Gharana

This is a blockbuster. This movie has everything from stellar acting, enchanting music with a very entertaining qawali type song with dance, family feud and some gorgeous acting by Rajendra Kumar, Raaj Kumar, Shubha Khote, Agha and Lalita Power. Lalita Power is amazing – from a banana vendor in Shri 420, a Christian house keeper in Sharada to this cantankerous mother of the house in Gharana , she demonstrated her acting skills to its pinnacle. She was just awesome in her role as the mother of the house and beating up on everyone without any reason or so ever. Asha Parekh as the younger bohu of the house did very well though she did not have a very serious role in the movie. Vijaylakhsmi as the elder bohu was very reserved and did a wonderful job portraying the ideal housewife and taking all the abuse from her mother-in-law, sister-in-law and even her husband but never loosing the faith that every Indian women have in her khandan. The dance sequences were well presented and cinematography was better than average. I gave it a nine out of ten.

Gharana (1961) : Brief Review -

Indian family melodrama at its peak! Gharana may not be an original flick, but this is the peak point for any Bollywood family melodrama. The original Tamil play, Malliyam Mangalam, has been adopted many times, and Gharana is one of them. Let's give the credit where it's due. Gharana, as a Bollywood film, created many cliches that have been used many times over the years. You might know its remake or the other films that have been influenced by this and loved them. So don't forget Gharana was first and right in the early 60s, when Hindi audiences were ready for a shift after the legendary Mughal-e-Azam. All the rom-coms, romantic dramas, biopics, and other dramas were attaching audiences, and there were many family dramas having a helpless woman/daughter-in-law. Gharana is an extension of the same idea because it makes it a big joint family. That Devar-Bhabhi's relationship being suspected cliche must have left audiences in tears back then. It still feels so painful. Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani made the bahu the real heroine of the film, as she takes things in her own hands because she is a modern girl. That was a good change because the women had become that smart by the 80s. However, it wasn't possible in the early 60s. Gharana was bound to stay in limit and find its own ways to stay relevant. Raaj Kumar's character actually makes you feel furious and angry at him; Rajendra Kumar forces you to stand with him against his own elder brother; the father of the house wakes up at the right moment; the son-in-law of the house fights the son of the house to save the image of the house and dignity of the lady; the mother-in-law gets her lesson and admits being wrong and accepts being uneducated; the other Bahus are silent and somewhat wasted; the two kids are enchanting; and the character Shubha Khote plays is what makes it a complete film. You have a hero and a villain both in the same house, and that's why you don't want to go out; expect that other lady's house. Superb!

RATING - 7/10*

By - #samthebestest.