Paying Guest

Subodh Mukherji's 'Paying Guest' starts off as a romantic comedy then it shifts to drama and finally to a thriller. If the shift was more consistent, 'Paying Guest' would have been a far more entertaining experience. Somewhere in the middle, the film deviates from Ramesh and Shanti by focusing more on Shobha Khote's character and the thriller angle could have been more well built. The courtroom sequence is a major disappointment as the tactics seem both clichéd and unconvincing.

The strength of the film lies in the first hour, the romantic comedy angle of the film. Nutan and Dev Anand form quite the sweet romantic couple. There are both sweet moments and funny moments. This is indeed the best part and perhaps director Mukherji should have stuck to this angle.

While both Dev Anand and Nutan act very well, they are somewhat relegated to the background as the second hour focuses more on Shobha Khote. Khote herself isn't bad and thankfully not loud. Sajjan is also impressive as Ramesh's friend (he's completely different from his 'Kabuliwala' persona).

Another strength is that Burman's score is sweetly melodious with some lovely songs by Lata Mangeshkar and the legendary Kishore Kumar.

'Paying Guest' doesn't entirely stay true to it's title and it could have been a far better film. Being a fan of Nutan and having heard so much about it, I'm disappointed. Yet, it's not entirely bad as it does have its good moments.

This was one of Devanand's super hit films when it was released and so naturally, I had higher expectations from the film. But it does not match up so.

My biggest gripe is with the actor, Devanand himself. Naturally, I like him but in this case, he in inconsistent. This was a time when he was developing his mannerisms which came to define him in his later years. This film neither had the acting prowess of Devanand like in the earlier Baazi or CID nor the style later seen in Tere Ghar Ke Samne and Jewel Thief. He fails to give a mature performance. To his credit, he still was handsome and therefore, not totally unsuited for the role.

As for the actors, Nutan particularly shines. She holds the film together and shares good chemistry with Devanand. The songs are a strong plus point of the film, especially "Maana janab ne pukara nahi".

The lead pair of Dev Anand and Nutan had amazing chemistry. Nutan was outstanding in her expressions, and Shobha Khote played her role to perfection.

The movie was released even before my mother was born, yet the film - and especially its songs - remain captivating even today.

The story was simple, but the music was extraordinary, with every song being a masterpiece. S. D. Burman, Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsle, together delivered an immortal musical classic.

Paying Guest (1957) : Brief Review -

How Nasir Hussain wrote such a "complete film" and how Dev Anand proved that he was the most charismatic romantic hero after Raj Kapoor. Gone are those days when Bollywood used to write a complete film by missing several genres, several subcontexts, and layers. Paying Guest has romance, comedy, family drama, tragedy, murder, suspense, courtroom drama, and social reflection of two kinds of humans, etc. Can't believe that all these things fit so well together in a single narrative. Hats off to Nasir Hussain Saab. The film starts off as a rom-com, as we have a young, jobless lawyer, Ramesh, trying to find a rented house. He falls in love with Shanti and then impersonates an older man to get a place in Shanti's house. The film shows us two kinds of women in our society: one believes in money (Daulat), and the other believes in love (Mohabbat). The first one marries an older man for money, and the other one, i.e., Shanti, is in love with Ramesh and happy without money. So, we have our first villain, Shanti's brother-in-law, a drunkard, and a trickster. The second villain is the same girl, who marries an old man and also happens to be Shanti's best friend. She tries to take advantage of Ramesh by offering him a job as her husband's assistant, and that creates differences between Shanti and Ramesh. Another conspiracy follows, taking the narrative in a new direction, and then we have a couple more turnarounds of murder and courtroom drama. Don't miss the suspenseful trick Ramesh plays on the court. I saw like 3 or 4 films together in one with a fantastic chemistry between Dev Anand (what a charisma he had) and legendary Nutan, and one of the most iconic songs ever, "Chod do aanchal zamana kya kahega." I think I had too much for my stomach. Thanks to the director, Subodh Mukherjee, for cooking it well.

RATING - 7/10*

By - #samthebestest.

A light hearted entertainer, PAYING GUEST is a good time pass. Not among the classics, though. Dev Anand and Nutan make a good pair and, as is their wont,act well. Personally I liked them better in TERE GHAR KE SAMNE. S D Burman comes up with a great score. All the songs ( lyrics... Majrooh Sultanpuri) are evergreen hits. Kishore's solos _ Maana Janab ne pukara nahin, Haaye haaye ye nigahen and his duets with Asha Bhonsle _ Chod do aanchal zamana kya kahega, O nigahen mastana and the Lata solos, the playful Chupke Chupke Rukte Rukte and the soulful Chand phir nikla are all gems. All in all, an above average film.