Ah, Roti (1942) – what a delicious film! I posted about this movie and discussed it further with people in comments a couple of times before, and I saw plenty of scenes and knew all about the plot and the fantastic cast… But thanks to Memsaab, first I got a good detailed plot summary, and then I got to download a full copy with subtitles (done by Raja – who also recently subtitled Tom’s video of the Helen vs. Vyjayanthimala dance in Dr. Vidya, which appeared in this year’s Vyjayanthimala brithday post). This is a straightforward message movie with a moral (no ambivalence about it whatsoever), but at the same time, the plot is compelling, and the chracters range from diabolically fascinating to positively adorable. This really is the greatest of Mehboob’s communist adventure films! Plus, there is some beautiful dancing here, and we get to hear one of the best soundtracks by Anil Biswas.
I agree.
Me too! It’s utterly wonderful, and ought to appear on every list of classic Indian films instead of being relegated to obscure vcd.
Yes, that’s true. Fortunately, some people gave it a little of the attention it deserved… I first read about his movie a couple of years ago in Mihir Bose’s Bollywood: A History. After I read a description of the theme and the plot, I thought, I have to see this film! :)