A Year in Hindi Movies 1948 Part III


 

1948 A Year in Hindi Movies Part C


This is the final part of my post on 1948. Next time
1949. I goofed in the posting about aag (1948). My thanks to
all who pointed out the 2 errors, the first was Satish. Here
is the complete entry on aag from the Geet Kosh:

aag

Produced by R.K. Films, Bombay, directed by Raj Kapoor,
MD raam ga.Ngulii, lyricists, bahazaad laKanavii, sarasvatii
kumaar diipak, majaruuh sultanapurii.

Players: Raj Kapoor, nargis, kaaminii kaushal, nigaar, kamal
kapuur, indumatii, premanaath, vishva meharaa, b. m. vyaas,
shashiraaj.

Songs:

1. rab mere, araj sun merii - mukesh, shailesh, chorus
2. kahii.n kaa diipak - shamashaad, shailesh
3. zinda huu.N is tarah - mukesh
4. raat ko jii chamake.n taare - shamashaad, mukesh
5. naa aa.Nkho.n me.n aa.nsuu - shamashaad
6. kaahe koyal shor machaaye re - shamashaad
7. solah bars kii bhaii umariyaa - shamashaad, rafii, chorus
8. dil TiuuT gayaa jii chhuuT gayaa - shamashaad

The lyricist for 1 and 2 is diipak, for 4 is majaruuh and
bahazaad for all the rest.

gajare

Starring suraiyaa and motiilaal, it was MD'ed by
anil bisvaas. I have heard 3 songs, "duur papiihaa bolaa",
"jalane ke sivaa aur kyaa hai yahaa.N", by suraiyaa and
"kab aavoge baalamaa, baras baras badalii bhii bikhar gaii"
by lata.

gunjan

The last movie directed by Virendra Chimanlal Desai,
husband of Nalini Jaywant. He directed 9 movies, among which
are Saigal's Gramophone Singer (1938), Mukesh's Nirdosh
(1941). In gunjan, Nalini Jaywant sang 6 out of 9 songs
under Ashok Ghosh's music direction.

hiir raanjhaa

The first movie of Kayyaam, in which he collaborated
with varmaajii to give music for 6 songs out of 11. Among
the songs are, "shaharo.n me.n se shahar sunaa thaa, shahar
sunaa laahor" by umaa devii and chorus, and "dil bujhaa
jaataa hai, naashaad huaa jaataa hai" by Geeta. Use the
automailer for more info on him.

jharanaa

Produced and directed by Protima Dasgupta, Hindi
actress, producer and director, educated in England and
Shantiniketan. This movie was banned by Morarjibhai for what
he opined were sexually explicit scenes, upon which the
movie flopped and Protima retired from the cinema.

kalpanaa

Produced and directed by Uday Shankar (brother of Ravi
Shankar), the most well-known modern dancer of India. It
took 4 years and was shot in the Gemini Studios, where
chandralekhaa was also made. The choreography became a model
for the dream sequence in Awara (1951) and many others.
Padmini, one of the famous Travancore trio (other 2 are
Ragini and Lalitha), debuted in this movie.

khi.Dakii

Santoshi's social was the first time Lata sang with
shamashaad, mohanataaraa and chorus in the song, "Kushiyaa.N
mana-en kyo.n naa ham". CR gave the music.

mandir

When nandaa's father vinaayak died, Dinkar D. Patil
finished the movie. Lata and nandaa both acted in the movie,
but shantaa aapTe was the star.

melaa

Has 12 beautiful songs by naushaad and shakiil. Their
best film this year starred Dilip and Nargis. I can listen
to these for ever.

1. dharatii ko aakaash pukaare - shamashaad, mukesh
2. dharatii ko aakaash pukaare - shamashaad
3. parades balam tum jaaoge, kaho merii - shamashaad
4. Gam kaa fasaanaa kisko - shamashaad
5. mohan kii muraliyaa baaje, sun Thes - shamashaad
6. taqdiir banii ban kar biga.Dii - shamashaad
7. aaii saavan rut aaii, sajan moraa - shamashaad, mukesh, chorus
8. mai.n bhanvraa tuu hai phuul - shamashaad, mukesh
9. meraa dil to.Dane vaale mere dil kii - shamashaad, mukesh
10. gaaye jaa giit milan ke, tuu apanii - mukesh
11. phir aah dil se nikalii - zoharaabaaii
12. ye zingdagii ke mele, duniyaa me.n - rafii

nadiyaa ke paar

I like this Dilip-Kaushal starrer directed by Kishor
Sahu for Filmistan. This was the last movie of Kayoum
Mamajiwala Gohar, the star of silent screen, born in Lahore
in 1910, died in 1985. She was a child star. Later lived
together with Chandulal Shah, the famous mogul of Ranjit
Movies. Lata and Chitalkar had their first duet, "o gorii o
chhorii kahaa.N chalii ho" for this movie. The most famous
song is, "more raajaa ho, le chal nadiyaa ke paar" by Rafi
and Lalita Deulkar, future wife of sudhiir pha.Dake.

