Dastan (1950)

Dastan is one of these movies which derives its interest not so much from how it works out (it is pretty obvious from the start that things didn’t end well) but from they way the story unfolds; and even that isn’t the most exciting thing ever here. ( I ended up owning it purely by chance as I was under the impression that I was purchasing a movie of the same title starring Dilip Kumar. ) The movie begins with a view of a large mansion and a voice over informs us that we are about to hear a story connected with it.

You better have an interesting architectural history:


An elderly gentleman (Raj Kapoor in not entirely convincing old person make-up) knocks on the door and is greeted by a loyal retainer. Apparently, it’s 25 years since he last set foot in the house, but now he has come to pay his respects to his deceased sister (Veena). She spent the last 25 years living on her own in the house and avoiding any society. Her brother claims that he doesn’t want to remember what happened 25 years ago. As there is still another two hours of movie to go, he then starts to recount precisely what it is that he doesn’t want to remember (presumably so as to be better able to forget it).

One of them is more convincingly aged than the other:


We learn that Raj had a happy childhood together with his brother Kundan, the aforementioned loyal retainer and his father. His sister, Rani, was always proud and easily angered as well as given to call everybody Budtameez at the slightest provocation.

Impressions of a happy:


and possibly somewhat less happy childhood:


The family´s equilibrium is disturbed one day when the father brings home an orphaned girl, Indira. While the two boys accept her straightaway, Rani is more than a little suspicious of the stranger. Matters are not improved by the fact that her father asks her to give her room to Indira, as it is closer to his room, and he worries that she might be frightened at night in a strange house. Days pass and the situation doesn´t improve. One day, Rani is annoyed with her brothers for listening to Indira play the piano instead of heeding the dinner gong, and she is so rude to Indira that her father slaps her. However, as a voice over informs us, having to slap his beloved daughter is too much for this father’s already fragile heart and he promptly expires.

This new arrival won’t improve familial harmony:


Just after the deadly slap:


Immediately after her father’s death, Rani decides that it is time for Indira to leave the house, but her brothers disagree and Indira gets to stay. More time passes and everybody is now grown up. However, relations haven’t changed much. Rani is as proud and haughty as ever, and still dislikes Indira (now played by Suraiya), whereas Raj and Kundan (now played by Al Nasir) are both fond of her. The brothers and Indira are still in college, and one evening they participate in a college performance which also constitutes our first song. When Rani finds out, she is horrified and proclaims that Indira has turned the family name to mud (somehow, Raj and Kundan performing on stage isn’t a problem).

I am pretty and I know it:


I look ridiculous and I know it:


I also look ridiculous but I don’t know it:


Okay, I have decided to join all the ridiculous looking people:


I don’t care what you all look like, no members of my family are to perform in public, and that’s an order:


After Rani has given a piece of her mind to Indira, Raj sneaks into the latter’s room, to console here and flirt with her. It is rather obvious that those two are very much in love with each other. After this has been established, Indira turfs out Raj, who returns to the room he shares with is borther only to give his brother a very different version of events with him in a much more heroic part. His rendition of this imaginative but not very truthful account is cut short when Rani appears and forces him to take some sleeping pills. (I have to say that there are many points later in the movie where I would have liked to have had some sleeping pills handy).

Kundan would much rather sleep:


One of the few occasions where I sympathise with Rani:

We then see Rani reading a book in the hallway (presumably it is the next morning but it may be later). Her reading is disturbed by something which sounds rather like an oversized, angry bumble-bee but is in fact Raj impersonating a plane. Apparently, he has decided to become a pilot officer. Rani isn’t very impressed (very little impresses Rani), Kundan thinks that it requires too much getting up at silly hours of the morning (you have to be dressed before 9 am! the horror!) but Indira is happy for Raj. The two love birds engage in some mild flirting, before Raj goes to have his picture taken in his new uniform and Indira is sent off by Rani to have a necklace fixed. I am sure you will be as surprised as I to learn that the two meet on their respective errands. Indira has been drenched in the rain, and Raj takes her home in the car, with a small detour via a song, during which we learn that Kundan spends is time painting pictures of Indira and then gazing longingly at them (I suspect he may be in love with her, too).

Don’t I look smart in my new uniform:


Our two lovebirds:


The artist:


and his painting:


My suspicions are confirmed shortly afterwards, when Indira comes home with the now repaired necklace, and Kundan tells her that the necklace isn’t worthy to be worn by her. Alas, Indira is so wrapped up in her love for Raj, that Kundan’s attempts at flirting don’t register with her. Shortly afterwards, Rani appears and has a go at Indira for taking so long to return with the necklace.

