Jugnu (1947) :
Brief Review -
A trademark Bollywood rom-com plus tragic romance that refers to Wuthering Heights (1939) in a way, only to find itself much better. It is hard to believe that a leading actress could overshadow Dilip Kumar in the film. Noor Jehan did that unbelievable thing in Jugnu. Dilip Saab was too young then, and Noor Ji was a prominent name, so it seems reasonable. The first ever hour of Jugnu takes us into a college campus comedy, more like a rom-com, and I can't really believe that Bollywood did that in the pre-independence era. College-time comedy and romance feel so modern today, so just imagine having those things in your film back in 1947. The film slightly reflects William Wyler's Wuthering Heights, as we see two lovers parting ways because of money, and then both have to make sacrifices in the end. Barring that, it's a fresh look at a tragic love story with a bit of Devdas touch, but instead of Devdas, it's Paro who sacrifices a lot and decays herself. Noor Jehan plays a poor girl who falls in love with a rich boy (Dilip Kumar), but the twist here is that the boy's family is faking to be rich. They force the girl to leave their boy, and karma hits them back. However, it's too late by the time they can retract their mistakes and find salvation. Dilip Kumar gives a good performance, but it's Noor Jehan who rules the entire film with her solid act. Not just acting, but her character also turns out to be the leader. Feroz Nizami's music didn't go well with me, but I am sure it must have hit the chords with contemporary listeners. There are actually too many songs that made the film a little longer and boring. Shaukat Hussain Rizvi gets the motive and final impact right so that we forget the songs and slow screenplay. Jugnu still makes a great combo of rom-com, college time fun, drama, emotions, and tragedy. It wasn't regular for Bollywood back then, I guess.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.
