna’s cabin but Khanna is on the phone talking to none other than Lion, who is his best friend. He considers Lion and Prabhakar as the people closest to him. Prabhakar is unable to speak and reveal his suspicions about Lion. Khanna reminds him to reach the station on time to see off his children.

In a wrong move, Prabhakar goes and directly confronts Lion, who obviously refutes all allegations. Prabhakar threatens him with some wonderful dialogue delivery. Lion counters with one of the most iconic dialogues of Hindi cinema… Saara sheher mujhe Lion ke naam se jaanta hai. He holds the same status in the city as a lion in the jungle. Prabhakar warns that a man-eater lion also gets killed and to be ready for his fate.

Prabhakar leaves for the railway station. As fate would have it, Lion arranges a hit and run accident. Prabhakar is seriously injured. Khanna receives the news at the railway station. He is unable to share the news with Anju or the children. He sees them off with a heavy heart and rushes to the hospital as soon as the train departs.

Khanna is at the hospital hoping for some positive news about Prabhakar, who may not survive the accident. He meets an old friend, retired jailor (David) at the hospital. Prabhakar dies. (But before dying, he manages to write “LION” on the hospital chart by his bedside. As it is written in reverse on the paper, it is wrongly misinterpreted as “No. 17”).

David is shocked when he looks at Prabhakar. Apparently, there is a prisoner in the New Delhi prison whose face resembles Prabhakar – a carbon copy. This is Qaidi number 511 – Kalicharan (also Shatrughan Sinha). Khanna makes some quick plans. Prabhakar’s death is kept secret. Khanna goes to New Delhi and meets Kalicharan. After lot of convincing, he manages to bring Kalicharan with him to Simla.

Kalicharan is accommodated in a guest house. Khanna tells the truth to Alka. She supports him on his mission to transform Kalicharan into DSP Prabhakar to take on the people who had killed Prabhakar. But it is not going to be easy as Kalicharan has only one mission – to escape at the earliest.

Its time for the heroine’s entry. Sapna (Reena Roy) has reached Simla for participating in a youth festival. Kalicharan manages to escape and takes a ride on top of Sapna’s bus. Through some funny scenes, Sapna manages to “capture” him and hand over to the police. Sapna is Anju’s friend and comes to meet her and Khanna. She informs Khanna about the thief she caught who calls himself Kalicharan and insists that he is a friend of Khanna. Upon hearing this, Khanna rushes to get Kalicharan released and confines him to the guesthouse. Sapna is apologetic when she comes to know this is DSP Prabhakar who Anju considers as her brother and so on.

Sapna performs a song “Jaa re jaa o harjai” in the youth festival. The lyrics seem as if she is singing for Prabhakar. Kalicharan is entertained and joins her in the dancing.

Next day, Kalicharan manages to run away again on a horse but Khanna chases and nabs him. So its back to the house and confinement. Kalicharan is frustrated. Now its time for Anju to deal with Kalicharan and make him change his ways. In filmy style, she tries to tie a rakhi to him as his sister. Kalicharan is moved and narrates his life story involving his sister. We come to know that his sister was raped and committed suicide. The culprit was Shetty (Shetty) and his friends. Kalicharan kills the friends but Shetty escapes. Anju tells him about Prabhakar’s tragic story. Finally, Kalicharan melts and agrees to be DSP Prabhakar. Khanna is relieved at the news.

But its not an easy job. Kalicharan has to meet Prabhakar’s children and behave as if he is their father. The children sing the song “Ek batta do, do batte chaar” in school and are overjoyed to see him after so many days.

Then there are other obstacles like Shaaka (superbly performed by Danny Denzongpa). He is lame in one leg and fights with a trishul (trident). And we come to know Sapna is none other than Raghu’s sister, who plans to avenge his death.

