This was Shammi Kapoor’s first hit movie and the first movie that was really his style. It seemed like the role was written with him in mind, but originally Dev Anand was supposed to play the lead. Shammi Kapoor only got the movie because Dev Anand walked out. Lets all thank Dev Anand for walking out of this movie, shall we?? This movie brought the energetic, exuberant, fun style to Hindi movies, which then led to swinging sixties. Sixties were dominated by Shammi Kapoor and his style, and this movie is where it all started… Thus historically this movie is very important – it changed the face of the Hindi movies forever… And Shammi made this movie so completely his, that it is difficult to imagine anyone else playing the lead.
This is a must watch for all Shammi Kapoor fans. This is also a must watch for all the people who loved 60s and then 70s movies – this movie, I think is the one that set the ball rolling…
(For the plot of the movie, please refer to the earlier post – “Plot of the movie and other things”)
The movie is high on coincidences and low on logic – more than an average Hindi movie. Sardar Rajpal (erstwhile Gopal) goes “far away” to Assam after he ends up killing a man, leaving his wife and a small son behind. When he gives an advertisement for his wife using her pet name some twenty plus years later, in a city which is just an overnight journey away from his place, in name of Rajpal (a name not known to anyone from his earlier life), not just his wife but his enemy sees the advertisement and knows his identity right away!! So now, basically not just his wife but his enemy too has moved and is in a city which is just an overnight journey away from him. What a coincident!! Whats more, even police read this ad and decide that there is something fishy about the whole thing!! Oh come on!! Really??!!! Police reading an advertisement and deciding to go after that person to find out more? Don’t they have any real cases to solve???
Then when a thief steals Shankar’s (hero’s) clothes and the letter his mother gave him to give to Sardar Rajpal, falls out and guess who finds it? The bad guy, of course! That letter makes it easy for him to go to Sardar Rajpal and pretend to be his son.
The movie also has “tribal people” – the Hindi movie, zinga lala variety tribals…
And this movie was released in 1957 – and maybe it was made a year or two earlier – but in the movie, Shankar keeps referring to a war and he being in Burma in the war. Which war was that? Wasn’t the Second World War over in 1945? At least 10 years prior to when this movie was made?
And yet, this is such a wonderful movie! Its said that this movie was made for Ameeta, and she is quite cute in the movie. But it was a perfect launch pad (or re-launch pad) for Shammi Kapoor and he made this movie a lot of fun. He looks very young and very handsome. The comic timing is very good throughout the movie. The supporting star cast too is good and Pran as the bad guy is very cool & smart.
Music is simply superb; there are six songs, all of them have a very strong Shammi Kapoor stamp; and each one is a real treat.
Jawaniya yeh mast mast bin piye – this is sung in such a soft voice by Mohd. Rafi. And this is one song, that even though it’s a Shammi Kapoor song, I find that it’s a much better song, just to listen to, rather than seeing the video… I somehow get bored looking at so many of the girls just frolicking around. :-)
Yuh to hamne lakh haseen dekhe hai – It’s a fun song in the tonga –the way Shammi can make it so energetic in that confined space of a tonga, is just amazing; the way he starts signing to the coachman instead of Ameeta at one point; or the thing he does with his eyes when Ameeta flicks him on his head is just so lovable.
Aye hai door se – this is a song where Shammi is pretending to be an old man, a shayar… If I have to pick my least favorite song of the movie, this is it.
Chhup ne wale samane aa – This is a beautiful dance number. I love the gentle rhythm of the whole song and how everything seems to move to that rhythm. Even the way the song ends – with all the tribal girls in a line behind Shammi, he as well as all the girls moving so gently to the rhythm. Just superb!
Dekh Kasam se – Oh, this is another lovely song. And both of them are really wonderful in this. And the chemistry is….
Sar par topi laal – this is another dance song. Its obvious in this song that Ameeta was not much of a dancer, and that Shammi definitely could dance. He knew how to move to the rhythm, how to act in the songs that was to the rhythm…
What should one watch the movie for? Shammi Kapoor and the songs….
This is a must watch for all Shammi Kapoor fans. This is also a must watch for all the people who loved 60s and then 70s movies – this movie, I think is the one that set the ball rolling…
(For the plot of the movie, please refer to the earlier post – “Plot of the movie and other things”)
The movie is high on coincidences and low on logic – more than an average Hindi movie. Sardar Rajpal (erstwhile Gopal) goes “far away” to Assam after he ends up killing a man, leaving his wife and a small son behind. When he gives an advertisement for his wife using her pet name some twenty plus years later, in a city which is just an overnight journey away from his place, in name of Rajpal (a name not known to anyone from his earlier life), not just his wife but his enemy sees the advertisement and knows his identity right away!! So now, basically not just his wife but his enemy too has moved and is in a city which is just an overnight journey away from him. What a coincident!! Whats more, even police read this ad and decide that there is something fishy about the whole thing!! Oh come on!! Really??!!! Police reading an advertisement and deciding to go after that person to find out more? Don’t they have any real cases to solve???
Then when a thief steals Shankar’s (hero’s) clothes and the letter his mother gave him to give to Sardar Rajpal, falls out and guess who finds it? The bad guy, of course! That letter makes it easy for him to go to Sardar Rajpal and pretend to be his son.
The movie also has “tribal people” – the Hindi movie, zinga lala variety tribals…
And this movie was released in 1957 – and maybe it was made a year or two earlier – but in the movie, Shankar keeps referring to a war and he being in Burma in the war. Which war was that? Wasn’t the Second World War over in 1945? At least 10 years prior to when this movie was made?
And yet, this is such a wonderful movie! Its said that this movie was made for Ameeta, and she is quite cute in the movie. But it was a perfect launch pad (or re-launch pad) for Shammi Kapoor and he made this movie a lot of fun. He looks very young and very handsome. The comic timing is very good throughout the movie. The supporting star cast too is good and Pran as the bad guy is very cool & smart.
Music is simply superb; there are six songs, all of them have a very strong Shammi Kapoor stamp; and each one is a real treat.
Jawaniya yeh mast mast bin piye – this is sung in such a soft voice by Mohd. Rafi. And this is one song, that even though it’s a Shammi Kapoor song, I find that it’s a much better song, just to listen to, rather than seeing the video… I somehow get bored looking at so many of the girls just frolicking around. :-)
Yuh to hamne lakh haseen dekhe hai – It’s a fun song in the tonga –the way Shammi can make it so energetic in that confined space of a tonga, is just amazing; the way he starts signing to the coachman instead of Ameeta at one point; or the thing he does with his eyes when Ameeta flicks him on his head is just so lovable.
Aye hai door se – this is a song where Shammi is pretending to be an old man, a shayar… If I have to pick my least favorite song of the movie, this is it.
Chhup ne wale samane aa – This is a beautiful dance number. I love the gentle rhythm of the whole song and how everything seems to move to that rhythm. Even the way the song ends – with all the tribal girls in a line behind Shammi, he as well as all the girls moving so gently to the rhythm. Just superb!
Dekh Kasam se – Oh, this is another lovely song. And both of them are really wonderful in this. And the chemistry is…. Sar par topi laal – this is another dance song. Its obvious in this song that Ameeta was not much of a dancer, and that Shammi definitely could dance. He knew how to move to the rhythm, how to act in the songs that was to the rhythm…
What should one watch the movie for? Shammi Kapoor and the songs….
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