Bawre Nain

Last updated

Bawre Nain
Bawre Nain.jpg
Poster
Directed by Kidar Nath Sharma
Written by Akhtar Mirza (story)
Kidar Nath Sharma (dialogue, screenplay)
Produced byKidar Nath Sharma
Starring Raj Kapoor
Geeta Bali
Cinematography
  • Machve Dada
  • Laxman Kapoor
  • T. N. Shah
Edited byPrabhakar Gokhale
Music by Roshan
Release date
  • 1950 (1950)
Running time
138 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi

Bawre Nain ("searching eyes") is a 1950 Indian Hindi-language romance film directed by Kidar Nath Sharma. [1] It was produced under the Ambitious Pictures banner at Shree Sound Studios. For the music, Sharma persisted with music director Roshan, in spite of several demands from film distributors to have him removed following his failure as a composer in an earlier film, Neki Aur Badi (1949). [2] The music became popular and is stated to be the reason for the film's success. [3] One of the noteworthy songs that popularised playback singer Mukesh was "Teri Duniya Mein Dil Lagta Nahin", composed in Raga Darbari Kaanada. [4] [5] Bawre Nain is cited as Roshan's "first big hit" as a music composer. [6]

Contents

The film starred Raj Kapoor, Geeta Bali, Vijayalaxmi, Prakash, Darpan, Pessi Patel, Jaswant and Cuckoo. [7] Both Raj Kapoor and Geeta Bali were Sharma discoveries, with Raj Kapoor's first film being Sharma's Neel Kamal and Geeta Bali's Sohaag Raat. [8]

The film was a success and is cited as a "classic", with special mention for Sharma's "exceptionally worded lyrics". Roshan's music, with songs like "Khayalon Mein Kisi Ke" became a favourite with "millions", starting him on "a glorious career". [9]

Plot

Chand lives in a small rural town in India. He is unable to pay the rent, and his landlord evicts him. He re-locates to another town and meets with a young woman named Tara. Both are attracted to each other. Chand is unable to secure employment in this town, and moves elsewhere. Tara waits for several months, but does not hear anything from him. So she decides to go and look for him, hoping to re-kindle her love. She is shocked and surprised to find him with an attractive woman named Rajni, who claims that Chand is her betrothed and both are to get married soon.

Review and reception

Meghnad Desai, in his book "Pakeezah" described it as "a very thin story is used to drape stunning melodies" composed by music director Roshan. [3] According to Ausaja, Geeta Bali "received rave review for her performance as a village belle", and "the music of this film made it a classic", with the song "Khayalon Mein Kisi Ke" becoming "a hit of millions". [9]

The reviewer in the Motion Picture Magazine (November 1950) published in India, lamented the endless use by film-makers of the "boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-gets/loses-girl formula". He termed it "a vicious little circle" with no "avenue of escape from it". The "hackneyed theme", with "stark raving melodrama" and too many coincidences, was described as a disappointment from someone of Kidar Sharma's stature, who had earlier made the praise-worthy Jogan (1950). Geeta Bali's performance was written as her best so far, with Raj Kapoor being just satisfactory. The music director Roshan came in for special mention for composing "lilting" songs. [10] Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen, authors of the book Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema, called the film an "extraordinary melodrama distinguished by Geeta Bali's innovative acting." [11]

Cast

Casting

Raj Kapoor was given a break by Kidar Sharma when he hired him as an assistant director. Sharma then went on to create "highly stylized romantic characters" for him. Kapoor's first was his debut role in Neel Kamal (1947), opposite Madhubala. The second was Bawre Nain. [12]

Geeta Bali was a discovery of Sharma's, who describes meeting her and her family in lowly circumstances while a young teenager in his book The One And Lonely Kidar Sharma. He cast Bali in her debut film and repeated her as the girl searching for her beloved in Bawre Nain. [1]

Vijayalaxmi played the role of Rajni, a "modern" educated girl; the sort of character utilised to showcase the "vamp" in Hindi films of that time. [13]