Don’t bother, her flirting detector is temporarily out of order:


We are then treated to some stock footage of a landing plane. It turns out that this is nothing to do with Raj’s professional aspirations but heralds the return of a close friend of the family, Ramesh (Sureh) (so close that this is the first time he is ever mentioned). He is disappointed that Raj hasn’t turned up for his welcome-home party, but Rani tells him that he is at work. When Ramesh phones up Raj to ask him over, after all, Rani and Kundan are already there, Raj puts two and two together and after faking a stomach ache, heads home, where Indira is all alone, spending her time playing the piano and singing about her love for Raj.

Hello, long lost friend we have never seen before:


She is very pretty when she pines:


Indira and Raj spend the afternoon flirting, while back at Ramesh’s house his poor guests have to spend rather a long time without tea (the cruelty) as he is still waiting for Raj. When it becomes obvious that he isn’t going to turn up, Rani and Kundan go back to the family home, only to find Raj and Indira in a rather disheveled state. They are both sent to their respective rooms to make themselves more presentable. When Ramesh turns up some time later Raj is overjoyed to see him. Ramesh, on the other hand, while also being happy to see Raj (they do perform some sort of impromptu dance with lots of yelling), is rather impressed with Indira. This doesn’t escape Rani’s attention, who all of a sudden sees a way of freeing her brother from the clutches of this lowly girl (never mind that one brother doesn’t want to be freed from these clutches and the other is eager to become imprisoned in them). Before the story moves on, we are also given an answer to the question of why Rani has never married. Her unmarried state worries the loyal retainer but she tells him that she doesn’t want to become a man’s slave and as long as society regards a married woman as her husband’s property she isn’t going to get married. Of course we are meant to be horrified by this, but I have to admit that I have some sympathy for Rani, and I also can’t see her ever working out well in a household which contains a mother in law.

It’s fun making other people wait for their tea:


Though lack of tea may make your hair go all frizzy:


Frizzy hair notwithstanding, Ramesh is impressed:


This is a very interesting development:


Ramesh has invited the whole family, including Indira, over for a party. Raj has to go for work, so he can’t come, and Indira tries to stay behind (probably hoping for the sudden occurrence of more stomach trouble) but Rani insists that she come along to. At the party, we first get treated to a dance perfomance (which actually isn’t a song, but has some very nice sets). Unsurprisingly, Raj’s stomach has taken a turn for the worse, but when he comes home, Indira is gone, so he goes on to Ramesh’s house. There the performance is over, but those present are in the mood for more music, and Indira ends up playing the piano and singing. Rani notices with approval that Ramesh looks rather smitten, while Kundan (remember his feelings for Rani) is beginning to look rather worried and Raj is oblivious.

You have to come, I want to know whether Ramesh likes women with non-frizzy hair:




The lack of frizziness doesn’t seem to bother him:


Look, my hair is all neatly arranged:


Your plan seems to be working, surely you should look happier:


After the return from the party, every member of the household, apart from Rani, decides to pour forth their feelings in song. This only confirms Rani in her opinion that she needs to get Indira married to Ramesh as soon as possible. In order to make her even more attractive, she decides to buy some new, more elaborate sarees for her on the pretext that it is her birthday. When the two brothers find this out, they are overjoyed and do a happy dance, as they take it as evidence that Rani is warming towards Indira. However, Kundan also notices that Ramesh is warming towards Indira, and decides to tell her about his feelings for her in a letter. Alas, this letter is intercepted by Rani. Will she use this to drive a wedge between Raj and Indira? What will happen when Kundan finds out that Indira’s affection is otherwise engaged? What drove Rani to seclude herself from the world?


I have to say, this isn’t a great movie. Raj is irritatingly childish for most of it, the conflict towards the end is very contrived, even by Hindi movie standards, and mostly driven by people not talking to each other and jumping to the least favourable conclusion possible. To me, the most memorable character is Rani, torn as she is between her dislike for Indira and her often exasperated but still real affection for her brothers.

Nadiya ke par (1948)

Nadiya ke par (1948) claims on the box that it shows the stars in cupid form. That is a lie. There are no small chubby children with loincloths and wings. Nevertheless, I have developed a liking for this movie and its catchy songs. It starts one dark and stormy night when a doctor who's presence has been requested by the local landowner gets off a train in the middle of nowhere, only to find that due to a communication mishap there is nobody to receive him. The station master's claim that there is no transport available is undermined by energetic neighing off-screen, but the journey is further hindered by the appearance of a river. There is a settlement of fisher folk nearby (some of whom are more than a little peculiar, especially a woman called Iriya (Gulab) who has issues with an older man called Damdi (Sampson); the reason for their strained relation will become clearer later) but they refuse to cross the river at night because it is haunted by a pair of lovers who drowned there 5 years earlier, and who won't let anyone cross the river at night. The doctor isn't convinced, but he can't persuade anyone to take him across. In the end, he ends up spending the night inthe room where one of the lovers, Phulwa, used to live. However, mysterious voices and things moving soon send him back out, where he is told the story of the two lovers; and we start with the movie proper.



