Paradise lost (Kashmir ki Kali)

Kashmir beckons! The land of undulating valleys, salubrious climes, azure canopies and multi-hued flora gets a sheer magical persona in Kashmir Ki Kali, Shakti Samanta's 1964 saga of love in earth's paradise. Whatever, happened to the place...
The landscape's beauty is heigthened by the charming lead...Pristine Sharmila Tagore makes a promising debut in this musical romance. No one bothers about her act though. Champa's (Tagore) deep dimples are enough to take your breath away. She is truely a Kashmir ki kali (a flower in Kashmir).
Her expressions are just apt, shy before the young dashing Rajiv (Shammi Kapoor), irritated at Mohan's (a nasty Pran) lewd flirtations and obedient before her blind father. She's fluid in the Isharo song, wafts like the spring breeze in Balma khuli hawa mein and is the epitomy of a naughty sweetheart in Hai re hai...A scintillating first take we have here...
Now coming to the crackling male lead...the crazily great Shammi Kapoor. What a performer he was...Dance, expressions, comedy, romance, this swashbuckling light-eyed prince had entertainment on his fingertips. Never a dull moment when he is occupying screen space. He oscillates from tenderness and comedy to anger and dejection with utmost ease...his husky tone helping him on the way...
Okay, I've been waxing eloquent about this Kapoor. I love him, that's why. He is one of the primary reasons behind my love affair with old classics... He is so alluringly nonchalant, so stylish, so cocky... His dances have attitude. There is no particular style but who cares??? In the song, Tareef karun kya uski, he jumps, somesaults and plunges with utmost dexterity...and makes a damn good statement!!! In Isharo Isharo, he is a dreamy lover wooing his beloved with lilting melody, his passionate overtures!!! In Kisina kisise, he is the spontaneous bachelor searching for his ladylove. In Deewana hua badal, he is love's yearnings personified... if eyes could smoulder, this Kapoor's green ones did that...
In the dirge, Yeh duniya Isiki, Rajiv's moist eyes translate the trauma in his soul. In Hai re Hai he is a robust Punjabi grabbing eyeballs with his Bhangra. Versatality, thy name is Shammi Kapoor!!!
His flamboyance was supported by Mohd Rafi. On the musical maestro's demise, (I once saw in a report) Shammi Kapoor had wept like a child. He had said, "My voice has departed!!!" Exactly, when Rafi sang for Shammi Kapoor, one could hardly call it playback. So real and expressive was the rendition... In this film, you'll sense that...
Kashmir ki Kali is a beautiful romance, set in lovely Kashmir. Replete with a catchy plot, timeless melodies and good performances, this 1964 film is a forever...
The apparently simple storyline is interspersed with tactful twists. A rich boy meets a poor girl (with the help of a bit of foul play though) and love blossoms, to the chagrin of the odious villain (eyeing the girl himself). Quick revelations unfold and there's a sudden turn of events...The greedy villain connives and loads of action ensue...Those game for a classic potboiler, here's a clear winner...
O.P.Nayyar's trademark hoof-beat music gets a new lease in Kashmir ki Kali (there is no title track mind you!). Every song is a collectible. With feet tapping music, perfectly poetic lyrics and awesome picturisation, these songs have gone down in movie history not for nothing...Especially remarkable is the juxtaposition of Isharo Isharo and Deewana Hua Badal. Though both are wonderful love ballads, the execution is starkly contrasting. While the former is a slow, lazy ghazal, the latter is buoyant and joyful...
Modh Rafi excels in Tareef karoon kya uski. This super fast song's a superhit thanks to Rafi's exuberance and spontaneity.
One sad thought here...most of the current DVDs and VCDs of the film have ruled out one lovely track from the film, Balma khuli hawa mein. It's a loss, I feel. The song, picturised on Champa and the flower girls, heralds a cheerful spring morning. Together with the charm of the leading lady, the song is a tribute to Kashmir, a paradise that sadly, has been lost...