I finished watching this 1961 movie today, and was blown over by the acting, direction, songs and sequences of the film. The story has been done to death over the years, but was quite okay back then. But the film is not about rich boy meets poor girl, falls in love and fights with the world to unite. It is more about how a very rich boy tries to mix with the downtrodden in a slum and wants to live life like a poor guy and experience what it is like not to be blessed with wealth, after a tragedy in the life of his friend and the betrayals of his pals make him wake up to the fact that parties and riches are not what life is all about.
So he goes to live life in a slum and falls in love with a girl, much to the anger of a murderous local ruffian who loves her too. So will he be able to make others overcome the illusion of class differences and win his girl, or die with her in an attempt to unite with her? You have to see the movie to know about it.
A weak point with the movie, as with many other Hindi movies, is the addition of too many songs. But two or three tracks from Salil Chowdhury are excellent and amplify the mood and situation. Koi Sone Ka Dilwala, Tasveer Tere Dil Ki and Ja Re Ud Ja Re Panchi are these three tracks which alone are enough reasons for you to watch the flick.
And then there are the actors. I guess Dev Anand acted the best here after Guide and is mind blowing in almost every scene. Complementing him ably is Mala Sinha, a wonderful actress who times her expressions accurately. Lalita Pawar, Jayant etc support them really well, and you really hate Jayant for his villainous turn.
A special mention about the direction. The songs apart, the direction is crisp and wonderful. D.D Kashyap really knew what he had set out to do and did it. Very powerful and capable direction that holds you right until the end.
If you are in the mood for old-fashioned but evergreen romance and see how true love overcomes all obstacles, this is just the movie that you would love. My rating? 9 out of 10. Minus one for too many songs, which I guess was necessary back then. Anyway, a wonderful watch. Highly Recommended! If you like this, Teen Devian and Hum Dono are other movies to watch.
