Bahu Begum 1967

Films of the Urdu era in India is a niche. The ones that will come to the top of your mind maybe Mughal-e-Azam, Chaudhvin Ka Chand and Pakeezah. All beautiful films definitely but there were some more which I feel needs some mention too.


Today I watched Bahu Begum, a 1967 movie starring Meena Kumari, Ashok Kumar and Pradeep Kumar. Totally soaked in the Lucknowi haveli culture, this charming movie immediately reminded me of Mere Mehboob. Not just for the costumes but also for the family drama it represented without being over the top. I have always heard and learnt about Urdu culture as one with lots of tehzeeb and I love movies or art forms which showcase that. Every culture has its nuances and its wonderful to view or read about them.

Zeenat (Meena Kumari) is in love with Yusuf (Pradeep Kumar). He is the friend of Achchan (Johny Walker) who is a tenant at Zeenat's home. Yusuf's uncle controls his property though appears friendly. On the mandate that Yusuf's property will be his when he gets married, his uncle cleverly foils their love and marriage plan. On the other hand, Nawab Sikandar (Ashok Kumar) falls madly in love with Zeenat at first sight. He spots her at a jeweller's shopping,especially noticing that she likes a bangle but cant afford. On insistence of his caring sister, he sends a marriage proposal to Zeenat's father who happily accepts. He also gifts Zeenat the bangle she liked. Unaware of the sender she assumes it to be Yusuf and is all set to fulfill her dreams.

The two lovers

Excellent comic timing by the adorable Johny Walker

 Nawab Sikandar and his sister

Yusuf, on the other hand is sent out of town on an errand by his conniving uncle who doesn't want to let go of the property. Thus the marriage day arrives. But Zeenat goes to the dargah to meet Yusuf once if she can ,as she promises to her friend or she will return to be Nawab Sikandar's wife. Unfortunately, she faints there and the marriage confirmation to the lawyer is mistaken to be of Zeenat. An empty palanquin goes to Nawab Sikandar's house, upon the discovery of which, he and his sister sadly but bravely manage to hide the fact from the world. Zeenat meanwhile tries to return home but rejected by her angry father she ends up at a kotha where Lalitha Pawar provides her a sympathetic roof.

The angry father

 The kind stranger

 The bearings

A kind,gentle man, Nawab Sikandar tries to overcome his sadness and to get his sister married off . Such was the deep rooted culture that time ,it would be shameful if the bahu begum of the house doesn't actively involve in the marriage preparations. Thus he asks Lalitha Pawar to help him out and to send any woman to just act as the bahu bhabhi so that his sister can be married off. Fate weaves in and ofcourse it is Zeenat who comes to him and his sister. Though she has the monumental task of deciding which path she has to take.

I wish the ending was a different from what it was but nevertheless the movie stays true to what it intends-charm, culture and all the facets of a bygone era.

There never would be any words enough to outline Meena Kumari's acting prowess. There is not a single scene where she is hesitant or not Zeenat. From the ada, the moments when she knows the difference between to be sad and to be tragic or just the joy of meeting her lover, this brilliant actress does not have a thread out of place.

The male actors have also given due diligence to their roles. I'm a big fan of Ashok Kumar always. Though being a 80s kid my favourite movie of him will be Khoobsurat,hence I can never see him in a lover role! :) Always the well suited, jolly grandfather Dadamoni.

Do watch the movie if you love or miss the Muslim social era. The havelis always cast a spell don't they? Whether you see them in a painting or in a movie,they are forever so alluring.

Also take a moment to appreciate the credit screens. I love the images and the font. So pretty!

Aaye Din Bahar Ke (1966) - Rolling hills and a rosy cheeked Dharmendra

A romantic film with a lovely variety of songs, picturesque places and rosy cheeked handsome Dharmendra rolling down the hills - all this attributes to a great package of comfort-watch on a rainy day. And this is exactly what Aaye Din Bahar Ke gives.

Isn't the name itself so refreshing? The coming of spring indicates freshness, flowers, love and new beginnings. Gone is the hardness of winter and the endless waiting for warmer and breathable weather. And spring brings joy to the hearts of the old and young alike.



There is the usual romance of guy meets girl and then the question of marriage. Kanchan (played by a beautiful Asha Parekh ) is tutored by Ravi (played by Dharmendra). Eventually they fall in love and her father Jankidas, a rich businessman is not opposed to the match. Things are humdrum and truly springlike.



