Director: Amiya Chakrabarty; Writer: Amiya Chakrabarty, J.S. Casshyap; Producer: Himansu Rai; Cinematographer: R.D. Mathur; Editor: Dattaram N, Pai; Cast: Mumtaz Shanti, Ulhas, Mumtaz Ali, Suresh, Kamala, Dixit, P.F. Pithawala, Jagannath, Kanu Roy, Pramila, Madhubala (Begum Mumtaz Jehan)
Duration: 02:25:14; Aspect Ratio: 1.333:1; Lightness: 0.254; Volume: 0.196; Cuts per Minute: 4.482
Summary: Establishing both Chakrabarty as director and
Mumtaz Shanti (she went on to star with
Ashok Kumar in
Kismet, 1943), the film tells
of Uma (Shanti) and her brother Babul, two
downtrodden servants who dream of becoming
singing and dancing stars on the stage. They
attract the attention of the impresario Janaki
Prasad and Urna marries his spoilt and envious
younger brother, Nirmal (Ulhas) who sets out
to make his own fortune leaving Uma and their
baby to starve. When he returns to find his wife
is working on the stage, he abducts the baby
and disappears again. After a further 10 years
of unhappy stage stardom for Uma, the family
is reunited and the happy ending sees her
return to being a housewife in accordance with
her husband's wishes. The film belonged to the
studio's more orthodox production wing run
by Devika Rani who tried to continue the
Osten tradition. However, the cameraman
R.D. Mathur (who later shot K. Asifs
historicals) hadn't mastered Wirsching's use of
spotlights: shadows and source reflections
interfere constantly with the action. Mumtaz
Shanti's dancing and Mumtaz Ali's' minimal
gestures belongs to a different actorial
generation from the 30s Bombay Talkies, as did
the songs, esp. the leitmotif
Aya basant ritu.
Although celebrated flautist Pannalal Ghosh is
credited as composer, the music was scored
uncredited by Anil Biswas while Ghosh
played in the orchestra recording.
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