Music

Roshan's entry as a music director was with Sharma's 1949 film Neki Aur Badi (1949). However, despite the "nightmarish debut as a composer", Sharma retained him to compose the music for Bawre Nain. This, according to Vittal and Bhattacharjee was done against the wishes of the film distributors who had offered to increase their price to Rs. 25,000 per territory if Sharma dropped Roshan and took anyone else as the composer. Sharma refused to accept the offer and continued with Roshan. [2]

Mukesh's varying tonal effects and soothing quality was put to good use in the song "Teri Duniya Mein Dil Lagta Nahin", which was composed in Raag Darbari Kaanada. It effectively captured the "mood of the song". [5] This song is cited to have helped Mukesh "grow" as a singer, while becoming popular as a playback singer for Raj Kapoor in his films such as Awaara (1951) and Shree 420 (1955). [4]

Shamshad Begum's versatility as a singer, according to Ranade, was matched only by Asha Bhosle in later days. In the song "Ichak Bichak Bhurr" Shamshad brought out a high-pitched trill on the word "bhurr", while in another part she had "two consecutive trills, one octave apart" in quick succession. [14]

Rajkumari's rendition of "Sun Bairi Balam Sach Bol Re" was another popular number from the film, matching Geeta Bali's "on-screen zest". [4]

Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhosle had a duet with the song "Mohabbat Ke Maaron Ka Haal". [15]

The lyricist was Kidar Sharma himself, with Anantharaman citing two duets which were exemplary. The first was "Khayalon Mein Kisi Ke", sung by Mukesh and Geeta Dutt. The other was "Sun Bairi Balam Sach Bol Re", by Raj Kumari and Mukesh, which was also Raj Kumari's "biggest hit" in this film. [4]

Soundtrack

The songs were composed by Roshan and penned by Kidar Sharma. Song list: [16]

SongSinger
"Ichak Beechak Churr" Shamshad Begum
"Sun Bairi Balam" Rajkumari
"Kyun Mere Dil Mein"Rajkumari
"Mere Roothe Hue Balma"Rajkumari
"Ghir Ghirke Aasman Par Chhane Lagi Hain Ghatayen"Rajkumari, Asha Bhosle
"Mujhe Sach Sach Bata Do"Rajkumari, Mukesh
"Khayalon Mein Kisi Ke" Geeta Dutt, Mukesh
"Teri Duniya Mein"Mukesh
"Mohabbat Ke Maron Ka Haal Yeh Duniya Mein Hota Hai" Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raj Kapoor</span> Indian film actor (1924–1988)

Raj Kapoor, also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor, was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered one of the greatest and most influential actors and filmmakers in the history of Indian cinema, and has been referred to as The Greatest Showman of Indian Cinema and as the Charlie Chaplin of Indian Cinema.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manna Dey</span> Indian playback singer, music director, musician and vocalist

Prabodh Chandra Dey, known by his stage name Manna Dey, was a renowned Indian playback singer, music director, and musician. He had a classical music background, being part of the Bhendibazaar Gharana and receiving training under Ustad Aman Ali Khan. Manna Dey is widely recognized as one of the most versatile and celebrated vocalists in the Hindi film industry, and is often acknowledged for his significant contributions to integrating Indian classical music into Hindi commercial cinema. As a musician, Dey is particularly acclaimed for incorporating Indian classical music elements into a pop musical framework, a contribution that played a pivotal role during the golden era of Hindi cinema.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mukesh (singer)</span> Indian playback singer

Mukesh Chand Mathur, better known mononymously as Mukesh, was an Indian playback singer. Mukesh is considered to be one of the most popular and acclaimed playback singers of the Hindi film industry. Amongst the numerous nominations and awards he won, his song "Kai Baar Yuhi Dekha Hai" from the film Rajnigandha (1973) won him the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shankar–Jaikishan</span> Indian film music composer duo

Shankar–Jaikishan, were an Indian composer duo of the Hindi film industry, working together from 1949 to 1971. They are widely considered to be one of the greatest ever music composers of the Hindi film industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roshan (music director)</span> Indian musician (1917–1967)

Roshan Lal Nagrath, known mononymously as Roshan, was an Indian esraj player and music director. He was the father of actor and film director Rakesh Roshan and music director Rajesh Roshan and paternal grandfather of Hrithik Roshan.

