Pradeep Kumar and Vyjayanthimala in Nagin (1954) - climactic sequence in lush Gevacolor

Filmistan’s dance-cum-musical romance, “Nagin,” directed by Nandlal Jaswantlal and starring vivacious Vyjayanthimala and Pradeep Kumar in the romantic leads, was premiered in Bombay at the luxurious Liberty Cinema on Friday, December 24th, 1954.

Based on a highly improbable story by Bijou Bhattacharya and scripted by Hamid Butt, with dialogue and lyrics by Rajinder Krishan, “Nagin” has a music score by Hemant Kumar. Dances are the highlights of this film and they have been designed and directed by Sachin Shanker, Hiralal and Yogen Desai.

Superbly mounted, the film has excellent production values throughout its length. Special mention should, however, be made of Fali Mistry (Shyama’s husband) who was responsible for pleasing photo­graphy throughout the film and the exqui­site Gevacolor sequences at the end. Sharing the credits with Fali Mistry for the climactic sequence in lush Gevacolor is Ram Kumar who designed the imaginative sets. Kudos should also go to Sayed Ahmed and G. J. More who are responsible for the black and white decor in the rest of the picture.

In spite of these redeeming factors which were smuggled into the picture with an eye on the box-office, “Nagin” is a deplorable pro­duction from a studio which won acclaim recently with such a thought-provoking film as “Nastik”.

The story is neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring, and defies classification. It has neither habitat nor locale, in spite of the claim by the producers that the two pivotal characters in the film belong to tribes “living in the hilly districts of India”. In fact the film is the crea­tion of wild imagination and Nandlal Jaswant­lal fails to rescue the hackneyed plot from the triteness in spite of this.

The fantastic story revolves round a boy and a girl belonging to rival tribes of snake catchers who deal in the poison extracted from the reptiles. Their love incurs the wrath of the warring tribes and in the ensuing turmoil the Nagin is bitten by a snake sent to kill her lover. She is, however, restored to life by him when he brings the venomous creature to cure her, and they live happily ever after.

Vyjayanthimala in the title role puts over a commendable performance besides looking ravishingly beautiful as the belle of the hills. Her dancing, too, is very graceful, specially in those eye-filling colour sequences and delight­ful ballets towards the finish.

Pradeep Kumar is unimpressive in a role -poorly etched and directed, and Jeevan as the jilted lover thirsting for the blood of the hero is theatrical throughout.

Mubarak, the old-timer, in spite of his out­landish costume and poorly-written role, is res­ponsible for an excellent characterization as the stern but kind-hearted father. The rest of the characters are lost in the scenic trappings.

Hemant Kumar’s musical score is in keep­ing with the theme and the songs have a rare lilt and may prove popular.

As mentioned earlier, the piece-de-resis­tance of the film are the superbly conceived and dexterously designed ballet sequences, a delec­table appendage to a depressingly poor film (Filmfare Magazine, 1955)

Cast and Production Credits

Year – 1954, Genre – Musical/Fantasy, Country – India, Language – Hindi, Producer – Filmistan,  Director – Nandlal Jaswantlal, Music Director –Hemant Kumar, Cast - Pradeep Kumar, Vyjayanthimala, Jeevan, Sulochana, Krishna Kumari, I. S. Johar, Mubarak

Dilip Kumar in Filmistan's Shabnam (1949) - has a "Yo! Ho! Ho! and a bottle of Rum" look

This latest Filmistan picture running to crowded houses at Roxy for many weeks now is a picture which does credit to S. Mukerji the producer, who gave us in the past pictures like Kangan, Bandhan, Naya Sansar etc. There are no less than ten songs, several dance numbers in which the selection of artistes has been made very discreetly with a certain eye on the box office. The result is a picture to which sex starved thirsty humanity will throng. Though the picture has fine settings, beautiful costumes, good comedy, pleasing photography, excellent sound recording, yet an idealist or utilitarian reviewer cannot help feeling that all this skill and equipment would have been harnessed much better, social and patriotic purpose by Filmistan Ltd.

The picture lacks a well-connected story. Indeed it is all disjointed and unbelievable episodes come one after another on an astonishing scale. One cannot get away from the idea that those responsible for the production happened to see Chandralekha and having been impressed by its phenomenal success could not get over the temptation of imitating some scenes or ideas therefrom or at least taking inspiration from there. The flashback technique has been effectively used, yet all things considered Shabnam can be rated as fine entertainment but disappointing pictorial story.