There is no rich girl and poor boy unpleasantness here. The twist in the story comes at the time when the past of Ravi’s mother is revealed thread by thread. After that the movie takes a melodramatic tone. A search starts for the father and then the mother (played by ever-dependant Sulochna ) disappears.

Yes it all ends well but the takeaway from the movie is that relationships are just like the weather in nature. I don't know if the director chose the name with an intention to show the vagaries of life as compared to the vagaries of the weather. But I choose to believe the title of the movie is purposeful, to show us viewers that humans and love are so interlinked. Also to portray that life will always be like spring and flowery when you have good intentions in your relations and have secrets with your loved ones.


Directed by Raghunath Jhalani

poster coustesy - CineMaterial

Kaajal 1965 - Desolate Meena, powdery Padmini and one sided cat fights.

Jealousy, loss, grief and the classic tale of two women who can’t stand each other.



This movie is based on Novel "Maadhvi" written by Gulshan Nanda and is directed by Ram Maheshwari.


When a trusted Munim (Clerk) of a prestigious family passes away, the head of the family,Ranimaa (played by Durga Khote) take care of his children Kaushal and Madhavi (played by Meena Kumari)


At this point I have to say three things - one, I really miss seeing the ubiquitous munims of my childhood, walking around with a cloth bound ledger and calculating away on the tips of their fingers instead of the tie and suit officers with an air of importance around o them and their fancy scientific calculators


Second - what is with big families automatically taking custody of their employees’ children? I mean give them benefits like gratuity and provident fund, right? (insert goofy face here)


Third - why don't we name our women Madhavi and Rani anymore? Where did Ayesha, Sera etc come from?


Ok, let me go back to the old world and not compare them to the reality of this world. Anyway, that world and era were more charming even if I have to let go of some bare truths.

Ranimaa's only son is Rajesh (played by Dharmendra). Years pass by. No moving wheel and small foot changed to big foot scene-change here. Just a grown up handsome boy maa ka puttar. He is of marriageable age and meets as well as gets married to Bhanu Saxena (played by a very powdery Padmini).

Meanwhile, in a boating accident, Madhavi's brother Kaushal passes away, and a devastated Madhavi is left alone and pitied. Rajesh is heartbroken for losing a friend, Ranimaa feels guilty, the whole house is sad and grey. But Bhanu is not taking out any bit of stock of pity from her hard cold powdery heart. She not only envies Madhavi, but also begins a creative and intricate process of blaming her for everything. One sided cat fight round one begins.

Even to the extent of accusing her of having an affair with her husband. Bas ho gaya!!.


A depressed and self respecting Madhavi goes to kill herself and ain mauke par comes along a handsome Moti. No, not a black dog with a leather collar but the shero shayari dapper actor Raaj Kumar. I think even here he doesn't want to let Meena Kumari keep her beautiful foot on the dirty suicidal ground. ( “Aapke paon dekhe, bahut haseen hai, inhe zameen par mat utariyega, maile ho jayenge.” Pakeezah 1972)



Madhavi’s life is now at the benevolence of the one who rescued her. She gets married to Moti. What follows is a twist of fate for poor Madhavi who has to suffer from a gradual alcoholic husband. As usual the emotional part of the movie is heavily dependent on the wonderfully dismal wife's role played by Meena Kumari. The screen becomes poetic when she is on. I can watch an entire scene without dialogues if she is there.

 



An emotional movie showing the importance of relations, self respect and the sanity of marriage and great performances by the whole cast.


I found some interesting trivia for the movie - A heavy argument broke out on the film sets on day one. Raaj Kumar on seeing Dharmendra , inquired sarcastically " Where have you found this wrestler from!!Are you sure he can act?" An angry Dharmendra was ready to respond physically only to be calmed down by the director.

Posters courtesy - IMDB and postervile.

Chhaya 1962 - Nirupa Roy in a Hrishikesh Mukherjee movie

In almost all movies of the great director Hrishikesh Mukherjee, there is a naatak (playact) within a story. In Khoobsurat (1980), Manju (Rekha) and the other family members are playacting and ‘making fool’ of the house matriarch Nirmala Devi (Dina Pathak). In Golmaal (1979), Ramprasad (Amol Palekar) is playfully duping Bhavani Shankar (Utpal Dutt ) into believing there are twin brothers. And who can ever forget the evergreen Chupke Chupke, the master of comical errors?


