Devar is a 1966 Hindi film directed by Mohan Sehgal.[1] It stars Dharmendra, Sharmila Tagore, Deven Verma and Shashikala.[2] The music is by Roshan and the lyrics by Anand Bakshi; this is their only film together that met with success.[3]
| Devar | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Mohan Segal |
| Written by | Tara Shankar Bandopadhyay |
| Starring | Dharmendra Sharmila Tagore Deven Verma |
| Music by | Roshan |
| Distributed by | De Luxe Films |
Release date |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
The film is based on the short novel Naa by the Bengali writer Tara Shankar Bandopadhyay. This novel was already adapted into a 1954 Bengali film of the same name, and the 1962 Tamil movie Padithaal Mattum Podhuma.
Plot
editShankar and Bhawariya are childhood lovers who have been parted by unfortunate circumstances. Shankar's cousin Suresh is an advocate. Matchmaker Ram comes up with marriage proposals for both the cousins. Following family traditions, it is decided that the boys will meet the respective brides by proxy. Suresh falls in love with Madhumati. He cooks up a wicked plot. He writes two letters to each of the families due to which an innocent and less educated Shankar is badly treated by his parents. One day accidentally Shankar learns that Madhumati is Bhawariya, the girl whom he used to love. So also, Bhawariya's brother, a handwriting expert learns of Suresh's wicked plan. Bhawariya's brother asks Suresh to accept his guilt before Shankar’s parents presuming that it is Suresh sitting on the chair, but it happens to be Shankar who listens to this and learns of everything. In a rift between Shankar and Suresh, Suresh dies accidentally, for which Shankar is held as the culprit. Madhumati who is determined to see her husband's murderer hanged, changes her words in the end and saves Shankar. The film ends without Madhumati ever knowing that Shankar is her childhood lover.
Reception
editThe Essential Guide to Bollywood (2005) says that the film "contained deep elements of Bengali literature... The film is remarkable for projecting the ironic twists of fate in an unconventional format with the lead pair bound to the 'wrong' spouses till the very end."[4]
In 2014, The Friday Times noted that this film was "probably the only role that [comedian Deven] Verma played that had shades of grey... He may have played a villain but many left the theatre wondering how such a good looking, suave man could have such a complex character."[5]
Cast
edit- Dharmendra as Shankar
- Sharmila Tagore as Bhawariya/Madhumati
- Shashikala as Shanta
- Deven Verma as Suresh
- Lalita Kumari as Basanti
- Durga Khote as Madhumati's mother
- Dhumal as Ram Bharose
- Sulochana Latkar as Shakuntala
- Sabita Chatterjee as Lily
- Raj Mehra as Thakur Mahendra Singh
- Tarun Bose as Advocate Gopinath
- D. K. Sapru as Diwan Jaswant Rai (as Sapru)
- Mumtaz Begum as Shankar's mother
- Bela Bose as dancer in 'roothe saiyan' song
- Brahm Bhardwaj as Public Prosecutor
- Nazir Kashmiri as judge
- Pardeep Singh
Soundtrack
edit| Songs | Singer |
|---|---|
| "Aaya Hai Mujhe Phir Yaad" | Mukesh |
| "Baharon Ne Mera Chaman" | Mukesh |
| "Duniya Mein Aisa Kahan" | Lata Mangeshkar |
| "Kajalwale Nain Milake" | Mohammed Rafi |
| "Roothe Saiyan Hamare" | Lata Mangeshkar |
| "Main Mar Gayi, Mushkil Mein Pad Gayi Jaan" | Usha Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle |
References
edit- ^ "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - The Tribune Lifestyle". www.tribuneindia.com. Archived from the original on 13 June 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
- ^ "Devar - Review". Molodezhnaja. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- ^ Arunachalam, Param (19 July 2015). "Bollywood Retrospect - The enduring lyrics of Anand Bakshi: Anand Bakshi's long career speaks about his success in adapting himself to changing times". D.N.A. Sunday. ProQuest 1697064272. Archived from the original on 9 December 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
- ^ Jha, Subhash K.; Bachchan, Amitabh (2005). The Essential Guide to Bollywood. Lustre Press. p. 30. ISBN 9788174363787. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- ^ "In memoriam: the suave humorist". The Friday Times. 14 December 2014. ProQuest 1635816081.