Kabuliwala ( 1961 )
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Just now I have finished watching this movie: Bimal Roy's movie , Hemen Gupta's Direction
Salil Choudhury's Music and Balraj Sahani's Acting .... everything is the best in their place.
Kavi Guru Ravindra Nath Tagore's Story .... I liked it so much, I couldn't indentify the Child-Artist,
So lovely. At the end, I don't know why I felt to sad when after 10 yrs of imprisonment, The Kabuli
Wala came to see Nimmi ( not our Administrator but the Fairy Girl of the movie ), she couldn't
Identify him. He was broken down, as what for he came ? just to see the Girl whom he left 10 yrs
Back ? Really, there couldn't be anything more sad than when yr loved ones don't know u ,
Can't indentify u or may be have forgotten u ....
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Friends, it's about this movie. U r requested to write about the movies that u liked and post a
Short review about that if u can ..... Till then we will be waiting, Bye !!!

The movie left a lasting impression of sadness when I watched it few yers back.
Beautiful music by Heamnt Kumar, specially Ganga ayai kahan se ...

You should watch the Bengali version....That is something sublime!!!
Chhabi Biswas played the role of Rahmat Ali and I simply cannot explain....

There is not a single instance when we Bengalis felt that Chhabi Biswas is not giving his best!!!!
(Same goes for Pahari Sanyal, whose photos from 1930s was u/l by Flex Ji in Bollywood Forum)

Facts: The girl's name as given by Tagore was Mini.....
Such Kabuliwallahs are a common place in the streets of Calcutta....I saw them so many times as kids....I also remember one of our darwans had borrowed some money and whenever he would come over to the gate, this creep would hide from im...I felt sorry for the Kabuliwallah


Bappa

Well, considering it's almost Aug 15 (where I live) and Balraj Sahni has come up a couple of times (Shivani ji - I find him extremely appealing too - very intense!!) - I can't help but remember Garm Hawa - M.S. Sathyu's 70's film on partition. It is one of the most touching movies I have seen and probably sunk without a trace (the net says it was critically highly acclaimed!!), I remember there were just a handful of us watching it in a New Delhi cinema hall! Balraj Sahni was par excellence in that movie. Almost all the protagonists were smaller stars - Jalal Agha, Faruk Shaikh, Gita. It was nominated for Best Film & Best Director (I shudder to think Manoj Kumar won the latter for Roti Kapda Aur Makaan - what a travesty!!), it won the Best Story (Kaifi Azmi and Ismat Chugtai), Best Dialogue (Kaifi Azmi) & Best Screenplay (Shama Zaidi & Kaifi Azmi). While refreshing my memory at the www, here's some interesting information I came across:

Shabana Azmi : My mother insists that the bits of dialogue between the father and daughter in Garm Hawa were taken straight from our lives

Anil Kapoor : Pure acting to me is Balraj Sahni in Garm Hawa

M.S. Sathyu's 'Garm Hawa' described the trauma of the partition of India - however eventually the film was first bannned on the ground of instigation to communal dissension and later received a national award after lifting of the ban (Go figure!!!)

Conclusion: If you like movies for more than entertainment value, this one is a must see!

I saw Khamosh Pani recently. Film turned out to be Punjabi with no subtitles so could not understand all of it.
Again a film about events in the 80s but with flashbacks into Partition times. Wonderful acting by Kiron Kher.

Wah T-ji, aapki pasand ka jawab nahin! I think this should rank among the best Hindi movies ever made. I saw this movie on TV years ago and was moved beyond words... Such sad things we do to each other, and yet fail to learn.
Balraj Sahni, as always, was brilliant. A very convincing performance by everyone, without resorting to melodrama... must congratulate the director for that.
I've been trying to find this movie for several months, but no luck.

Tal ..thanks for pairing with me for liking Balraj Sahni : ).

I havent seen the movie you are talkign about, but heard the name.. would try to get it and watch.

Zzz

Mini was played by a child artiste credited as Sonu, don't know what her real name was.

A multi-hanky movie for sure, I remember crying when I saw it as a kid.
The song Ae Mere Pyare Watan moved me even years later, when living abroad without family for some time - especially the lines "Aur kabhi nanhi si beti ban ke yaad aata hai" accompanied by a shot of a girl in Afghani dress climbing a hill. Incidentally, the Watan is Afghanistan, not India.

Bappa-da, sometime back in one of the threads you had mentioned the Hindi and Bangla versions of Ganga Aaye Kahan Se by Hemant Kumar and Manna Dey respectively. Could you u/l them in the respective forums if you have them?

Cheers,
50Some1

[quote=fiftysomeone,Aug 16 2005, 08:40 PM]
[quote=bchatterjee,Aug 15 2005, 08:01 AM]Facts: The girl's name as given by Tagore was Mini.....
Bappa

[/quote]

Mini was played by a child artiste credited as Sonu, don't know what her real name was.
[/quote]

Mini is Bengali was played by someone from the Tagore family, a cousin of Sharmila Tagore, Tinku Thakur.

[/quote]

A multi-hanky movie for sure, I remember crying when I saw it as a kid.
The song Ae Mere Pyare Watan moved me even years later, when living abroad without family for some time - especially the lines "Aur kabhi nanhi si beti ban ke yaad aata hai" accompanied by a shot of a girl in Afghani dress climbing a hill. Incidentally, the Watan is Afghanistan, not India.

