Kalpana has some of the best dance performances that I have ever seen by the two younger Travancore Sisters in a Hindi movie; it’s got the best-ever soundtrack by O.P. Nayyar (with some of the nicest singing by Asha Bhosle and superb performances by both Mohammed Rafi and Manna Dey); the best acting performance I have ever seen by Ragini (and Padmini is very, very good also); and the best dance competition anywhere (so I have decided – Padmini vs. her sister is even better than Padmini vs. Vyjayanthimala!)… So how could I not love it? Of course, I love it. Because of the music and the dancing, it is delectable from the very start…
Though I suppose if I am reviewing a movie, I should judge it also by things like plot and character. On those fronts, it isn’t bad, though maybe not nearly as great… As far as I’m concerned, Ashok Kumar’s character, Amar, is generally not very interesting. He seems a bit dense, as he doesn’t understand when people fool him, he completely fails to understand the emotions of the wonderful women who enter his life, and he is not all that strong in dealing with some of the social predicaments presented to him. But on the other hand, Ashok plays the character very well (as we would expect of him). His facial expressions, especially, often are quite good, and in the lighter part of the movie, near the beginning, he is pretty funny too.
Speaking of the lighter part, it is interesting how this film goes from very light to rather bleak (for the most part), and what happens when that transition takes place. That is one reason why this time around, I am actually going to do something of a chronological plot summary. Doing such a summary, I also will have an excuse to show most of the dances – and it is refreshingly easy, at least right now, to find all of the dances for this film.
The film begins when Amar is on vacation in a beautiful and peaceful (for the moment?) Kashmir… Our hero is trying to paint a portrait of the beautiful landscape, but the portrait seems to be missing something that would give it life, as his butler tells him. And as if by magic (the butler even thinks it’s the work of a fairy!), Kaplana (Padmini) appears to provide him a beautiful subject to paint into the beautiful landscape.
A fairly light-seeming love affair progresses for a while, and Kalpana keeps mentioning to her mother, Kishoribai (Achala Sachdev) that at last she might have found true love. But there’s something more ominous going on as Kishoribai keeps telling Kalpana that she better tell this man all about herself, implying that there is some dark secret in her past and her identity. (And if you are a fan of Hindi movies and you haven’t been able to guess at this point or at least a little later what that secret is, you might be as dumb as Amar.)
In any event, this affair kind of reaches its end for the moment when Amar’s vacation is over at the same time that Kalpana’s family receives a mysterious telegram, causing them also to move on.
But Amar’s luck is pretty good because, on the way back, he ends up sharing a train car with a rather entertaining dancer named Asha (Ragini).
Actually, as becomes even more clear when you know the lyrics, Asha is giving him a little trouble, showing off something of an attitude…
But as in many of these movies, the girl who is acting hostile to the hero is doing so because she is about to fall in love with him. Additionally, Asha has a good reason a little later not to remain hostile to Amar, because he turns out to be the principal at the school where she wants to audition for a dance teaching job, and of course he is on the committee that decides her fate there. When Asha discovers this at the question-and-answer session, she becomes very nervous, and acts kind of flaky, but Amar urges the rest of the committee to give her a chance and judge her by her dancing, and then we are treated to a dance (which I posted the other day and a few times before) that is Ragini’s all-time best solo dance performance - i.e., the one that at first glance doesn’t look like a solo dance performance – “O Assalaam Aalekum Babu…”
Shortly afterwards, Kalpana turns up again to do her own acclaimed dance performance (with a partner played by none other than Gopi Krishna!), since it turns out that she has, herself, become a famous stage dancer.
When Kalpana reenters the picture, her love affair with Amar not only resumes but becomes even stronger. Part of the reason for this is that Kalpana discovers that Amar is a widower with a small daughter named Munni, and Munni causes Kalpana to feel intense maternal instincts.
Of course, an unfortunate rivalry soon develops between Kalpana and Asha. There is little question from the start regarding whom Amar prefers, but there is some misunderstanding that takes place which causes Asha to be convinced that Amar really is in love with her and there is really no one else. This part seems to be dragged on a bit too long, with Asha being the dense one this time around. But the misunderstanding is finally cleared up somewhat by a meeting over drinks among all three of them, Amar, Kalpana, and Asha. During the ensuing conversation, Kalpana tries to be as friendly as possible to Asha, telling her that as devotees to song and dance, they worship the same god (although she makes her message a little confusing at first by saying the “worship the same god” part before explaining the song-and-dance part); then she invites Asha to join in some dance competition with her. The actual competition never materializes, but we see the most wonderful competition going through Asha’s head later that night, in either a dream or waking dream that happens in the middle of a scene of Asha lying down in bed and looking miserable. As a reflection on the earlier conversation, this dreamed dance is actually very clever, because it shows the two women doing bharatanatyam to show their love for their god. Moreoever, the dance itself is a dream indeed! As I’ve said, I am convinced now that it is the greatest dance competition that I’ve seen in any movie, and it is the best Padmini-Ragini dance in any Hindi film (or possibly any film – though when you consider some of the Tamil movies, that is a tough one to decide). The vocals behind the dance are quite unique in a few ways, one being that they consist of two male singers singing for two female dancers. Plus, this is an unexpectedly classical number for O.P. Nayyar, who shows that he could be very adept at this kind of music too, creating a forum in which Mohammed Rafi and Manna Dey can perform a truly stunning duet.
