✱ Reviews One for your collection BAAZI (1951) adan comes from a poor fam- Presenting a list of ily background. Unable to find Classic Starring: employment, he takes to gam- must have classics Dev Anand ... Madan bling in a big way. He makes a lot Geeta Bali ... Leena Mof money, and decides to open a gambling Kalpana Kartik ... Rajani den, where he makes even more money. He on dvd, for all die Collection Roopa Verman meets with sophisticated and cultured Dr. K.N. Singh ... Rajani’s Father Rajani, and both are attracted to each other. hard movie fans Johnny Walker But Rajani’s dad does not approve of Madan Krishan Dhawan ... Ramesh nor of his background, and would prefer that DVDs courtesy Shemaroo Home Video Rashid Khan Rajani marry Inspector Ramesh. Rejected, Habib Madan meets with vivacious and outgoing www.shemaroo.com Srinath Meena, and romances her. Then Inspector Rashid Ahmed Ramesh arrests Madan and imprisons him for Abu Baker the murder of Meena, who was killed with a Nirmal Kumar revolver with Madan’s fingerprints on it. The 112 Issue 5 ✱ January 2010 Bollywood Lifestyle Magazine shooter intended to kill Madan, but Meena hildhood sweethearts, Devdas (Dilip The movie ends with Shambhu returning to protected him & was killed instead. Rajani’s Kumar) and Parvati or Paro (Suchi- his village, only to see his land sold and a fac- father ordered the killing because he didn’t tra Sen) grow up in a small village tory being constructed over it. consider Madan suitable for his daughter. with a love-hate relationship which Rajani’s father threatens Madan that he will changesC to love when they mature. Devdas MADHUMATI kill his sister if he says anything. Madan keeps comes from a very rich and wealthy family. His quiet & is sentenced to be hanged at 6 am. dad does not approve of his marriage or even Starring: Inspector Ramesh finds some evidence that any friendship with Paro, and sends him away Dilip Kumar - it wasn’t Madan who killed Meena. Rajani’s to Calcutta. Disheartened Devdas gives up Vijayanthimala - father is imprisoned & Madan is freed. on his love, and Paro gets married to a much Johnny Walker - older man, who has a grown-up son and Pran - DEVDAS daughter. Devdas realises he is unable to give Jayant - up his love for Paro and returns to the village, Starring: only to find that she is married. He returns adhumati tells the story of two Dilip Kumar as Devdas to Calcutta and falls into bad company and young lovers denied by death but Suchitra Sen as Parvati (Paro) alcohol. He is introduced to a dancer, Chan- not by fate. Devendra, a middle- Vyjayanthimala as Chandramukhi dramukhi (Vyjayantimala), who adores him the Zamindar (land owner) wants to acquire aged man, takes shelter during Motilal as Chunni Babu and falls hopelessly in love with him. Devdas Ma storm in an old house where he sees the his land on the pretext that Shambhu had Pran in not aware of Chandramukhi’s affection and taken some loan from him. Shambhu has ghost of a woman. This prompts him to relate Nasir Hussain as Dharamdas love for him, as most of his time is spent in an to pay back the landlord and hence moves the story of Anand and Madhumati to his Murad as Devdas’ father alcoholic stupor, and lust for Paro. to the city to look for some other source of traveling companions and sets up the narra- Iftekhar as Brijudas money. tive’s framing device. Anand is a painter who DO BIGHA ZAMEEN The most famous scene from the movie is falls in love with Madhumati, but bad blood when Shambhu pushes himself to the limit separates the family Anand works for and Starring: pulling a rickshaw. The rider on the rickshaw Madhumati’s family. Sent away by his deceitful Balraj Sahni ... Shambu Maheto offers Shambhu more money to pull faster Nirupa Roy ... Parvati (Paro) Maheto because he is chasing (probably) his girlfriend Ratan Kumar ... Kanhaiya Maheto who is in a horse pulled carriage. Shambhu Murad ... Thakur Harnam Singh can not resist the temptation, and he keeps Jagdeep ... Thakur Harnam Singh smiling in anticipation of getting more money. Meena Kumari ... Thakurain However, his wealthy customer is not worried Raj Laxmi ... Nayabji (as Rajlakshmi) the least about the lower class’ plight. In this Nana Palsikar race, rickshaw loses a wheel and Shambhu is Noor Jahan ... (as Noorjahan) injured. Nasir Husain ... Rickshaw puller (as Nazir However, through all these hardships Hussain) Shambhu does not lose his righteousness, Rekha (ii) ... (as Rekha) which is the moral of the movie. Shambhu’s son steals money to help his father, only to he story revolves around a farmer, be reproached by his father later. Shambhu’s Shambhu (Balraj