Rollicking discovery (Do Ustad)

I've been telling this to people and they are cracking up. My friends are brushing my statements away. My husband wanted me to repeat what I said thrice pretending that I wasn't clear enough. Well, all the reactions are understandable. I do not grudge them even a bit. For, when you tell anybody, yes, anybody, that Mohd Rafi did sing for Raj Kapoor, there might be times when people would suspect your mental stability. Thankfully, before I was declared a loony, YouTube came to my rescue. I promptly searched for the songs of Do Ustad and put them in front of my husband. And, as expected, like me, he stood amazed, gaping at the screen.

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The delicious dreamgirl (Seeta aur Geeta)

This is perhaps one of the few films which has been rehashed prolifically. Identical twins getting separated at birth. One grows up being tortured brutally by evil guardians, the other is rambunctious owing to an indulgent upbringing. The mal-handled one is shy, apprehensive and thinks twice even before breathing. A freak accident makes them change places and mayhem ensues due to mistaken identities. The extrovert teaches the evil ones a lesson or two, the shy one gets her due love at last. There's fun and loads of laughter before the kingpin of the villains find out the truth and quickly there is more action towards the denouement before everything becomes crystal clear and all go home happy. A film like this can only be awesomely entertaining, with great performances, frothy comedy and sweet romance. Not to forget the great songs. Yes, in totality, films like Seeta aur Geeta are absolute winners.

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Sweet as Honey (Talaq)

I will not say that Talaq is a path-breaking film. It deals with the very sundry problems that may arise in a marriage when both parties fall prey to misunderstandings, are irrational on some count or the other and when there is that one nosey parker who spoils all the fun and love. In that, Talaq, directed by Mahesh Kaul, sticks to the tried and tested formulae. But, what makes this 1958 film stand out is the way in which the usual dramatics are handled. The narrative is rather engaging, the events are quite interesting and the actors look extremely real in their behaviour. The best part is of course the adorable child actor Honey Irani (for some reason she is credited as wonder child Ashwini) who plays the three-year-old son of the lead actors and who is a testimony to the trying state that a child may be in when parents quarrel like animals.

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Escapist ending (Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai)

Not fair. I'm not convinced with the climax of Kishore Sahu's Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai. This 1960 triangular love story (produced by Kamal Amrohi) finishes in a rather tame fashion. Without any procrastination, the director conveniently bumps off the wife so that the sweethearts can continue their life in bliss! So, does Sahu mean to say that it is absolutely normal to harbour romantic thoughts for a woman who is not your wife? That ignoring your wife can never be too bad? This romantic drama is not devoid of flaws...

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