As the dreamed dance implies, the rivalry between Asha and Kalpana is pretty much settled at this point. Now the movie begins to shift to something much darker, as Kalpana turns completely into one of these tragic tales about the girl born into a family of courtesans who desperately wants to escape her fate but fails to tell the man whom she wants to marry about her terrible past until he finds out in a very uncomfortable way. (Not that we didn’t know all this was coming.) Though as we are told a few times, Kalpana has only danced and not fully followed in the footsteps of her mother, so she remains pure (perhaps another word for that would be “pakeezah”). Kalpana also suffers a lot of pressure from a very nasty man who is sort of the boss to all the courtesans in her family (the reigning pimp?), and she has a vile and unprincipled brother who does everything he can to wreck her chances of finding another life, because her mujras always end up bringing him money too.
Amar is a bit of a jerk for a while after learning about Kalpana (surprise, surprise!), and Kaplana, meanwhile, does everything she can now to make him further lose faith in her, because she is afraid that her family reputation will only lead to ruin for Amar’s family, especially Munni. (Also, Amar’s mother has basically told her to stay away from Munni – even though she did consent to the marriage, kind of out of pity.)
Strangely, during most of the rest of the film, Ragini disappears, as though it’s time for her to move aside once the film becomes a weepy melodrama. And the movie has become quite a weepy melodrama, but fortunately, the tragic role of the tormented courtesan is handled very adeptly by Padmini. And while the drama in this part of the film might be a bit much for some people, viewers should certainly be able to appreciate Padmini’s wonderful mujras.
By the way, especially in the context of what is happening at this point in the movie, that second mujra is an emotional stunner, and a great testament to Padmini’s acting ability. Whether or not the melodrama goes a little over the top, there really are some very moving moments in this part of the movie.
Hoping that this is not too much of a spoiler, let’s say that the movie isn’t quite as bleak by the very end (when Ragini also returns, by the way). Unfortunately, it’s almost hard to catch this very last part of the film, as it seems a bit rushed and disjointed or badly edited. However, this all might be the fault of Moserbaer. The very ending had to have been chopped some by Moserbaer. And while the director is Rakhan, the editor billed is Bimal Roy. Assuming that is the famous Bimal Roy(?), maybe that gives us another hint that the main problem here is Moserbaer.
Despite those flaws, this still is at the very least a reasonably good movie even in its present DVD form and even outside of the music and dances. But, of course, it’s very difficult to imagine this movie outside of the music and dances, and once again – because I can’t say this enough – that music and dancing elevates Kalpana to a “must see” classic.
It is no doubt the same Bimal Roy—he edited a lot of films (many directors were editors first, and continue to be editors, Hrishikesh Mukherjee eg)…
It’s probably Moserbaer ‘s fault. Lovely review—I need to find this! :)
ps Sheila Vaz is still alive and kicking, according to Karan from Upperstall—I am glad to hear it! know you will be too…
seems to be movie only to be watched for the songs and dances. The duel between Ragini and Padmini was great, loved Manna Dey and Mohd. Rafi’s rendition as well.
Thanks for the synopsis! You do it quite well.
WAs amazed to read that they solve the traingle in an amicable way, where they all sit together and talk! One is normally used to the fact, that everybody wants to be the big sacrificer!
BTW is it really Gopi Krishna in that song with Padmini? The guy looks to me as if he is someone else. But maybe it is the bad print!
Memsaab and Harvey, thank you for the good words about the review; that sort of comment is always appreciated here. :)
Memsaab, thanks for the correction about Sheila Vaz; glad to know she is alive and kicking. (Readers, this relates to an exchange on Memsaab’s blog where someone said Sheila Vaz had died last week. But no, Sheila Vaz is not in this film. Most of the people in this film are deceased, alas. Though it was also mentioned over at Memsaab’s that Achala Sachdev is still alive and must be about 90 now. :) )
Harvey, amusing comment about how everybody usually wants to be the bigger sacrificer. Actually, the way the meeting of the three happens, Asha doesn’t even think there is another woman showing up; she just hasn’t gotten it. (It’s kind of involved, and I didn’t want to get into the convoluted details of the misunderstanding and Asha’s denial.) Nonetheless, when Kalpana does show up and they all end up talking, it does all seem be solved relatively amicably.