Rajkumari Dubey, better known by her first name, Rajkumari, was an Indian playback singer who worked in Hindi cinema of 1930s and 1940s. Best known for her songs, "Sun Bairi Baalam Sach Bol Re" in Bawre Nain (1950), "Ghabaraa Ke Jo Hum Sar Ko Takraayan" in Mahal (1949) and "Najariya Ki Maari" in Pakeezah (1972).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geeta Bali</span> Indian actress (1930-1965)

Geeta Bali was an Indian actress who worked in Hindi films. Bali is regarded among the finest actresses in the history of Indian cinema, Bali acted in over 75 films in a career spanning over two decades. She was twice nominated for Filmfare Awards.

Anwar Hussain, known by the mononym Anwar, is an Indian playback singer.

<i>Apradhi</i> (1974 film) 1974 film by Jugal Kishore Sharma

Apradhi (transl. Criminal) is a 1974 Indian Hindi-language action drama film directed by Jugal Kishore, with the script written by R.K. Banerjee and T.N. Sharma. The film stars Yogeeta Bali, Kiran Kumar and Dev Kumar. The soundtrack was composed by Usha Khanna and features playback singers Suman Kalyanpur and Mukesh. It was released on the EMI Records label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kidar Sharma</span>

Kidar Nath Sharma, also Kedar Sharma, was an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter, and Lyricist of Hindi films. While he had great success as a director of movies including Neel Kamal (1947), Bawre Nain (1950) and Jogan (1950), he is most remembered for starting the acting careers of popular Bollywood actors like Madhubala, Geeta Bali, Raj Kapoor, Mala Sinha, Bharat Bhushan and Tanuja.

<i>Nazrana</i> (1961 film) 1961 Hindi film directed by C. V. Sridhar

Nazrana (transl. Gift) is a 1961 Indian black-and-white Hindi-language melodrama film produced by S. Krishnamurthy and T. Govindarajan and directed by C. V. Sridhar in his Hindi directorial debut. The film stars Raj Kapoor, Vyjayanthimala, Usha Kiran in love triangle, while South Star Gemini Ganeshan has an extended cameo appearance. The music is by Ravi. The Mohammed Rafi song "Baazi Kisi Ne Pyar Ki Jeeti Ya Haar Di", which was picturised on Raj Kapoor and it was one of the popular sad songs of that era.

<i>Suhaag Raat</i> 1948 Indian film

Suhaag Raat ( also called Sohag Raat, is a 1948 Hindi film of Indian cinema directed by Kidar Sharma. A romantic drama, it was the third film produced by Oriental Pictures and the first film to be distributed by the newly-founded company Varma Films. The story was a joint effort by F. A. Mirza and V. Sharma, while the screenplay, dialogue and lyrics were written by Kidar Sharma. The music was composed by Snehal Bhatkar, with cinematography by D. K. Ambre and D. C. Mehta. Geeta Bali made her debut in a lead feature film role with this movie, which co-starred Bharat Bhushan and Begum Para. The rest of the cast included Pesi Patel, Nazir Kashmiri, S. Nazir, Nazira and Shanta Kumar.

Shri Ram Bhakta Hanuman is a 1948 Hindi religious film produced and directed by Homi Wadia for Basant Pictures. The story was adapted from Valmiki's Ramayana by Shivram Vashikar and the dialogues were written by P. C. Joshi. S. N. Tripathi not only provided music for the film but acted the main role of Hanuman. The film starred Trilok Kapoor, S. N. Tripathi, Sona Chatterjee, Niranjan Sharma and Prabhash Joshi.

<i>Hamari Yaad Aayegi</i> 1961 Indian film

Hamari Yaad Aayegi is a 1961 Hindi romantic drama film, written and directed by Kidar Sharma. Produced under the banner of Show People, the director of photography was D. C. Mehta. The music was composed by Snehal Bhatkar with lyrics by Kidar Sharma. The film had the well-known title song "Kabhi Tanhaiyon Mein Hamari Yaad Aayegi", sung by Mubarak Begum. The film featured the director's son Ashok Sharma in the main role along with Tanuja, Anant Kumar, Madhavi, Sujata and Rajinder Dube.

