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 classic in real sense of the word. A tight suspense from beginning to end. Mahal is one of the greatest films ever made in Bombay filmdom. Adding to the suspense is all time great song 'Aayega aane wala...'. See it for a very young Madhubala and highly expressive Ashok Kumar. Kamal Amrohi has not made any better movie than this one. Though his 'Daira' is another great hidden classic. He is primarily remembered for 'Pakeeza'. Very few films gained the status this film achieved. This is certainly one of the ten best from Bombay. The story has twisting end which will certainly surprise you and you will never be the same again. Most of the movie was shot indoors, one can easily tell that comparing it to modern standards, yet the directorial perfection is amazing. A must see.

Had seen this as a kid in bits n pieces. Saw this fully for the first time recently on YouTube. The print is passable but the sound quality ain't good. The English subtitles helped me a lot to dig this film very well.

The story is about a man Shankar who moves into an old n abandoned palace. He visits the palace on a dark stormy night. He is greeted by the gardener who tells him that the palace was inhabited by a couple forty years back and that the couple died one aft another cos of their intense love. Shankar is astonished when he sees the photo of the old owner which looks exactly like him. Suddenly Shankar hears a woman singing n the moment he approaches her, she disappears. He tells this to his friend n inspite of his friend's advice, Shankar gets drawn towards the mysterious ghost.

One of the best part is this is the first gothic horror from Bollywood n cinematographer Joseph Wirsching nailed it. Ther r some lovely shots from interesting angles, and shots cleverly framed. The lighting is used appropriately. The lead actress Madhubala became one of the most successful and iconic actress of Indian cinema. The film started with good suspense but slowly became a bit melodramatic aft the marriage. There is a pretty lol scene wher the wife follows the husband n she stands next to the husband n the ghost without getting noticed. The mountain top scene of the shack is pretty desolated n creepy. The tribal community's trial n execution is weirdly funny.

The twist is good for first time viewers who dont read synopsis. Very generous with a 9 cos it's a very creative idea n the original Bollywood gothic horror. Apart from the idea where a person falls in love with a dead person's photo (Laura), the entire script is very original.



Some major q's - Why the previous owner came at midnight and left at dawn? Was the gardener involved? What was the need for the gardener to climb n restore the clock? Why didnt Asha show any remorse aft her father's death? Why 2 am? Mayb Kamini used to sleep throughout the day. The wife stopped a different clock at her shack which resulted in affecting the main clock at the palace. How come? Anyways it is a solid attempt n the film is truly a poignant tale of love, destiny n reincarnation.

Cited as Bollywood's first horror film and also noteworthy for catapulting both its lead actress & playback singer into stardom, Mahal is as gothic as it is enchanting and as elegantly crafted as it is enigmatic in its storytelling. Making expert use of lighting, shadows & setting to establish its eerie atmosphere that brims with mystery & melancholy and further elevated by fine inputs from its committed cast, this haunted house horror juggles love, longing, death, reincarnation & class struggles with flair. Madhubala is an absolute delight but the long runtime, dated elements & plentiful songs do make the ride a bit tedious. However, the artistic rendition & neat camerawork leaves one wondering how Bollywood horror fell so low after starting on such an arresting & impressive note. In short, a fascinating gothic romance chiller.

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.