Chaaya is one of the earliest movies of Hrishikesh Mukherjee on naataking within a story. The movie, primarily a romantic tale of a poor boy and rich girl, is more importantly the portrayal of mother and daughter and of sacrifice and devotion.

                


Manorma (NR) , widowed, homeless and helpless with an infant daughter, goes to Lucknow in search of her relatives. Unable to find them and in a moment of desperation, she ends up leaving her baby in the footsteps of a large house. The house belongs to Seth Jagatnarayan (Nazir Hussain) and he happily adopts her, having lost his wife earlier. Manorma, missing her child and regretting her decision, goes back to the mansion and begs for a job, but hides her relationship with the child. The merciful Seth, appoints her as the aaya/ nanny of Saritha.

 

They all move to Bombay and at this point the story includes the ever trustworthy character actor, Lalita Pawar as Seth Jagatnarayan's sister Rukmani Chaudhary. Ofcourse, she is the nosy, chatty and gossipy aunt, albeit harmless. It's a Hrishikesh Mukherjee movie and you cannot have any more negativity than eavesdropping ladies and evil eyebrows raised! There is a reason why generations of Indians have turned to HM movies for comfort and genius storytelling.


Enter Sunil Dutt. Oh what a handsome face and personality to behold! Not just as an actor, but to give a delightful unique blend of theraav (depth) and glamour to the role, Dutt sir is perfect. In the movie playing the secret role of Rahee, a poor shaayar (poet) and as Arun, a teacher, (see the layers of naatak within naatak here! ), he is playful, cheery, romantic, pleading, sorrowful and serious as and when the characters’ needs arise. Firstly as a shy and serious teacher, Arun is aware of his status difference and does not chase after the girl. The romance also develops through constant tuition classes and the delightful lilting songs of the master composer Salil Chowdhary. Then when he knows of Saritha’s infatuation with Rahee, his playful mischievous persona comes out. Fooling her with invitations to his home and to the beach under starry nights, play acting while tempting her with his voice and poems, he hums the beautiful "Itna Na Mujhse Tu Pyaar Badha" by Talat Mehmood & Lata Mangeshkar.

The romance is also not without a deep sense of culture and traditions as is the watermark of all Hrishida’s movies. Throughout his lessons, the teacher Arun also teaches Saritha of the Indian culture, freedom fighters and of the love of literature and poetry.


Since this is not a movie of only romance and boy meets girl, the maternal love so perfectly performed by Nirupa Roy - the true Mother India - of course has to be discussed too. Manorma, by this point of time in the movie, has assumed a quiet, behind the scenes caretaker of Saritha and is happy to do so - serving and loving her from a distance. But as the marriage proposals start coming in for the young girl, she realises that Saritha loves Arun.


Then after a lot of push and pull and the usual tug of war of parents vs children in matters of marriage, Saritha and Arun marry. Manorma is recognised as her true mother after Seth Jagatnarayan discovers an old photograph from her bag.


What I love about HM’s movie making is that he has the solitary gift of blending human emotions with the plot and presenting a pleasant, light experience of movie watching. It is like in his great mind he has a vision of how a movie should be watched, how a relationship should be presented, without it being weighed down by melodrama, unnecessary dialogues, tedious songs and long roped expressions.


I enjoyed Chhaya so much that I have already bookmarked it in my favourite movies folder, which is a sign for me that I will probably watch it many times more. And in that folder are almost all of Hrishida’s movies!

Asli Naqli - The faceoff with life

Hrishida - the creator of happy movies

To say that Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s movies are both entertaining and charming, is an understatement. He can combine the quintessence of home, feel of a city, values of family, romance of two individuals and a quiet suspense all thrown in a wonderful plot. He has the masterly talent of showing  thought, charm and joie de vivre to help us think and live through his movies. Like a companion for life, Hrishida’s movies stay with us always.

Asli Naqli 

Asli Naqli made in 1962 was a memorable movie starring Dev Anand and Sadhna. In the movie, Anand played by Dev Anand is a rich man’s grandson. Unlike a rich, pompous baron he is a man who thinks and contemplates on his existence, questioning his everyday life and of the golden cage he lives in. Lying on a velvety chaise with a shining glass of whisky from a ludicrous bar of his drawing room which has his photo on a silver frame, Anand is dazzled but is aware of his hollow life.

