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The Iconic Films of 1955

Shree 420

Raj Kapoor's Shree 420 was a runaway success. It became the highest-grossing film until then, earning almost twice as much as the next. It also established Raj Kapoor as a filmmaker with a distinct style. Like several films produced in this period, Shree 420 reflected the aspirations, trials, and tribulations of the youth of newly independent India struggling to find its feet in the comity of nations. With an imaginative story and screenplay by Khwaja Ahmed Abbas, Raj Kapoor took a dig, in his inimitable way, at the system that forced an idealistic young man to abandon the path of truth, symbolized by the heroine (Nargis), aptly named Vidya, to embrace the path of deceit, symbolized by the vamp (Nadira), aptly named Maya, with disastrous results to his relationships.

Nadira, who had no significant success since her debut with Aan (1952), did well under Raj Kapoor’s direction. Raj Kapoor cast veteran Bengali actor Nemo, who had acted alongside KL Saigal in PC Barua’s Devdas (1935), in a key role in the film. Raj Kapoor’s children, Randhir, Ritu, and Rishi appeared briefly in the song sequence pyar hua ikrar hua hai. Three-year-old Rishi refused to enter the rainy setting until he was coaxed with a chocolate by Nargis. Other interesting additions to the cast were music director Jaikishan and lyricist Shailendra in special appearances.

The music and songs of the film richly complemented the director’s efforts. mera joota hai japani sung by Mukesh became a mega hit. Mukesh was Raj Kapoor's preferred playback singer. When the singer died in 1976 while on tour in the USA, Raj Kapoor said he had lost his voice. But the only other number Mukesh sang in Shree 420 was a few lines from the group song ramayya vastavayya, in which Mohammed Rafi overshadowed him with his singing. Raj Kapoor’s other solos dil ka haal sune dilwala and mud mud ke na dekh and pyar hua ikrar hua hai, a duet with Lata Mangeshkar were rendered by Manna Dey, beginning an association that lasted for several years and produced many memorable hits.

Raj Kapoor was a trained musician who sang his songs in his early films. O duniya ke rahne walon from the 1947 film Dil ki rani composed by SD Burman displays his talent. Later, apart from Mukesh, who first sang for him in Aag (1948), several singers lent their voices to Raj Kapoor. They included Mohammed Rafi in Andaz, Barsaat, Dastan, and Amber, Talat Mehmood in Jan Pehchan, Anhonee, Bewafa, and Ashiana, Chittalkar in Sargam; and Hemant Kumar in Dhoon and – hold your breath - Kishore Kumar in Pyar. Mukesh’s songs in Sunehre Din, Bawre Nain, Awara, and Aah were hits. Pyar (1950), with SD Burman’s music, turned out to be a flop. Neither the film nor the videos of the songs are now accessible. We often heard Ek main aur dusre tum, a Kishore Kumar and Geeta Dutt duet in those days but the film and songs are now forgotten.

Arman bhare dil ki lagan, a memorable duet by Talat Mehmood and Geeta Dutt from Jan Pehchan (1950), was originally meant to be sung by Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhonsle, both of whom were then newcomers. In the absence of the ailing music director Khemchand Prakash, sound recordist Robin Chatterjee, who was also the film’s producer, cancelled the recording midway, dismissed the singers, and re-recorded the song in the voices of then-popular Talat and Geeta. Had it not been for this sad incident, we would have a hit song by Raj Kapoor in Kishore Kumar's voice.

When Shree 420 was under production, Mukesh was struggling with his acting career and his attempts at film production, both of which came to naught. He agreed to sing two songs in Shree 420, out of his regard for Raj Kapoor but did not sing for him in AVM’s Chori Chori (1956). When the film industry was about to write him off, Jaikishan gave him ae pyase dil bezuban, a song in Begunah. Although the film, which was a plagiarized version of Danny Kaye’s Knock on Wood, was banned after losing the breach of copyright case filed by the producers of the American film, ae pyase dil bezuban became a major hit and brought Mukesh back into reckoning. During a programme hosted by South Central Railway in 2006, Nitin Mukesh revealed that it took all the powers of persuasion of the family to persuade Mukesh to abandon his plans to be an actor.