Kamini Kaushal has been at her best in this picture, particularly before interval. Light hearted acting, grace of body and features, and understanding, easily place her above everybody. After his performance in Andaz Dilip Kumar has raised certain expectations but it must be said that he does not fulfill them in Shabnam. Mubarak and Jeevan are as satisfactory as ever. Paro and Cuckoo who are responsible for the dance numbers and do very good work indeed and even there, the palm must go to Paro who excels Cuckoo in spite of the latter’s better looks and presentability. We, however want to emphasize that Filmistan Ltd. must employ their resources capacity and superior talents to much more important social and patriotic purpose as entertaining the masses cannot alone be sufficient function for men like Messrs. Chuni Lall and Shashadhar Mukerji (The Motion Picture Magazine, September 1949)

Cast and Production Credits

Year – 1949, Genre – Musical/Costume, Country – India, Language – Hindi, Producer – Filmistan,  Director – B. Mitrai, Music Director –S. D. Burman, Cast - Paro, Mubarak, Cuckoo, Haroon, Kamini Kaushal, Dilip Kumar, Jeevan, Rajendra Singh, Shyama

Mithun Chakraborty in Disco Dancer (1982)

Disco Dancer is one of those films that I had known about for years before I saw it. People often quoted it as a truly kitsch film and I had heard the songs (by Bappi Lahiri, ‘the R. D. Burman of the B-movies’ according to the Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema) and seen them as clips on television featuring Mithun Chakraborty, dressed in white trousers and lame, certainly a different image from that I knew from his work in ‘art’ cinema. He has subsequently become king of the B-movies, taking only the occasional small role in mainstream films. The songs were catchy enough but already dated when I heard them, the disco era being well and truly over in London by the 1980s. Aware of the film’s cult status as a B-movie, I initially viewed it to consider it as one of the few items for inclusion that are not from the A-list.

The film’s story is by the respected Dr Rahi Masoom Reza, whose credits include B. R. Chopra’s television serialisation of the great epic, the Mahabharata, as well as several other films. Following the revenge theme of many post-1970s’ movies, the child Anil, a budding musician, and his mother are framed for stealing by a wealthy neighbour, Mr Oberoi (Om Shivpuri). Anil vows to exact his revenge through his music and as an adult (Mithun Chakraborty) soon displaces Oberoi’s son, Sam, as the King of Disco. He meanwhile falls in love with Oberoi’s daughter, Rita (Kim), with whom he played as a child. His manager David (Om Puri) changes Anil’s name to Jimmy and he becomes a national phenomenon. Oberoi keeps trying to have Jimmy killed but Jimmy is also a kung fu (if his moves can be called that) expert. When Jimmy’s mother dies, electrocuted by a guitar intended for him, he gives up his music (he is said to be suffering from ‘guitar phobia’), but his uncle (a guest appearance by 1970s’ superstar, Rajesh Khanna) persuades him to take it up again and he and Rita dance into the future.

After the titles play out on a glitter ball, the songs include Kishore Kumar’s ‘Ae oh aa zara mudke’ and the memorable ‘Auva auva koi yahaan nache’ (sung by Usha Uthup and Bappi Lahiri), with Kalpana lyer shimmering in shorts, ankle boots and what only can be described as Christmas-tree tinsel. The picturisations are nearly all set in discos with underlit floors and feature ungainly backing singers, while the lead dancers also make some odd moves. The title track, ‘I am a Disco Dancer’, is better seen than heard, with Mithun dressed in a very strange outfit (part-Donny Osmond, part-Elvis) performing fancy footwork. In ‘Krishna dharti pe aa jaa tu’, the male and female dancers appear to be dressed as angels for a school Christmas pantomime.

There are some strange touches, such as the depiction of the romance between Rita and Jimmy as a series of photomontages and the scene showing how, when Jimmy’s mother dies, his photograph cracks and dissolves to the burning of her pyre.

So is this film more than just a piece of 1970s’ (even though made in the 1980s) nostalgic kitsch? I think it typifies a move into the low-budget B-movie that finds its own audience during the 1980s, as the middle classes leave the cinema halls for the VHS and color television. It is also worth watching for Mithun. Initially a serious actor, and one who could have pursued a successful career in A-grade Hindi movies (he landed major, though supporting, roles in films such as Agneepath [1989]), he chose instead to live in Ooty (Ootacamund, a hill station in south India) and appear in low-budget movies that produce good returns from the B-circuit. He turns in a good performance in the film and possesses a physique that makes him a convincing dancer and fighter.

Cast and Production Credits

Year – 1982, Genre – Drama/Musical, Country – India, Language – Hindi, Producer – B. Subhash, Director – B. Subhash, Music Director – Bappi Lahiri, Cast - Geeta Siddharth, Om Shivpuri, Mithun Chakraborty, Kim, Om Puri, Kalpana Iyer, Rajesh Khanna