Bharat Bhushan and Suraiya in Mirza Ghalib (1954)

Mirza Ghalib, Sohrab Modi’s eagerly awaited production, was released at a glittering premiere in Bombay on December 10th 1954, at the Minerva, Excelsior and Palace cine­mas.

Inspired by the tragic romance between the great poet Ghalib and Moti Begum, the dancing girl—whom the poet fondly named Chaudavin—J. K. Nanda’s adaptation of Minto’s original story closely follows the pattern of the lives depicted there, the depar­tures from recorded fact being dictated by dramatic considerations and regard for the censors.

Bharat Bhushan plays the title role while Suraiya portrays the feminine lead. They re­ceive excellent support from an all-star cast comprising Nigar Sultana, Ullhas, Durga Khote, Murad, Iftikhar, Mukri and —Baij Sharma, while veteran actor Jagdish Sethi appears as a guest artist.

Directed and produced by Modi on his usual lavish scale, the film magically re-crea­tes the poignant love story of the Poet and the Dancer in the atmosphere of the magni­ficent court of the last of the Moghul em­perors. He has with deftness preserved the atmosphere of the times and those aspects of life which inspired the wistful ghazals of Ghalib.

The film sympathetically depicts the torments suffered by the poet in his love for two women. Torn between his sense of duty to­wards his lovely wife Umrao Begum, and his love for Chaudavin, his troubles and frustra­tions increase and assume the proportions of tragedy.

Sohrab Modi’s direction is unquestionably inspired. Not only has he re-created the world of the Moghuls, but has paid due tri­bute to the poet in a film which is as warm and dignified as the story it tells. Ghalib’s exquisite ghazals and couplets have been admirably incorporated into the narrative and they richly embellish an already masterly production.

Bharat Bhushan is superb as the poet, Ghalib. Enacting his role with quiet restraint and dignity, he presents both the genius of Ghalib the poet, as well as his shortcomings as a man.

Suraiya beautifully brings to life the fascinating Chaudavin, drawing every ounce of sympathy through the character she por­trays. The skill she displays in her rendering of Ghalib’s exquisite ghazals together with the flexibility of her voice enables her to reach the depths of meaning in the poet’s words and draw out their subtlety to the full.

Nigar Sultana as Umrao Begum and Durga Khote as Chaudavin’s mother are both

brilliant in their character roles, while Baij Sharma as Fiddan the opium-eater turns in a noteworthy performance.

Ullhas, the villain of the piece, is con­vincingly evil and lecherous, Iftikhar with regal dignity almost instinctively lives his part of the Emperor, Bahadur Shah, and Mukri contributes a fine cameo of the self-important but kindly money-lender.

Rajinder Singh Bedi’s  expressive dialogue registers much of the elegance of speech characteristic of Moghul times. Ghulam Mohammed’s music and Shakil Badayuni’s lyrics give further evidence of their creative talents.

With delightful grace, Roshan Kumari and Kumkum present the spectacular dances directed by Lachhu Mahraj and Badri Prasad.

Production values of costume, sets and decor constitute spectacular additions to the film which also has excellent photography – Filmfare Review – January 7, 1955

Cast and Production Credits

Year – 1954, Genre – Historical/Romance/Drama, Country – India, Language – Hindi, Producer – Sohrab Modi, Director – Sohrab Modi, Music Director – Ghulam Mohammed, Cast - Bharat Bhushan, Suraiya, Nigar Sultana, Durga Khote, Ulhas, Mukri, Murad, Baij Sharma, Iftikhar, Jilani, Saadat Ali, Ghulam Mohiuddin, Kumkum, Roshan kumari

Publicity still for Do aankhen baarah haath (1957)

Do aankhen baarah haath won many awards at international film festivals, including the Silver Bear in Berlin, and it remains the only Hindi mainstream film that has been screened at the London Film Festival to date. However, it was only post-1955 and the release of Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali (1955) that ‘art cinema’ emerged in India. In the 1950s many films were produced within the mainstream that would now be regarded as ‘middle class’ or more ‘realist’ than movies produced today. The genre of DABH, the social problem film (rather than the social), emerged in the 1930s as the coming of sound encouraged the growth of a more literary cinema, with increased emphasis on the word rather than the spectacle. Shantaram’s socials at Prabhat (including Duniya na mane) were outstanding examples of this genre. It flourished in the 1950s in the hands of film-makers such as Bimal Roy (Bandini, Devdas, Do bigha zamin and Madhumati) and B. R. Chopra (Naya daur and Nikaah) and is certainly the ancestor of the 1970s’ middle-class cinema of Hrishikesh Mukherjee (Abhimaan, Anand and Gol maal) and others.

V. Shantaram was one of the founders of Poona’s Prabhat Studios, but when he left Prabhat to found his own studio, Rajkamal Kalamandir, he continued to make films in this genre along with more mainstream colour films such as Jhanak jhanak payal baje (1955).

DABH argues that prisoners, even murderers, are human beings who can be redeemed if they are well treated, and is very different from B. R. Chopra’s Kanoon (1960), which directly opposes the death penalty. Shantaram’s father was a Jain, a member of a religious group known for its strict respect for all forms of life, and the character he plays in this film, Adinath, has a Jain name. Adinath is jailer who believes that prisoners are human beings too, and he takes six prisoners to his experimental farm, Azad Nagar (Freetown), where he demonstrates he can prompt them to reform by giving them trust and respect. He becomes their father figure, or Babuji, whose two eyes (do aankhen) watch their twelve hands (baarah haath), whose prints they give him in case he should need to report their escape, and which work the land in honest labour. His compassion and self-sacrifice are the qualities for which this film has been most celebrated. However, the film is not relentlessly preachy, and Sandhya, as the toy-seller, provides many light­hearted moments, although she is also the focus for discourses about sexuality and motherhood.

The film contains several haunting songs, notably ‘Ae malik tere bande hum’ (music by Vasant Desai and lyrics by Bharat Vyas), whose rendition by Lata Mangeshkar (picturised on Sandhya) at the death of Babuji is one of her most loved songs, and the catchy ‘Tak tak dhoom dhoom’ which is repeated several times. The black-and-white cinematography in an expressionist style that had been popular in earlier Indian cinema comes is outmoded by the 1960s, but this is a fine example of its last flourish.

Cast and Production Credits

Year – 1957, Genre – Crima/Drama, Country – India, Language – Hindi, Producer – Rajkamal, Director –V. Shantaram, Music Director – Vasant Desai, Cast - V. Shantaram, Sandhya, Ulhas, B. M. Vyas, Baburao Pendharkar, Paul Sharma, K. Date, S. K. Singh