pyaar kii jiit

Wow, another hit musical from the team of husnalaal-
bhagataraam, starring suraiyaa. The first movie of director
O. P. Dutta, father of J. P. Dutta of Gulaamii (1985) fame.
When I listen to these songs on my car cassette player, the
tape gets worn out.

1. kabhii panaghaT pe aajaa - suraiyaa, miinaa, surinder kaur, chorus
2. rut rangiilii hai suhaanii raat hai - suraiyaa, miinaa, surinder kaur, chorus
3. tere naino.n ne chorii kiyaa - suraiyaa
4. o duur jaane vaale vaadaa naa - suraiyaa
5. koii duniyaa me.n hamaarii tarah - suraiyaa
6. mai.n apane dil ke haatho.n - surinder kaur, raam kamalaanii
7. ik dil ke tuka.De hazaar hu-e - rafii
8. itane duur hai.n huzuur, kaise - surinder kaur

Wow again. The last solo was surinder kaur's first Hindi
movie song.

rangiin zamaana or ajiit

Produced and directed by Mohan Dayaram Bhavnani, it was
India's second color film. It was, however, the first to be
shot on Kodachrome 16mm film and blown up to 35mm in US.
Bhavnani, born in 1903, studied at the College of Technology
in Manchester, then at UFA in Berlin. He worked with
Kohinoor and Imperial before forming his own companies.
After this movie, he joined Information Films of India
(later Films Division) and directed many documentaries. By
the way, this was the first movie as a hero for premanaath,
Raj's saalaa. Bhavanani made no more features after ajiit.

seharaa

The first movie for the MD, S. Mohinder. It featured in
the leading roles the singing pair nirmalaa (Govinda's mom)
and aruN ahuujaa (Govinda's pop). They sang 2 duets, she
sang 5 solos. Even Mohinder Singh sang a song, "ai dil u.Daa
ke le chal". Nirmalaa, who was also the mother of producer-
director kiirti kumaar, was born on June 7, 1928 and died on
June 15, 1996. She debuted in K. B. Lal's saveraa (1942) in
which shobhanaa smarth and aruN ahuujaa were stars. She
learnt singing from her father and then from ba.De Gulaam
alii Kaan. She became known as a famous Thumarii gaayikaa
after she retired from movies in 1959.

shahiid

Dilip excels as the rebel hero, with kaaminii kaushal as
heroine. Lila Chitnis played mother for the first time here.
Has good songs by Gulaam haidar, the most memorable being,
"aa jaa bedardii baalamaa koii ro ro pukaare" by Geeta and,
"badanaam naa ho jaaye muhabbat kaa fasaana" by surinder
kaur. A duet with lata and madan mohan was recorded but not
used in the movie.

shikaayat

jaa.N nisaar aKtar wrote songs for the first time for
this movie. I do not know which.

suhaag raat

giitaa baali became a famous movie star after this
movie directed by Kidar Sharma. She plays a suffering
village maiden, who is delightfully unsophisticated. Bharat
Bhooshan, who had earlier shot to fame as Bhakt Kabir was
saved from starvation because of this movie. People wanted
him to do more dhaarmik movies after kabiir and he refused,
thus leaving him a very poor married man.

vidyaa

Great music by S. D. Burman in this Dev-Suraiyaa
social. I enjoy the suraiyaa solo, "kise maaluum thaa do din
me.n saavaan biit jaayeegaa", the suraiyaa-mukesh duet,
"laaii Kushii kii duniyaa, hansatii huii javaanii", the
lailta solo, "pyaar ban ke mujh pe koii chhaaa gayaa, chhaa
gayaa re", and the amiirbaaii numbers, "jiivan jyoti
bujhatii jaaye", "bhagavan tere sansaar ke hai.N khel
niraale", "merii muniyaa.n kii akhiyan me.n tuu aa jaa". The
biin effect in the last song, a lorii, is very soothing. I
never listen to it when I am driving.

Thus ends 1948. My sources are the usual, with one new one:

Directory of Indian Film-Makers and Films, compiled and
edited by Sanjit Narwekar, published by Greenwood Press in
1994. Excellent first-hand source on Indian directors.


Surjit Singh, a diehard movie fan(atic), period.


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