Rattan (1944)
Director: M. Sadiq; Writer: R.S. Choudhury, D.N. Madhok; Producer: Jaimani Dewan; Cinematographer: Dwarkadas Divecha; Editor: M. Mansoor; Cast: Swarnalata, Karan Dewan, Wasti, Manju, Gulab, Rajkumari Shukla, Badriprasad, Azoorie, Chandabai, Amirbano
Duration: 01:51:00; Aspect Ratio: 1.333:1; Hue: 88.120; Saturation: 0.048; Lightness: 0.226; Volume: 0.244; Cuts per Minute: 7.179; Words per Minute: 62.839
Summary: Extremely successful love story establlshing the careers of both its dlrector and its composer. Two country youths Govind (Dewan) and Gaurl (Swarnalata) are in love. Gauri is forcibly married to another but their love does not fade. The film was bought by the Kapurchands for distribution and cheaply resold locally because it was deemed uncommercial. Classic musical score includes the Zohrabai number
Akhiyan mila ke jiya bharma ke chale nahin jaana and established Naushad's reputation among the leading music directors from the 40s onwards.
AR Kardar
Indic marriage circles
Lahore-Bombay cinematic nexus
M Sadiq
Mehboob Khan
Naushad
Punjab cinema
Shaivism
Shiva statue
Song: rum jhum barase baadaravaa, mast havaae aayi, piyaa ghar ajaa ajaa
Swing
The film begins with this song featuring Swarnalata the main female lead and her friends singing a typical swing song connected to the agrarian seasons (the onset of monsoon or harvesting) in North India. It is sung by Zohrabai Ambalewali, a leading playback singer from the early talkie period hailing from the tawaif tradition. The film is directed by M Sadiq who wrote many of the early AR Kardar films. The song and the film are a typical example of the influence of the Lahore film tradition into Bombay cinema that was a very important strand of Bombay film production of the 1940s. Sadiq, Kardar and DN Madhok, one of the two writers for the film, all hailed from Lahore. The other writer of the film was RS Choudhury, a veteran director from the silent era of films having worked with Kohinoor and Imperial film companies. Madhok wrote all the songs for the film. Choudhury would leave an indelible mark on Mehboob Khan's film style. This set of annotations for Rattan will serve as a counterpoint for another set from Mehboob's Mother India.
Rattan was the biggest hit of 1944. Naushad's music was a huge success earning HMV lakhs of rupees from music sales. Here again we have to consider the work Naushad did with Kardar and Mehboob providing yet another link for Rattan with a wider cultural ecumene consisting of a number of key players in the early talkie period.
Vaishnavism
'Village India'
Song: Akhiyaan milaake jiya bharmake chale nahin jaana
Song: Pardesi baalamaa baadal aayaa... tere bina kachhu na bhaayaa
This song is sung in the presence of a bust statue of Shiva. This too is sung by Zohrabai (the other songs of the film are sung by Amirbai Karnataki). The significance of this will become clearer when we see the corresponding clip in Mother India. However, what should be noted is the ruined condition of the surroundings of the statue where a societally problematic romantic relationship between Swarnalata and the male lead of the film Karan Dewan unfolds. They belong to different castes. It is as if Shiva the god of liminal boundaries and the friend of the marginals of society is sanctioning the romance. However, the film will also repeat the quest of a man for his Iove taken away from by society to mimic the Shiva-Sati tale. This song's playing up of youthful innocence denotes the fact the lovers are childhood sweethearts (another trope Kardar and Mehboob films share). The Shiva statue site is where they used to play as children.
Also interesting to note are the subtle cultural code shifts that Swarnalata carries out in her dresses, dance styles and song genres she sings from throughout the film. Rattan is located in a cultural universe that mixes Islamicate, upper caste, urbane, 'folk' idioms effortlessly throughout the film. This easy switching of religion-class-caste codes demonstrate the feudal classes of modern India as placed between multiple cultural universes all fluidly flowing into one another. This sodenotes the fact the lovers are childhood sweethearts (another trope Kardar and Mehboob films share). The Shiva statue site is where they used to play as children.
More interesting code switches will become apparent when we consider all four clips from the two films together.
Punjab cinema
Song: Jab tum hi chale pardes lagaa kar tthes o pritam pyara, duniya mein kaun humara
Song: Angadaai teri hai bahaanaa
अंगड़ाई तेरी है बहाना
Song: Saawan ke baadalon
unse yeh jaa kaho
सावन के बादलो
उनसे ये जा कहो
Gulab (silent star)
The afterlife of silent cinema
Song: Aai diwaali, aai diwaali
आई दीवाली, आई दीवाली
Song: Mil ke bichhad gaye akhiyaan
मिल के बिछड़ गईं अँखियाँ
Song: Jhhote hain sab sapne suhaane
झूठे हैं सब सपने सुहाने
Song: Akhiyon milaake jiya bharmaake chale nahin jaanaa
अखियाँ मिलाके जिया भरमा के
चले नहीं जाना
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