 This cognizant and discerning nature of Anand provokes a series of arguments with his grandpa in the following days with regard to a marriage deal for better business and managing the vast property. Anand runs away from home. 

Mansion vs Mohalla

He ends up meeting Mohan who takes him to his home which is in an impoverished locality. Mohan’s sister and friends welcome him with open arms and in their limited means they share their home. The stark difference of not just the status in living and conditions of Anand's past and his new residence is apparent but also the independent, carefree spirit of Mohan’s family and neighbors is juxtaposed with Anand’s overbearing, withdrawn Grandpa, dry with money and rank only. 

The romance

Anand soon meets Renu and the innocence of the two good humans bring them closer to each other. Renu’s mother is unaware of her husband’s death and is made to believe so because Renu believes she doesn't have the mental capacity to bear it. When Anand’s grandfather learns of this, he uses it to blackmail Renu into breaking off their relationship. Sinister scheme but still innocent because it's a Hrishida movie after all!

No muscle men or cabaret dances to fool the villains here. Hrishida uses intrinsic human values to show good over hollowness. Renu’s mother displays courage and tolerance on hearing the reality of her husband and conquers Anand’s father’s evil plan. 

Happily Anands after!

Leaving on a musical note

The song ‘tujhe jeevan ki dor se’ is an everlasting song and always memorable. Every movie of Hrishida has atleast two songs which are beautifully rendered. The music, setting, homely scenes and unpretentious acting speak of his simplistic vision of life and cinema. That's why Asli Naqli remains a treasure to watch and rewatch.

Manzil 1960

I like Dev Anand for his smile and his unique persona. He brings that boyishness to the screen without much effort. And Manzil isn't untouched by it.

A young boy who has returned to his hometown in Shimla from vilayat is demanded by his rich dad to continue the family business. But the dreamy Raj( Dev Anand) is interested in music. The only one who understands him is Pushpa (Nutan). This leads to constant tiffs with his father and ultimately he goes away to Bombay.

He slowly finds success with helpful friends like Mehmood and a prostitute who tries to make advances on him. Pushpa misunderstands him and takes decisions that significantly decides the fate of the two.

I felt the first half was too slow with unnecessary romantic scenes and the only saving grace are the songs. S.D Burman once again weaves magic with his lovely melodies. Director Mandi Burman has brought a lot of lightness to an otherwise heavy,sad and tension filled story.

Watch it for the ever boyish and endearing  performance of Dev Anand and some great acting by Mehmood too.

Mere Mehboob 1963

If you love shaayari and old Hindi cinema, then you will appreciate Mere Mehboob, the 1963 blockbuster movie. With such giants of the golden era of Bollywood,Rajendra Kumar and Sadhna, this beautiful lyrical movie will capture every nostalgic fancy.

Dripping in poetry, beautiful costumes and the old Lucknowi style of living, Mere Mehboob is a like watching a lovely scenery on your vacation. Inspite of this visual fancy the movie is not just a musical or a moving sonnet. With a strong script, some amazing performances and dependable supporting cast of Ashok Kumar and Johnie Walker, Mere Mehboob will not let you budge or look at your phone ,if I should speak for my generation.

Set in the famed Aligarh University romance blooms in a  innocent way between Anwar and Husna, Kumar and Sadhna respectively. The kind of romance which is veiled and shy. The popular song Mere Mehoob sets the tone for the movie. The story moves to Lucknow where Husna is shown as Nawab Akhtar's sister ,who is extremely proud of his lineage and khaandaan.

 Aligarh University

 This is the thing about old style movies especially set in Lucknow, where the nawabi grace and conduct is so neatly shown without being over the top and being obvious about it. The glamour is subtle and comely.

Nawab Akhtar is also secretly in love with Najma, Anwar's sister. Najma,who is a dancer is played by Nimmi. Though he isn't ashamed of being in love with her or rebukes her profession , he is conscious of the society and thinks it against his refinement to marry her and make her begum of his khaandaani makaan. And a beautiful one at that!

Without any overly emotional dialogues and the obvious shaayari, the movie glides beautifully through showing every character's role in this story of sacrifice, family bond, prestige and love.

 Anwar with his sister

The nazaakat between the lovers

Watch for the Lucknowi andaz,the charming Sadhna or just some classic brilliance.

Old time Lucknow

Director - H.S. Rawail
Music - Naushad