The opening words of the group song ramayya vastavayya, one of the film’s highlights, are Telugu words meaning, “Ramayya, will you come?”. Music Director Shankar was from Hyderabad and knew Telugu. According to one version, the RK films music unit used to frequent a tea shop in Khandala, where Shankar would converse in Telugu with a server called Ramayya. Once, when Ramayya was delayed, Shankar drummed the table with his fingers impatiently intoning “Ramayya> vastavayya” repeatedly. Shailendra added the words maine dil tujhko diya.

Towards the end of the 18^th century, following the defeat of the Nizam at the hands of the Marathas, many labourers migrated from Hyderabad and surrounding areas to Mumbai. These Telugu-speaking labourers were called Kamathis, and their settlement became known as Kamathipura. Kamathi labourers, who were sought after for their industry and honesty, played an important role in the development of the city of Mumbai.

In Shree 420, the protagonist arrives in the city with a gold medal for honesty. He is befriended by a group of construction workers, finds a place to stay among them, and meets his lady love. As the story unfolds, the hero leaves them in pursuit of riches. In ramayya vastavayya, the workers recall the good times and urge him to return. Raj Kapoor must have felt that the opening words and the follow-up lines composed by Shailendra aptly suited the situation.

In the 1956 National Film Awards, Shree 420 won the award for the second-best feature film in Hindi and Filmfare Award for best cinematography and best editing.

Shree 420 was the last time Raj Kapoor and Nargis acted as the leading pair in a film by RK Studios. Their relationship, which began in 1948 with Aag hit the rocks soon after this film.

Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje

A significant film released in 1955 was V Shantaram’s Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje. Just as Baiju Bawra was a milestone in Hindi films promoting classical music, Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje was a milestone promoting Indian classical dance. It was Shantaram’s first colour film and the first time a well-known classical dancer played the lead role.

Shantaram’s three films following Parchhain (1952), namely Teen Batti Char Raasta (1953), Surang (1953), and Subah Ka Tara (1954) were not successful at the box office. Nevertheless, Shantaram decided to launch a film based on classical dance in colour. He did not sign up any stars to play the lead roles. For the female lead, he chose Sandhya, who had acted in Parchhain and Teen Batti Char Raasta. Dancer Gopi Krishna, who doubled as a hero and dance director, had the additional task of training Sandhya in classical dance. Born into a family of Kathak dancers, Gopi Krishna learned dancing at an early age from his grandfather Pandit Sukhdev Maharaj and Kathak guru Shambhu Maharaj. His aunt Sitara Devi was a well-known Kathak dancer and film actress. He began choreographing for films as a seventeen-year-old in 1952.

Exquisite choreography, beautiful costumes and sparkling colours combined to make the film’s images resemble classic paintings of gods and goddesses by Raja Ravi Varma. Music Director Vasant Desai had worked with Shantaram from the 1940s, scoring music for both Marathi and Hindi films. Although some of his compositions from films like Shakuntala (1943) Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani (1946), Apna Desh (1949), Dahej (1950), and Sheesh Mahal (1950) became popular, Vasant Desai was better known for his Marathi films. After Dahej, Shantaram turned to C Ramchandra for Parchhain (1952) and Subah Ka Tara (1954), and Shiv Ram Krishna for Teen Batti Char Raasta (1953) and Surang (1953).

