April 30th, 2010

Mere Mehboob (1963)

Sadhana and Rajendra Kumar in Mere Mehboob (1963)

Sadhana and Rajendra Kumar in Mere Mehboob (1963)

Cast: Ashok Kumar, Sadhana, Rajendra Kumar, Nimmi

Director: H.S. Rawail

Music: Naushad

Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni

Capsule Review: Mere Mehboob is a love triangle set within a decadent aristocratic Muslim ambience, and is the best known example of the archaic genre known as the ‘Muslim Social.’ It is a pain­stakingly put together ritual of courtship filled with garish sets and ornate dialogues denoting a sense of renewed nostalgiaassociated with a defunct ‘Nawabi’ culture. During the same decade Guru Dutt also attempted a similar Muslim love triangle Chaudhvin Ka Chand with considerable success, though the success of Mere Mehboob, thanks to Naushad’s innumerable love songs including the hit title song Mere mehboob tujhe meri mohabbat ki kasam and Mere mehboob mein kya nahin, remains unique to the genre. The film immortalized Sadhana’s beauty and grace, elevating her to the status of a minor icon for a while.

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