All this leading to the revelation about the No. 17 puzzle. But will Khanna be convinced that his best friend Lion is the main villain responsible for Prabhakar’s death? And will Lion remain silent? He is arranging to get rid of Prabhakar with the help of some bad men like Madan Puri, Manik Irani and last but not the least Shetty, with whom Kalicharan has old scores to settle.

The Music

The songs are written by Ravindra Jain and Inderjeet Singh Tulsi, music by Kayanji Anandji. There are only 4 songs but Jaa re jaa o harjai and Ek batta do are more famous. They were heard often on radio and TV.

My Thoughts

As mentioned, Kalicharan is a simple story but Subhash Ghai manages to make an entertaining movie primarily with a combination of the acting and dialogues. The director focuses on the story avoiding diversions like unnecessary songs and a long romantic track.

The biggest credit is perhaps to Shatrughan Sinha, who shines in the brief role of Prabhakar and then the lengthier character of Kalicharan. He is good in the emotional and action scenes, and is convincing in the comedy scenes as well. His dialogue delivery is phenomenal. He was normally associated with multi starrers and negative characters. This was his first hit as a solo hero movie.

Ajit nails it as as Lion. He portrays the menacing villain by his convincing dialogue delivery, expressions and body language. Danny Denzongpa impresses in a small but effective role. The rest of the cast pales in comparison. Reena Roy plays the typical heroine and appears in some weird costumes. Premnath talks loudly with exaggerating actions and keeps on swearing for no reason.

Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye (1974)

My Reviews,

O.P. Nayyar (full name Omkar Prasad Nayyar), was a class apart from his peers in the music industry. His distinct compositions helped him to carve a separate identity. And the biggest distinguishing factor was his non-utilization of Lata Mangeshkar. This was a time when not only music directors but producers, directors and even actresses would insist to have their songs graced by this incomparable voice. But not O.P. Nayyar. He made use of the talents of Shamshad Begum, Geeta Dutt and Asha Bhosle’s to enhance his musical offering. And success did not elude him. The reason for remembering O.P is his birth and death anniversaries fall in January (16th January, 1926 and 28 January, 2007 respectively).

Today’s theme is not a song list but a movie whose music was contributed by O.P Nayyar. Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye, a dacoit drama and otherwise forgettable movie. The movie is significant because it marked the end of the long association between O.P. Nayyar and Asha Bhosle. Yes, this was the last time this voice was heard under the O.P. baton.

Another bit of trivia. Asha Bhosle was awarded the best playback singer for the song Chain Se Humko Kabhi, but it did not feature in the movie! Strange are the ways of cinema!

The Plot

Where there is a dacoit drama, there is a dacoit (daaku). Raja Thakur (Sunil Dutt) is a daaku revered by the villagers and hated by the wealthy. The movie starts with Raja Thakur arriving at Thakur Bhanwar Singh’s (Rajan Haskar’s) house. Bhanwar Singh has exploited a Harijan girl and her helpless parents have approached Raja Thakur for justice. Raja Thakur threatens Bhanwar Singh and makes him marry the girl forcibly. He warns his own men not to loot the house as it is now the house of his “sister.”

Also introduced is Janniya (Rekha), a dancer. She had come to entertain Bhanwar Singh but ends up entertaining the daaku with a mujra item. Raja Thakur is impressed and asks her to demand anything (he is in a good mood!). She insults him saying he doesn’t earn a decent dime, what can he give her? He is further impressed by her attitude and states that she has pure blood and should leave dancing and get married soon.

Later, he meets his mother (Veena) and informs her of the good deed he has performed that day. She is happy and hopes he will marry soon as well. He tells her that is not possible and reminds her of the injustice done to their family. There is a flashback. The local zamindar (Tiwari) was exploiting Raja Thakur’s family for the loan taken by his ancestors. He comes to take away the family’s cattle as repayment. There is a fight and Raja Thakur’s father gets killed. It was Raja Thakur’s dream to study and become a big man but his dreams are shattered. The pen in his hand is replaced by a rifle.

