Ooh, I love this! It’s too bad the clips on YouTube don’t also include the scene a few seconds later, when Dilip’s character, now aged and decrepid, finally keels over and his spirit departs from his body to reunite with the vision of Nimmi dressed like a queen (and looking more beautiful than we’ve ever seen her), while she waits for him in a chariot in the clouds. I’ve seen endings like that before (quite a few, actually), but the ending to Uran Khatola is somehow beyond all of them.
P.S. Also credit director S.U. Sunny, art director V. Jadhav, and cinematographer Jal Mistry… This whole film has a truly magical look to it, not quite like anything I’ve seen before. And I enjoyed it much more than I ever expected.
Dances on the Footpath 
Oooo I hated that sacrifice…terrenal over heavenly love anyday :)
Talk about a *Spoiler Alert*! ;) Very nice clip, I’m inspiried to see the movie now, thanks.
Richard, thanks for posting one of favourite-st songs! It’s truly incredible.
Now, I have a questions: Sometime in the 90s, when I was flipping channels on Star TV in India, I came across a Hollywood film (it was in colour, but the look was the 50s) which was set in Hawaaii. The scene I saw was the same scene as this song – haughty princess, folorn lover, the virgin sarifice – down to the garland around her neck – only there, they were taking the girl to be pushed into a volcano. I’ve been trying to find out the name of that film – any ideas?
Never seen the movie, just enjoyed listening to the songs. Uran Khatola has some sublime ones. Now that you say this, I feel like I should get a dvd. Hmmm
Why? Why did she do that, Richard? :-(
Another spoiler please ;-)
The song is great, your recommendation is high. It goes in my list of ‘to see’ films.
I love this song too (and I think Nimmi looks gorgeous with her hair streaming in the breeze). I remember being very depressed by the end when I saw the film, but the music is so good, even that is forgivable.
So many good comments (and to all, you are welcome), but I can give only short answers for now (and more later)…
Bawa, I didn’t mind the sacrifice – it’s a pretty familiar sort of thing in Indian films from that time (no?), and, besides, I appreciate the melodrama. :)
Sitaji, I pondered whether this was a spoiler…but not really, because the ending is not very surprising, and the film also begins in flashback style, where we already see old, decrepid Dilip and that vision of Nimmi.
Anu, glad to hear you love this song! And I did some searching for the film you might be thinking of. Could that be Bird of Paradise (1951)?
More on that later, and maybe more explanatory “spoilers,” for Pacifist. :)
Oh, and Dustedoff, I didn’t find this any more depressing than many other films in which the hero dies and finally reunites with his lover, who was either murdered, or committed suicide, or died of some disease far too early. :)
And by the way, yes, Nimmi looks gorgeous in that scene too. Nimmi also looks very cute when she disguises herself as a boy (though don’t they all in these movies when they do that – and don’t we have to suspend our disbelief that people could be fooled?)…
I am going to have to do a new Ten Bollywood Beauties list sometime soon. Nimmi was an almost last time but she definitely goes up there now. :) I will have to drop a couple of others – which some people thought I should do anyway…
Oh, I love this song!
Now something amazing is goin on. We had a coincidence on Naushad-Rafi when I had posted my favourite Rafi songs by Naushad, which of course had this song. Now about the same time I have posted Best songs of 1955, which obviously has top billing for Urankhatola!
Richard, thank you! You don’t know how many years have passed since I’ve been looking for the name of that film. It does sound like Bird of Paradise.
AK, the coincidences are getting more amazing all the time. And I admit that I didn’t even remember your inclusion of that song in the Naushad-Rafi post, not consciously anyway (sorry), which makes it even more amazing. There is a lot of stuff in that current post of yours… I will have to go back and look at it more tomorrow.
Anu, you’re welcome.
By the way, note to Dustedoff, you might be curious about Bird of Paradise also, because it starred Debra Paget, the woman who did that notorious, three-quarters-naked “Indian” (yeah, right!) dance in the Fritz Lang 1959 film that you wrote up, the one that was supposed to be about an Indian tomb.
I think I must have been ten or so when I saw this. I think I must have had exams or so, that is why I didn’t get to see the movie, but I caught the last part of it and the song has remained in my memory since then. i must have seen thousands of films since then, but I just couldn’t forget this song. Thanks for bringing this up!