So, this is what the middle of nowhere looks like:


I can sympathise with not wanting to spend the night here:


5 years ago, the landowner's younger brother was expected back after having completed his studies. The landowner's accountant learns this news while he is visiting Thakur Gulab Singh (DAvid) who recently moved into the area with is daughter Chanchal (Maya Banerji). The Thakur is most interested in this news of the arrival of an eligible bachelor and tells his daughter to get their car so they can pick up Kuwar (Dilip Kumar) (for that is his name) from the train station, instructing her to wear the dress her mother wore for her engagement. Meanwhile, another reception committee including the accountant sets off on horseback. They have to cross the river, and the fisherfolk are not overly friendly, mainly because they refuse to pay, as they are the landlord's people. We already know some of the fishermen, namely the older gentleman with the impressive moustache, Damdi, and the one who is telling the story, Bala (Sushil Sahu), from the introduction. Grumpy fishermen notwithstanding, the men on horseback make it to the railway station in time to receive Kuwar and his friend, Sher Singh (Ramesh Gupta), who has also come for a visit (and to provide us with comic relief).

Hi, I am here to fall in love with the wrong person:


I sense a certain amount of tension:


Maybe they suffer from moustache envy:


The new arrivals:


I wonder what I will do on vacation:


On the way, Kuwar spots a deer and decides to go for an impromptu hunting expedition. It turns out, however, that the deer in question is the pet of one of the local girls. Her shrieking helps the deer to escape, which annoys Kuwar. After some discussion as to whether pet deer should wear collars or not, we check in with Kuwar's friend, and the rest of the reception committee who have met the Thakur on the road, as his car had broken down and his daughter is trying to repair it. He is instantly interested in the daughter and the interest is reciprocated especially as he introduces himself as Kuwar.

Yep, we are off to a good start:


You may not know it, but you are clearly meant for each other:


Our second couple is accounted for:


Of course they aren't that alone:


Meanwhile, Kuwar and Phulwa have come closer, and he introduces her to his binoculars. Alas, she spots one of her fellow villagers and, worried that she will be in trouble when they see her talking to a stranger, she leaves. The new arrival is Bala, who is very friendly with Phulwa and complains about her habit of breaking pots. Kuwar makes his way to the river and asks to be taken across and even offers to pay for the journey. Not unsurprisingly, he finds it much easier to secure transport than the accountant before him. Phulwa then starts to sing about how her beloved is crossing the river, much to Bala's joy, who answers in song, though it is rather obvious that he is really not the object of her song.

Of course, she couldn't hold them on her own, could she.


You are rather superflous to requirements:


She sings:


for him:


and he misunderstands:


At the Thakur's place, Kuwar's friend and the Thakur's daughter are getting closer, with much encouragement given by her father. The two young people celebrate their new-found fondness of each other with a song, again with Dad's enthusiastic encouragement. Kuwar and Sher Singh spend the night at Thakur Gulab's place, and the next day the whole party sets off for a fishing expedition. The Thakur, still under the impression that Sher Singh is Kuwar, drags off the real Kuwar to show him some interesting bushes and to give the two lovebirds some privacy. However, the botanical lecture is cut short when Kuwar spots Phulwa's deer which leads him to her owner who is taking a bath in the river.

She passed the cooking-test:


Somebody is having fun:


The fishing expedition:


He does look rather distracted:


Kuwar is enjoying the view:




Kuwar and Phulwa continue their flirting for a bit, but when she wants to get out of the river and he won't move, she swims further along only to be attacked by one of my favourite protagonists of Hindi cinema: The fake crocodile. Kuwar comes to the rescue and shoots the beast, but the sound of his gun attracts the other villagers. Damdi isn't too impressed to find his daughter in Kuwar's company, who is the son of his enemy, after all, and Bala does his best to fan the flames, claiming that Kuwar only came to the river to seduce Phulwa, while his mother claims that she killed the crocodile with magic (Bala's mother does come across as rather differently sane throughout the entire movie). The whole situation quickly deteriorates, and in the end only Phulwa's intervention prevents Damdi, Bala and Kuwar from coming to blows, which earns her a slap from her father.

I am absolutely terrified:


The first meeting with the future in-laws appears to be not going so well:


Really not:


Suspicious, us, whatever gives you that idea?


We then meet Kuwar's older brother, the landlord (Hari Shivdasani), who provides us with a bit of useful exposition concerning the enmity between Damdi and his family. Apparently, Damdi has a habit of stealing from the landlord's stores and was responsible for his (the landlord's) father's death, but there has never been sufficient evidence for an arrest. Kuwar and Sher Singh arrive, and get told off for having spent the night away from home. We also meet Kuwar's sister-in-law, Pushpa (Kanta Kumari), whose main aim in life seems to be to see her brother-in-law suitably married (no, I don't think Phulwa would be considered suitable).