[/quote]

This is a movie I have in my buying list!!

[/quote]

Bappa-da, sometime back in one of the threads you had mentioned the Hindi and Bangla versions of Ganga Aaye Kahan Se by Hemant Kumar and Manna Dey respectively. Could you u/l them in the respective forums if you have them?

Cheers,
50Some1

[/quote]

The song Ganga Ayen kahan se, was actually used , I think in a Bengali movie later (as far as I remember) than the Hindi version.....

It was called Ganga, Ruma Guhathakurtha was the leading actress......It was a story taking place in the Delta region of Bay of Bengal.....

I have these songs in record, but they are in Cal.....Will ask my mom to bring em with her, if she gets her visa.... (My mother was denied visa to visit me???!!! They were not convinced that she will come back!!)

Bappa

Thank u so much BCHATTERJEE for telling the name. I didn't know and wanted to know about the
Child-Artist Mini ... Tinku Thakur ? .... whose Daughter ? U said She is Sharmila Thakur's Cousine
Could u plz tell us where is she now and what is she doing ? ....
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A few days back I saw another good movie " The Gods must be Crazy " .. Really a worthy movie
I feel ... I saw all the 3 parts xcept the 3rd 1. Just waiting to watch the 3rd part ....

Thank you Rom, me too ... I can't find it either!! If you ever do, please get a copy for me too?!

Balraj Sanni was a very fine, quiet & unassuming actor. No unnecessary melodrama in his performance. Always gave his best to any role he performed. I too am a fan of his acting & his personality. He had an aura about him. He also cared for the causes of the poor & downtrodden. I presume he was also a member of the Communist Party.

Dear Talaikya ji,

What a wonderful piece of discussion that you have brought up. I had seen this movie during my school days (in the mid 80's) on Doordarshan (after midnight as it was election poll results time). I could not sleep after the movie got over at 3 a.m., so moved was I by the plight of Lala's family & the wonderful & subdued depiction of it. Balraj Sahni's reaction after seeing his daughter (Geeta Siddharth) slitting her veins to commit suicide wrung my heart beyond comprehension. It's a pity that this great actor did not live to see the finished product. His swan-song turned out to be his finest. I can wager my last penny that given the standard of acting that he had demonstrated in that performance, had the movie been a Hollywood production, he would have got an Oscar for sure. It's relatively easy to be melodramatic but immensely difficult to portray the emotions of a reserved person.

The last scene where Lala walks with the crowd with a pained & resigned expression on his face is a beautiful piece of work by the director. India's cultural, ethnic & religious unity cannot be better demonstrated by the fact that it was a Tamil brahmin from the southern part of the country who had depicted the plight of a Muslim family of Uttar Pradesh in such a moving manner.

I feel that I have seen the movie only yesterday! The sufi strains of 'maula salim chisti....' still ring in my ears. There you go.... my eyes have turned misty!

My right hand for a copy of this masterpiece.

Thanks once again (to ROM-bhai & Catch22-ji as well) for uncorking the champagne of nostalgia.

Regards-Archie.

Yes, when I finally do get it, I'd get several! Promise.
One for you as well, Archie-da!
I too love everything about Balraj Sahni... I think he, along with Motilal and Ashok Kumar, was one of the pioneers of 'natural' acting in Hindi movies... others carried their stage mannerisms for far too long.
Yes, he was a socialist indeed, Catch... a member of the Communist Party. He also taught at Shantiniketan.

i like sharabi, sisila, kuch kuch hota hain, tere naam, kabhi kabhi, muqdar ka sekandar, " a nana patekar's film where he's a serial killer" forgot movie's name, Khamoshi "nana patekar's work only", devdas " only caoz of madhuri"

It was the Previous messege posted on Aug 22 2005, 05:26 PM ...
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In this weekend I have watched 3 movies ...
1. Do Bighaa Zameen ( Balraj Sahni , Nirupa Roy )
2. Bandini ( Nutan , Ashok Kumar , Dharmendra )
3. Mother India ( Nargis , Manoj Kumar , Sunit Dutt , Rajendra Kumar )

Here is a few lines from a song(Featured on Sunil Dutt) of "Mother India" , waah kya geet hai ....
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Naa Main Bhagwaan Hoon , Naa Main Saytaan Hoon
Duniyaan Jo Chaahe Samjhe , Main to Insaan Hoon

Mujh Mein Bhalaai Bhi , Mujh Mein Budaai Bhi
Laakhon Hai Mail Dil Mein , Thodi Si Safaai Bhi

Thodaa Saa Naik Hoon , Thodaa Baimaan Hoon
Duniyaan Jo Chaahe Samjhe , Main to Insaan Hoon
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Next my Plan is to watch Jhumroo , Pradeep Ji's "Dil Ki Rani" and "Sharaabi" .....
KHOBI JI ... Nana Patekar is a serial Killer ? Is it "Ab Tak Chhappan" ?
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Yesterday I wachted 2 movies Gulzar's "ANGOOR" and Richard Attenborough's "GANDHI (1982)"
KHOBI .. this is especially for u. Angoor is again based on William Shakespeare's play "THE COMEDY OF ERRORS" ...
Did u watch this ? if not then go .. a nice comedy movie. In the Story there are 2 pairs of "Twins"
"Master and Servant - 1" and "Master and Servant - 2" played by "Sanjeev Kumar" and "Deven Verma"