Producer-Director Mehboob Khan proved his versatility as the fabled filmmaker he was with personal dramas like NAJMA (1943) and ANOKHI ADA (1948), as well as blockbuster epics such as HUMAYUN (1945) and MOTHER India (1957).
In NAJMA (1943), the viewer is treated to both a personal romantic melodrama and a social commentary...The social commentary on the lavish lifestyle of the high aristocracy in Indian society of a bygone era. A terrific social statement on the transition of Indian culture from the traditional to the modern.
The cast is flawless: Ashok Kumar, Sitara Devi, Kumar, Yakub, and in the title role, Veena. This film made an overnight sensation of actress Veena establishing her as a major star of Hindi cinema. In the 1930s, Devika Rani was the top actress and the 1st true female star of Hindi cinema. Followed by a new roster of major star actresses such as Naseem Banu (mother of Saira Banu), Mumtaz Shanti, and Noor Jehan. Then came Veena. Her period of popularity was 1943-1947 after which Suraiya took the limelight from 1948-1951.
Ashok Kumar (real name Kumudlal Kunjilal Ganguly from Bihar) gave a superb lead performance as the face of the modern young man of Indian society as the medical doctor Yusuf. While character actor Kumar (real name Syed Ali Hasan Zaidi from Lucknow) gave an excellent portrayal of the self-indulgent, lavish old tradition in the form of the Nawab's son Mukarram. The contrast in their values and purpose is well defined by Mehboob Khan. The inimitable Yakub provides colorful support as Ashok Kumar's best friend. Actress Sitara Devi has the most intriguing part in this film which fits her mischievous persona perfectly.
Films such as NAJMA (1943) make viewers who appreciate artistic cinema, lament over the state of contemporary Indian films. There is nothing of culture or value left in Indian films. This irreversible decline began in the 1970s and has pretty much hit rock bottom with the turn of the new millennium. Films such as NAJMA are reminders of what Hindi cinema once was but will probably never be again.
