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.