He recalled Vasant Desai for Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje, despite his well-wishers, including Vasant Desai, advising him to opt for Naushad, based on the success of Baiju Bawra. Inspired by the confidence shown by Shantaram, Vasant Desai picked up the best musicians in India for his music team for Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje. Upcoming Santoor player Shiv Kumar Sharma from Jammu, renowned tabla player Pandit Samta Prasad, from Banaras, and sitar player Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan of Indore joined Vasant Desai. Santoor was used as a musical instrument for the first time in Indian films. Vasant Desai persuaded Ustad Amir Khan to sing the title song composed in raga darbari. Shantaram was unhappy with the slow tempo of the song, so the song was recomposed in raga adana in very fast tempo and aalaaps.

Vasant Desai's music for Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje vaulted him to the front line of Hindi film music directors. The title song by Ustad Amir Khan, the extremely well composed, choreographed, and filmed Hemant Kumar – Lata Mangeshkar duet Nain so nain naahi milao, jo tum todo piya, inspired by a Mira bhajan and sainya jao jao became all-time hits.

With a collection of Rupees 2.45 crore, the film was Shantaram’s biggest commercial success till then. The film helped to revive public interest in classical dance and Gopi Krishna became a household name.

In the 3rd National Film Awards (1955), Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje was adjudged the best feature film in India and the best feature film in Hindi. In the 4th Filmfare Awards (1956), The film won four awards, including the awards for best film and best director.

Devdas

Bengali novelist Sarat Chandra Chatterjee is as much a part of the Bengali psyche as Rabindranath Tagore and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. And for good reason. His writings about the lives of Bengali families and society in the early twentieth century transcended all barriers and appealed to all Indians. He was the most popular, translated, and adapted Indian author of all time. Screen adaptations of his works have been made in many Indian languages. In the words of Bimal Roy,

“Every Sarat Chandra story has good plots, convincing characters, truthful yet dramatic situations and crisp dialogue—the sum total of all this strikes a chord in us filmmakers ... And a Sarat Chandra classic is secure at the box office. It makes sure that the producer and the filmmaker provide the audience with rich entertainment.”

Sarat Chandra Chatterjee ‘s Devdas is a perennial favourite of directors and producers. The Hindi version of Pramathesh Barua’s Devdas made in 1935 in Bengali, Hindi, and Assamese was considered the best mainly because of the pathos imbued into the protagonist's character by KL Saigal, singing and acting with intensity, with memorable songs Baalam aaye, Dukh ke ab din, and Piya bin nahi awat. For Bimal Roy, who had filmed the 1935 version as cameraman remaking the old Barua classic was a great challenge.

Dilip Kumar, who was the acknowledged tragedy king of Hindi films, was Bimal Roy's first choice for the role of Devdas. Dilip Kumar hesitated fearing that the character, “could mislead the more vulnerable youth to believe that alcoholism offered the best escape from the pain of losing in love.” But on reflection, he felt that “It could become a memorable film and find itself a place among the iconic films of all time if I played the part with appropriate discretion.” Dilip Kumar had great respect for the dialogues of Devdas “replete with a haunting sensitivity, spontaneity, and meaning,” He found working with Bimal Roy, who let actors to get under the skin of their characters educative.

Bimal Roy wanted Meena Kumari as Paro, but could not accept the conditions laid down by her husband Kamal Amrohi. Suchitra Sen, the leading actress of Bengali films was signed up for her first Hindi film. Nargis, Bina Roy and Suraiya refused to play Chandramukhi. All of them wanted to play Paro. Ultimately, Vyjayanthimala was cast as Chandramukhi.

Nargis and Bina Roy were not dancers. Nargis may have impressed with her histrionics but would have to depend entirely on the choreographer for her dances. Bina Roy was also no dancer, and her histrionic ability was untested. The success of Anarkali was due to the popularity of its songs. Although the careers of Dilip Kumar and Suraiya had run in parallel for long, they had never co-starred in a film. In an interview I read in a Hindi magazine in 1950, she blamed Dilip Kumar, saying that Dilip Kumar overrated himself as an actor. By 1955, Dilip Kumar had proved himself beyond doubt, whereas Suraiya had been overtaken by Nalini Jaywant, Nargis, Madhubala, and Geeta Bali. Now she had an opportunity to rectify this and give a performance of her lifetime under Bimal Roy’s direction. But she, and the others, underestimated the character of Chandramukhi and Bimal Roy’s ability to re-interpret it.