Providing background information in a dignified manner:


They are worryingly happy this early in the movie:


Meanwhile the fisherfolk are planning to go to the market. There are other plans afoot too, namely a robbery of the landlord's stores when his accountant goes for his evening walk, planned by Bala and Damdi. When the villagers pass the landlord's house on their way, while singing, Phulwa makes very sure that Kuwar knows where she is going. Kuwar, grapped by a sudden desire to purchase fish, together with Sher Singh who insists on coming along, goes to the market and there more or less subtly agrees with Phulwa to see her that evening. Alas, his brother has some trouble making sense of the accounts, and ropes in Kuwar to help. Many hours and a sad song on Phulwa's part later, Kuwar finally makes his escape and the two take a nocturnal trip on the river, which leads to a very catchy song indeed. In the meantime, Pushpa has observered her brother-in-law's behaviour and come to the (correct) conclusion that he is in love. However, she is rather far off the mark where the object of his affection is concerned, as she assumes this to be Chanchal, who has indeed written a letter to Kuwar, only of course she still thinks that Sher Singh is Kuwar. Pushpa isn't to keen on Chanchal who is too modern for her taste and has a rather eccentric father, but the landlord is in favour of the match, and not too worried about Chanchal's trouser-wearing (which, of course, isn't such good news for Kuwar, who has no interest in Chanchal).

I wonder what's going on outside:


Aah, I see:


A man driven to buy fish:


Though not necessarily this fish:


Being separated from your beloved makes accounting even more exhausting:


Now that's much better:


Alas, they aren't unobserved:


When Kuwar returns from his romancing, he learns that Damdi has broken into his brother's storeroom, which is near Thakur Gulab's house, and has attacked the accountant (this is obviously a more dangerous occupation than is generally appreciated). He has been apprehended, and the landlord, Kuwar, and Sher Singh set out to deal with him, or rather, the landlord sets out to deal with him, and the two younger men follow him on Pushpa's insistence, as she is afraid that her husband might do something rash. Of course, this means that Thakur Gulab learns the true identity of Sher Singh and Kuwar, which leaves both him and Chanchal rather underwhelmed. The situation provides the perfect opportunity for Bala to do some intriguing. He tells Phulwa that her father was beaten up because the landlord disapproved of her relation with Kuwar (which he does, only that wasn't why he beat Damdi - half-truths are always so much more effective); and he tells the landlord, that Damdi encouraged Phulwa to entice Kuwar to ruin the landlord's family's reputation. Wouldn't it be so much better if Phulwa got married to a man able to control her as soon as possible (and by the way, wouldn't he be the perfect husband material)? The landlord is very concerned by this news (a girl in trousers he can cope with, the daughter of his father's killer, less so) and is prepared to release Damdi as long as he promises to get his daughter married and stop her from bothering his brother.

There are now rather a lot of deeply irritated people in this movie:






They aren't happy either:


He, at least, is working very hard to brighten his own future:




Damdi decides to get his daughter married the traditional way; that is, having her marry the winner of a boat race. Phulwa isn't glad to hear this, but things look up somewhat (temporarily) when the same night, Kuwar sneaks into her house with the help of a friendly villager, and at least manages to convince her of his love for her. Unfortunately, he is spotted by Damdi and ends up being beaten badly. His brother is decidedly underwhelmed when he learns that Kuwar was beaten up by the villagers. He decides to put an end to this Phulwa business once and for all and approaches Thakur Gulab Singh to ask for Chanchal on his brother's behalf. The Thakur is more than happy to agree (he has debts with the landlord, which is partly why he is so keen to get his daughter married to Kuwar) and after a liberal dose of emotional blackmail (including that staple of well-adjusted family relationships: threatening suicide), Kuwar agrees, too.

Pining, I feel she will do a lot of that from now on:


Enjoy it while it lasts:


Because soon you will have every reason to look concerned:



What will happen next? Well, we know Kuwar and Phulwa are going to die, the question is how and when. Whose family will be responsible for their death. Will either of them be married to someone else? How will Sher Singh and Chanchal cope with the sudden turn in their fate? How many more songs will there be? And who is this guy with the eye-patch and how does he fit into the story?



If, like me, you are a fan of melodrama, and like 40s music (and there is plenty of it), as well as a nice tale of star-crossed lovers, this is a good movie to enjoy. I prefer it to Arzoo, which is of the same vintage, and also stars Dilip Kumar and Kamini Kaushal, because the story holds together better, misunderstandings between the lovers are cleared up quite swiftly, rather than pivotal parts of the story revolving around people lacking vital pieces of information. It is also interesting that Bala isn't portrayed as evil, it's his love for Phulwa and his self-interest which lead him to act in a way which ultimately causes tragedy, and leaves him alone and full of remorse.