Sahni), who has morality is the only thing that remains his own been hit badly by a famine in Bengal. till the end. T The real reason of his sorrow is that Bollywood Lifestyle Magazine Issue 5 ✱ January 2010 113 ✱ Reviews boss, Anand returns to discover that Madhu- Shri 420 mati has disappeared. Anand and her father search for her only to discover she has been Starring: kidnapped by Anand’s boss. In the confronta- Raj Kapoor, tion that follows, Anand is beat within an inch Nargis, of his life. After recovering, he again wanders Nadira Nemo, the countryside where he first met Madhuma- Lalita Pawar ti. Here he meets another young woman, who resembles Madhumati in every way. Confused aj Kumar Saxena (Raj Kapoor) and withdrawn, he begins to believe that the comes to Bombay armed with Hon- two are one and the same and hatches a plan esty. Integrity and his Degree along to catch his boss in a trap. What follows blurs with a whole of dreams and aspira- the lines between reality and the supernatural Rtions of making it in this city of opportunities. as Madhumati comes back from the grave to Raj was to find out that his values and beliefs accuse her killer and rescue her beloved. had no worth in a city like Bombay where the social system allowed profiteers, black- the high flying society, where no price is too family; encourages all religious groups to live marketers, and other species of “420’s” to much to pay for success - a life of high stake MUGHAL-e-azaM in harmony together; and even undertakes a make fortunes. In the course of drifting from gambling and drinking - a life which drifts him barefoot journey to the temple of Ambe Maa one job to another Raj meets the beautiful further and further from his values, beliefs and Starring: and installs a gold umbrella over Ambe Maa. Vidya (Nargis). Though very poor herself, this Vidya. Prithviraj Kapoor - Badshah Jalaluddin Mo- He married a Hindu Rajput Yodhabai, and school teacher shared Raj’s philosophy on hammed Akbar (as Prithviraj) together they sire a son who they name Sal- life and they start to share their dreams. Raj SUJATA Dilip Kumar - Shehzada Nooruddin Moham- eem. Born in a very tolerant and acceptable soon learns that their dreams are impossible mad Saleem atmosphere, Saleem also witnesses war and to achieve honestly - and so, economic need Cast: Madhubala - Anarkali perhaps this does have an affect on his mind. and bitter experiences drive this simple and Lalita Pawar, Durga Khote - Empress Jodha Bai He then falls in love with a lowly courtesan, honest man to dishonesty and evil. Shree 420 Asit Sen, Nigar Sultana - Bahar Anarkali. When his parents want him to get tells the story of Raj’s perilous journey into Sunil Dutt, Ajit - Durjan Singh married to a woman of their choice, he refus- Nutan Behl, M. Kumar - Sculptor Sangtaraash (as Kumar) es and wants to marry Anarkali. This angers Tarun Bose Murad - Raja Mann Singh the tolerant Akbar, who could never visualize Jilloo Maa - Anarkali’s Mother (as Jillo Bai) his son marrying a mere dancing girl. He has beautiful story created around the Vijayalaxmi Anarkali imprisoned, but Saleem arranges her social issue of untouchability. Nutan, S. Nazir escape and incites a open revolt against Ak- an untouchable orphan, is raised by Sheela Delaya - Suraiya, Anarkali’s Sister bar. Enraged, Akbar declares Saleem a traitor a couple of a higher caste, who also Ahave their own daughter, Shashikala, of the Surendra (as Surinder) and sends his armies to crush him. Saleem Johnny Walker is defeated and brought in chains to be sen- same age. Lalita Pawar, a family friend with Jalal Agha - Young Prince Saleem tenced by his father, but Anarkali managed conservative views condemns this whenever to elude his armies. Akbar wants to trade she gets a chance to do so. Years pass and adshah Akbar was the supreme ruler Saleem’s life with that of Anarkali, but Saleem Lalita now wants her grandson Sunil Dutt to of Hindustan and ruled this coun- will not let anyone know where Anarkali is, marry Shashikala, but he has fallen in love try fairly and justly. He wanted the and is therefore sentenced to die. with Nutan, who reciprocates the same. Is B Hindus and Muslims to live as a big love able to rise above caste? 114 Issue 5 ✱ January 2010 Bollywood Lifestyle Magazine Shemaroo Entertainment has put in lot of you Shemaroo, for giving life to yesteryears, efforts to revive this old classic. They have not only on my behalf, but also on behalf of all colour corrected the images, improved the those who loved me through this serial’. picture quality and audio by restoring it for Adds Hiren Gada, Director - Shemaroo more clarity.