Suraiya’s loss was Vyjayantimala’s gain. It was the first time she was offered a role that needed acting ability and not just her dancing skills. Some people in the industry doubted her ability but Bimal Roy was confident that he could bring out the actress in her. The soft spoken Bimal Roy guided her gently, explaining the intricacies of the role. Lucky to have such a proficient director, Vyjayantimala was transformed from a dancer to an emoting actress, an actress who could stand shoulder to shoulder with the best in the industry.

When Bimal Roy approached SD Burman to take charge of the music for Devdas, SD Burman folded his hands and said, “Sarat Chandra, and Bimal Roy directing it. I am doubly blessed.”

As Devdas, Dilip Kumar gave a subdued performance that is still remembered with reverence. According to him, “the thing in Devdas was trying not to do, rather than doing.” Suchitra Sen as Paro and Vyjayantimala as Chandramukhi gave unassailable performances. Rajinder Singh Bedi’s dialogues in the film are extraordinary. Devdas’s dialogues,

Kaun kambakht hai jo bardasht karne ke liye peeta hai. Main to isliye peeta hoon ki saas le sakoon,

Mera to ilaj ho jayega lekin un logo ka kya jo peete bhi nahin, aur yahan aate hain

Ek chhotisi bhool aur uski itni badi saza?,

are full of meaning. One can read a thousand nuances into them.

Bimal Roy added small snippets in the form of dialogues or scenes that convey their meaning subtly. In a scene superbly enacted by Vyjayantimala, Devdas calls her meri Chandramukhi filling her up with joy, and signalling that he has accepted her. The subsequent sequence where she is dressed in a plain white sari and touches his feet, shows that she considers herself as his wife. In Barua’s Devdas, this is not as clear as in Bimal Roy’s version.

Symbolic shots during Devdas’s endless train journey, rolling tumbler, jerking couplings as the train hurtles on, the fire in the locomotive blazing furiously when Devdas, egged on by Chuni Lal (Motilal), resumes drinking, make Bimal Roy’s Devdas the unforgettable experience it is.

The development of Chandramukhi’s character from a seductive dancer to a devoted wife is beautifully portrayed through her songs from Ab Aage Teri Marzi through O Aanewale Ruk Ja, Jise Tu Qubool Karle by Lata Mangeshkar and the plaintive Wo Na Aayenge Palatkar by Mumtaz Begum, as Devdas leaves her.

Critically acclaimed as the best version of Devdas up to date, the film was a commercial success with collections of over twice the outlay of five million rupees. Its situationally well-placed songs with Sahir Ludhianvi’s poetic lyrics became popular. Apart from the songs on Chandramukhi, Talat Mehmood’s pathos-filled songs Mitwa laagi re yeh kaisi unbujh aag and Kisko Khabar thi aise bhi din ayenge; and the two baul duets, Aan milo Aan milo and sajan ki ho gayee sung by Manna Dey and Geeta Dutt were very well received.

To sum up, Bimal Roy’s Devdas is not merely an iconic film. It is classic difficult to surpass.

Devdas was adjudged the third best feature film in Hindi at the third National Awards in 1955 and won Filmfare Awards for best actor, best supporting actor (Motilal), and best supporting actress (Vyjayantimala).

Vyjayantimala created a furore by refusing to accept the award arguing that in no way could her role be considered a supporting role, that she was as much the heroine of the film as Suchitra Sen. She did not attend the Awards Ceremony but later, at the instance of SS Vasan of Gemini Studios Chennai, who was a father figure for her and Sashadhar Mukherjee of Filmistan Studio, the matter was settled and she accepted the award.

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