November 17, 2006

Dharmputra - I´m in dire need to see that climax.

Argghh can anybody pleeease tell me what happened in this movie from the time when Dilip charges into Bano´s house and his adoptive parents try to stop him from setting it on fire? The bloody Yashraj Forever Classics DVD is broken from that point on. Right when the climax starts! Oh I hate that. Main bahut naaraaz hoon.

But I´m getting ahead of myself.


Dharmputra is a cool film. Yash Chopra´s second direction. And Shashi´s first adult role. And epecially for 1961 a pretty courageous story.


Husn Bano (Mala Sinha) is pregnant from a man her father (Ashok Kumar) does not approve of. With the help of Amrit the son of her fathers late friend she goes to Simla to give birth to a son which is adopted by Amrit and his wife.















So this by birth Muslim boy grows up in a Hindu family only to become an Hindu extremist giving fiery speeches and as the liner note on the DVD state "takes his religion to be his national identity" His political stance hits home when during the communal riots of 1947 he starts to agitate against his muslim neighbours, unaware to the fact that they are in fact his biological parents (Bano was able to get married to the father of her child after all).















What I really liked about the script is that Yash Chopra gave made his characters deliver some bold statements. They are all of course in a lecturing manner, directed at the films audience but Yash Chopra managed to incorporate most of them very smoothly into the storyline. E.g. the dispute between Dilip and his adoptive mother about the need for religions to advance themselves continuously.















I am totally unexperienced with Hindi movies of the early 60ies, so I don´t have any idea if Dharmputra is something special in that concern. But what I know is that I really liked the fashion in which Yash Chopa told the story, its pace, most of the ten songs, and obviously Shashi Kapoor.
All reasons why I´m very much displeased with my not being able to watch tha freakin´ climax!

Batchao. Pretty please?

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