The local police are making plans to catch Raja Thakur. They plan to nab him during the annual fair when Raja Thakur will be making his customary visit to the temple. There is a song sequence involving policemen posing as dancers. They surround Raja Thakur but he outwits them and manages to escape.

Another shady character is Dharamdas (Jeevan). He helps Raja Thakur by supplying him resources including ammunition in return of gold. This is win-win situation for both, so the barter arrangement continues successfully. Dharamdas tells him about Janniya. Their is gossip in the village about the relationship between Raja Thakur and Janniya.

The police put Janniya in lock up in order to make Raja Thakur come and rescue her. We come to know that Janniya is actually the abducted daughter of a crorepati Seth Dhanraj (Iftekhar). His brother in law Jagmohan (Madan Puri) had done a deal with Mangal Singh (Premnath) to abduct /kill her when she was a child. But she ends up with Chandabai (Indira Bansal) and becomes a dancer. Jagmohan is after Dhanraj’s money.

Through clever planning, Raja Thakur attacks the police station and rescues Janniya. He takes her to his hideout. He declares Janniya should get married soon to end all speculation regarding their alleged relationship.

He wants to ensure a decent future for Janniya and “arranges” 3 prospective grooms (Keshto Mukherjee, Birbal and Polson). They try to add a comedic touch to the proceedings. Janniya needs to select one of them as her husband.

Meanwhile the police have contacted Dhanraj. He reaches the police station and identifies that Janniya is indeed his long lost daughter Sheetal. (The police show him the dress that Sheetal was wearing at the time of her abduction). Dhanraj and Jagmohan meet Raja Thakur’s mother requesting her to intervene and ensure his daughter’s safe return. Money is offered, which she refuses. She promises to pass on the message to Raja Thakur. She does so and Raja Thakur agrees with his mother’s wishes.

Its marriage day and Janniya is all decked to marry one of her 3 suitors. In her mind, she is secretly fancying Raja Thakur. Unfortunately he is strictly professional and miles away from any romantic overtures. The police reach and attack the hideout before the marriage celebrations can begin. Raja Thakur manages to get hold of Janniya and run away. He leaves her with his mother, who will hand her over to her father. But hardly has he turned his back that Janniya is kidnapped by Mangal Singh’s men. His mother falls down and dies.

This is just the first half. The rest of the movie is all about Raja Thakur v/s Mangal Singh. Mangal Singh is a sadistic type of villain. He sits on a throne like chair playing a harp in a very flashy den. He is surrounded by a bevy of foreign looking (firangi) girls.

Mangal Singh demands Rs 25 lakhs as ransom from Janniya’s father. In parallel, Raja Thakur makes the decision to leave the village and come to the city to face Mangal Singh and rescue Janniya. He teams up with Seth Dhanraj and hatches the rescue plan, eventually taking the movie towards closure.

The Music

All songs carry the O.P. Nayyar trademark. However it is true that his music had starting sounding repetitive and jaded by now. The staleness of the musical arrangement and rhythm is evident. The songs appear randomly and seem a wasted effort.

There is no male singer and all songs are sung by Asha Bhosle. While the dropped song Chain Se Humko Kabhi is easily the best song, others like Bikaner Ki Chunari (picturised on Jayshree T) and Aake Dard Jawan Hai (on Bindu) are not bad too.

My Thoughts

I would say times had changed by 1974 when the movie was released. The subject may be more relevant in the 1960s. Sunil Dutt has played the daaku role in a number of movies and appears confident. This was one of Rekha’s earlier movies but she acts really well. Unfortunately, there is no chemistry between the two leads and they make an odd pair. Normally, a romantic angle will be expected but that doesn’t happen.

The movie goes downhill in the 2nd half where the focus is more on Premnath’s character. The character is too loud (similar to his den and the flashy set we get to see) and highly irritable. And the actor plays it in that way, irritating the audience. Same for Jeevan, who plays a predictable role. We get to see many familiar supporting actors but sadly, they do not leave much impact.