<i>Sunehre Din</i> 1949 Indian film

Sunehre Din is a 1949 Indian Hindi-language romance film directed by Satish Nigam and produced by Madan Lal Mehrotr. The film stars Raj Kapoor, Roop Kamal, Nigar Sultana and Rehana, with Ramesh Sinha, Indumati, Heera, Kamalakant and Mahendra in supporting roles. The soundtrack was composed by Gyan Dutt. The film was based on a story written by Satish Nigam.

<i>Neki Aur Badi</i> 1949 film by Kidar Sharma

Neki Aur Badi is a 1949 Indian Hindi-language patriotic drama film directed by Kidar Sharma. The film stars Sharma with Madhubala and Geeta Bali. It was the only film in which Sharma played the male lead role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Varma Films</span> Indian film production and distribution company

Varma Films was a film production and distribution company founded in Bombay, India. The company was predominantly involved in producing and distributing Hindi-language films and to a lesser extent distributing some Italian-language films with English subtitles in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Munshiram Varma</span> Indian film producer and distributor

Munshiram Varma (1902-1958) was a Bollywood film producer. He was one of six brothers that were founders/partners of Varma Films, a company predominantly involved with the production and distribution of Hindi-language films.

References

  1. 1 2 Sharma, Kidar (2002). The one and lonely Kidar Sharma (1st ed.). India: Bluejay Books. ISBN   81-87075-96-1.
  2. 1 2 B Vittal; A Bhattacharjee (2015). Gaata Rahe Mera Dil: 50 Classic Hindi Film Songs. HarperCollins Publishers India. p. 116. ISBN   978-93-5136-457-3.
  3. 1 2 Meghnad Desai (2013). "Music". Pakeezah. HarperCollins Publishers India. pp. 57–. ISBN   978-93-5116-023-6.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Ganesh Anantharaman (January 2008). Bollywood Melodies: A History of the Hindi Film Song. Penguin Books India. p. 58. ISBN   978-0-14-306340-7.
  5. 1 2 Raju Bharatan (2010). A Journey Down Melody Lane. Hay House. p. 14. ISBN   978-93-81398-05-0.
  6. ↑ Gulazāra; Saibal Chatterjee (2003). "Biography-Roshan". Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema. Popular Prakashan. pp. 615–. ISBN   978-81-7991-066-5.
  7. ↑ Ritu Nanda (2002). "Filmography-Raj Kapoor". Raj Kapoor: Speaks. Penguin Books India. pp. 198–. ISBN   978-0-670-04952-3.
  8. ↑ Singh, Jaswant (2 June 2002). "Life of a producer-director-script writer and lyricist". The Tribune. No. Sunday Spectrum. Spectrum, The Tribune. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  9. 1 2 S. M. M. Ausaja (2009). Bollywood in Posters. Om Books International. ISBN   978-81-87108-55-9.
  10. ↑ "Bawre Nain -Review" (PDF). hindi-films-songs.com. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  11. ↑ Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul (1998) [First published 1994]. Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema (PDF). Oxford University Press. ISBN   019-563579-5.
  12. ↑ Bhaichand Patel (2016). Bollywood's Top 20: Superstars of Indian Cinema. Penguin Books Limited. p. 91. ISBN   978-81-8475-598-5.
  13. ↑ Bhawana Sommya; Kothari Jigna; Supriya Madangarli (17 April 2012). Mother Maiden Mistress: Women In Hindi Cinema,1950-2010. HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN   978-93-5029-485-7.
  14. ↑ Ashok Damodar Ranade (2006). Hindi Film Song: Music Beyond Boundaries. Bibliophile South Asia. p. 262. ISBN   978-81-85002-64-4.
  15. ↑ Sujata Dev (2015). Mohammed Rafi Voice of a Nation. Om Books International. p. 85. ISBN   978-93-80070-97-1.
  16. ↑ "Bawre Nain". hindigeetmala.net. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.