Mahal

Its so beautiful. Think it is probably the best gothic romance ever. From the grand music to the doomed lovers it has everything.

Also its shot beautifully. Almost like a surreal dream.

This is one of the greatest suspense movies of all times in any language. Kamal Amrohi was a genius, who could never reproduce at the same level, as in Mahal, his debut venture. In this respect, he reminds me of Orsen Welles, whose debut venture Citizen Kane was his best, and one of the greatest movie of all times. What upsets me most is that Mahal is considered a ghost story by many commentators. Nothing could be further from truth. It's a great suspense story, told in a straight forward way, and yet exceptionally hard to guess the surprise ending on first viewing. Khemchand Prakash's music is among the finest in Hindi movies. But for his early demise, he would have been as much an icon as Naushad he introduced to Hindi films.

I completed watching the first psychological horror film of India, Mahal (1949). The film of Kamal Amrohi, which catapulted the careers of actress Madhubala and playback singer Lata Mangeshkar, is eerily satisfying to watch and has ambiguities which show the rawness of the plot itself.

The song "Ayega Aane Wala" became a trendsetter, influencing generations of Indian horror cinemas to carry a haunting yet soothing title track. The legendary Ashok Kumar's mental upheaval is portrayed as vaguely as is the aura of the entire "Mahal".

The overall movie seems to be stretchy but the final climax turns the table and makes the audience wonder the skill of Amrohi's direction. Although the film doesn't explain on the existence of supernatural or the haunting coincidence of rebirth, I feel the taste of this dangling doubt leaves a lasting mark on its legacy which went on to inspire classics like Madhumati, Bees Saal Baad, Karz or Om Shanti Om.

Lastly, I observed the prehistoric form of horror storytelling, aptly commendable for the filmmaking of 1949. The takeaway from this movie is definitely the absurdism of storytelling, which thins the line between natural and supernatural, and questions the sanity and extent of human love.

Full review on my blog max4movies: Mahal is a romantic drama with supernatural elements about a young man who is driven insane by the supposed ghost of his lover from another life. Several elements work great, e.g. the visual presentation and the eerie atmosphere. However, the movie lacks a more focused pacing, as it features several irrelevant songs and scenes that distract from the fate of the main characters. The theme song is very memorable but often the songs are entertaining which sometimes works against the serious notions of the tragic love story. Still, the main performances are captivating, and the atmospheric beginning and the clever ending make up for some of the apparent long-winded moments in between.

It has been proud to watch a cult-classic film now in 2021 for the first time and I can trace back the setting and the subject which the movie talks about. The films getting released nowadays have this kind of subject or theme which shows a close resemblance to this 1949 film, Mahal. Debted from gothic culture Mahal set-up in a Mahal (mansion) which has that kind of German Expressionist mise-en-scene and musical accompaniment. I like the songs especially the 'Ayega' song which is resounding in my heart. The great essence of cinematography technique by the veteran Josef Wirsching can be seen here and excellent music composition by Khemchand Prakash. A modernized way of depiction can be seen in each and every frame of the movie.