Dastak (1970 film)

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Dastak
Dastak (1970).jpg
Directed by Rajinder Singh Bedi
Screenplay byRajinder Singh Bedi
Based onNaql-e-Makaani
by Rajinder Singh Bedi
Produced byRajinder Singh Bedi
Starring Sanjeev Kumar
Rehana Sultan
Anju Mahendru
Cinematography Kamal Bose
Edited by Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Music by Madan Mohan
Release date
  • December 31, 1970 (1970-12-31)
Running time
140 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi

Dastak (transl. The Knock) is a 1970 is a Hindi-language drama film written and directed by Rajinder Singh Bedi in his directorial debut, based on his own 1944 radio play Naql-e-Makaani. Starring Sanjeev Kumar, and the newcomer, Rehana Sultan, the film tells the story of a newly married couple who, after moving into a flat formerly occupied by a prostitute, are subjected to social stigma and constant harassment in their new neighborhood.

Contents

Dastak features a celebrated score by Madan Mohan, with lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri, which makes extensive use of classical ragas. Songs such as “Mai Ri, Main Kaa Se Kahoon” and “Baiyan Na Dharo”, sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi, are regarded as masterpieces of Hindi film music. The film presents an expanded version of Rajinder Singh Bedi's radio play, Naql-e-Makaani (Moving to a New House), first performed on All India Radio, Lahore in 1944. [1]

On release, the film was critically acclaimed, though not a commercial success. It won the National Film Award for Best Actor (Sanjeev Kumar) and Best Actress (Rehana Sultan), Mohan won his first National Film Award for it and the lyrics of Majrooh Sultanpuri. Hrishikesh Mukherjee, the film director-turned-editor of this black-and-white film, won a Filmfare Award, his second after Madhumati in 1958. [2] [3] Critics and scholars have since praised Bedi’s sensitive handling of the subject and the film’s exploration of social contradictions.

Plot

The film was known for its unusual storyline set in a red-light area. A newlywed couple, Hamid and Salma, unwittingly rent a flat, and thus begins their daily turmoil at the knocks (dastak) on their door. The previous occupant was Shamshad Begum, a mujrewali (nautch girl). [2]

Cast

Music

The film's music director stood his ground as a maestro of classical rhythms on the dholak and raga-based melodies. The music of Dastak stood out for its allegiance to the classical traditions of raga-based melodies by its music director Madan Mohan, who managed to get from Lata Mangeshkar, ostensibly her best performance as a playback singer. [4]

Lyrics

The film is known for its poignant lyrics by lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri, especially in capturing the painful state of the story's female protagonist, Salma — be it a dramatic statement about the society: "Hum hai mataye koocha bazaar ki tarah, Uthti hai har nigaah kharidaar ki tarah" or the silent pain of "Mai Ri mai ka se Kahoon peer apne jiya ki..." [5]

Songs

Critical reception

Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com described it as rejecting "conventional ideas of filmmaking to produce a nuanced, uncompromised vision, which slams the inconsistencies and ethics of social structure through ordinary, imperfect people." Dastak was featured in Avijit Ghosh's book, 40 Retakes: Bollywood Classics You May Have Missed. [2] In a retrospective review, Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com wrote, "It [Dastak] rejects conventional ideas of filmmaking to produce a nuanced, uncompromised vision, which slams the inconsistencies and ethics of social structure through ordinary, imperfect people. Yet shows how it’s these very ordinary, imperfect people who battle it in spirit till the very end." [2]

Awards

See also

References

  1. ↑ Leslie A. Flemming. "The Films of Rajinder Singh Bedi". Digital South Asia Library website. Archived from the original on 16 July 2020., Annual of Urdu Studies. v. 5, 1985 (pages 81, 82, 83)
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Verma, Sukanya. "Revisiting Sanjeev Kumar's masterful, must-watch Dastak". Rediff.com website. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  3. ↑ "Hrishikesh Mukerjee". Archived from the original on 15 October 2007.
  4. ↑ "The Incredibly Sweet Sound - Madan Mohan". Archived from the original on 25 October 2007.
  5. ↑ "Dastak (1970)". Archived from the original on 5 December 2008. Retrieved 8 October 2007.
  6. ↑ "Film Songs on Ragas". Archived from the original on 18 November 2007. Retrieved 11 October 2007.
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