Regarding the appearance of the guy who I think is Gopi Krishna, well, I had read in a couple of places that it was. And it seems reasonable to me that it might be Gopi Krishna just dressed a bit differently from how we’ve seen him in all those classical dances, etc. But I’m checking the usual sources right now and I don’t see anything to help me double-confirm this. If anybody knows for certain that it isn’t Gopi Krishna, speak up, and I’ll remove that parenthetical statement. :)
I did take a cue from your comment about the bad quality of the clip and replaced it with something slightly better. It’s still got some problem with the light exposure(?), but it’s got a better aspect ratio. (And a note to Tom, if you’re reading this – yes, ever since you complained to me a couple of times about aspect ratios, I can’t noticing that sort of thing, a lot. :) )
As long as the bleak turn in the film isn’t how it ends, I’m willing to see it! I don’t mind films going from frothy to depressing – if only they have ultimately happy endings, plus (of course) good songs and so forth to redeem them.
By the way, you might want to make a minor correction: the name of the song is As salaam aaleikum, not Aa salaam…. Aa means ‘come’; here, ‘as’ is a part of the phrase ‘as salaam aaleikum’, which is a greeting in Persian and Urdu.
Dustedoff, if you look for happy endings, then you might want to rethink the idea that you mentioned to me at your Mukesh post about seeing Mela. :) I like a lot of bleak films from the late ’40s and early ’50s, but that one seems almost gratuitously depressing.
Now, regarding your correction of the title, thank you, but…
I typed something else here, but here is my revised answer :) :
I am quite familiar with the greeting. I’m used to the two word version, “Salaam Alaekum” (or “Salaam Aleikum,” etc.). You are probably right that there is only one correct spelling for the beginning of that greeting. But is that the title of the song?
I merely copied the title that Tom had given at his Dailymotion post. The list on my DVD, on the ther hand, calls it “Aslaam Walekum.”
Then, Looking around, I found these other variations:
“Aa Assalam Aalekum” (that was the title of the YouTube clip)
“Oye Assalaam Alekum”
“Walekum Salaam”
“Alekum Salam”
Actually, I have discovered that “Alekum Salam” is the most common name given for the song in the MP3 downloads, etc. So I think that’s what I’ll probably go with. But it’s getting pretty late into the night/morning and I have things to do during the day, so I’ll sleep on it. :)
I would say it is not Gopi Krishna, he has too bushy eyebrows and the wrong sort of teeth and mouth to be Gopi Krishna.
Wonderfully structured review, Richard, with songs and dances well listed out, though why I have this blackout with the song Assalaam Walekum I can’t understand. Weird.
BTW the greeting is ‘Assalam Walekum’ and the response is ‘Walekum salaam’.
I don’t think it is Gopi Krishan because I just checked the credits and his name is not mentioned. In addition I think he did only kathak. Maybe I ‘m wrong.
All in all it’s a lovely film though the end does seem edited with scissor happy hands.
The film is produced by Ashok Kumar which surprises me. I had no idea he produced films.
Pacifist, thanks for the good words.
Yes, I know “Walekum Salaam” or “Alekum Salaam” (or whatever spelling variation you wish) is the reply to “Assalaam Alekum” (or “…Walekum” or whatever spelling variation…)
Anyway, I have decided to call the song “Assalaam Aalekum Babu” based on the fact that this is how it is listed in my MP3 download of the song (with a minor spelling difference) and this is one of the main phrases in the song, and this is basically what’s being translated in the subtitles to the second screen cap. And that’s my final decision! :)
Still haven’t reached a decision about Gopi Krishna yet… Often a famous dancer will do a cameo without being listed in credits, and I’m sure he has done the same too in other films. I’m going to look that one up more… I’m pretty sure someone once insisted it was Gopi Krishna, probably in an old YouTube clip.
Yes, it’s interesting that Ashok Kumar produced this one. I read about his work on this somewhere, where it also said that he had an especially good rapport with Ragini, and that this influenced her inclusion in other films that he starred in later – or at least one other film, Adhi Raat Ke Baad.
Tu hai mera prem devta is absolutely top bracket for me. I could watch the movie for the song and dance, and intend to. Even if I have to put up with a crappy moserbaer cd (or dvd – which Tom said was not freely available)
Ava, glad you feel the same way about the great song and dance in this.
I saw this DVD on a “New Releases” shelf when I bought it about 10 days ago, so maybe when you talked about it with Tom, it just wasn’t available yet(?)…
“Anyway, I have decided to call the song “Assalaam Aalekum Babu” ”
Good! Actually, most of those variations you’d listed are more or less along the same lines when it comes to pronunciation. The only one that’s different (and incorrect) is Aa salaam aaleikum.
I made that tinted version a while back and don’t really remember where I got the title. I suspect it’s a variation of the spelling of the name I got from Earthmusic, which I often consult about such things, and there they have it as ‘aa assalaam aalekum’. I guess the consensus is, though, that I should change it. By the way, dustedoff (or anyone else), would the ‘aa’ mean the same in Farsi and Urdu (and Arabic) as it does in Hindi? Isn’t it an Arabic greeting originally? I do admit, though, that during my travels in that part of the world the ‘aa’ didn’t seem to be pronounced separately and distinctly. It seemed to be pronounced as Asalaam Aleikum, with that first ‘a’ sometimes drawn out a bit when the greeter was being flowery..