''Garam Coat'' (English: The Clerk and the Coat) was a

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

Indian Hindi drama film, directed by Amar Kumar and written by noted writer

Rajinder Singh Bedi Rajinder Singh Bedi (1 September 1915 – 11 November 1984) was an Indian Urdu writer of the progressive writers' movement and a playwright, who later worked in Hindi cinema as a film director, screenwriter and dialogue writer and he is grandfa ...

, adapted from the short story, ''

The Overcoat "The Overcoat" (, translit. Shinyél’; sometimes translated as "The Cloak" or "The Mantle") is a short story by Nikolai Gogol, published in 1842. The story has had a great influence on Russian literature. Eugène-Melchior de Vogüé, ...

'' (1842) by

Nikolai Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; ; (; () was a Russian novelist, short story writer, and playwright of Ukrainian origin. Gogol used the Grotesque#In literature, grotesque in his writings, for example, in his works "The Nose (Gogol short story), ...

. Bedi set the story in the economic turmoil of the post- partition

North India North India is a geographical region, loosely defined as a cultural region comprising the northern part of India (or historically, the Indian subcontinent) wherein Indo-Aryans (speaking Indo-Aryan languages) form the prominent majority populati ...

, also experiencing a collapse in human values, fractured social fabric and growing cynicism towards the state. However, beyond that, the story of the film diverges from the original; Bedi took the story to a completely different development and also gives it an optimistic ending, unlike the original, where the protagonist turns into a ghost. The film starred

Balraj Sahni Balraj Sahni (born Yudhishthir Sahni; 1 May 1913 – 13 April 1973) was an Indian film and stage actor, who is best known for (1946), '' Do Bigha Zameen'' (1953), '' Chhoti Bahen'' (1959), '' Kabuliwala'' (1961), Waqt (1965) and '' Garm Hava'' ...

Nirupa Roy Nirupa Roy (born Kokila Kishorechandra Bulsara; 4 January 1931 – 13 October 2004) was an Indian actress who had appeared in Hindi films. Noted for her portrayals of tragedy and sorrow, Roy was known for her acting ability, and was uncharitabl ...

, Jayant, Brahm Bhardwaj, Rashid Khan, and Vijayalaxmi. Music was by classical singer Pandit

Amar Nath Pandit Amarnath (1924 – 1996) was an Indian Classical Vocalist and film music composer. He composed music for the film Garam Coat in 1955. He should not be confused with the very popular composer of the same name, Amarnath, who was very a ...

, and songs were sung by

Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar (; born Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. He ...

. It was the first film of Cine Co-operative, a production company formed by Bedi along with Balraj Sahni and actress

Geeta Bali Geeta Bali (born Harkirtan Kaur; 15 November 1930 ‒ 21 January 1965) was an Indian actress who worked in Hindi films. Bali is regarded among the finest actresses in the history of Indian cinema, Bali acted in over 75 films in a career spanni ...

in 1954, however when the film didn't do well commercially, he went back to writing screenplays for other directors, such as ''

Madhumati ''Madhumati'' is a 1958 Indian Hindi-language paranormal romance film directed and produced by Bimal Roy, story and screenplay written by Ritwik Ghatak and dialogues written by Rajinder Singh Bedi. The film stars Vyjayanthimala and Dilip ...

'' (1958) and '' Anuradha'' (1960). His next film as a producer came in 1962; ''

Rungoli Rungoli (; ; translation: ''A Colourful Pattern of Life'', also transliterated as ''Rangoli'') is a 1962 Black-and-white Romance comedy Hindi film directed by Amar Kumar. The film had Kishore Kumar and Vyjayanthimala in the lead with Durga Khote, ...

''. The film won the 1956

Filmfare Award The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Indian cinema.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were introduced by Filmfare magazine of The Time ...

for Best Story for Rajinder Singh Bedi.

Plot

Girdhari (Balraj Sahni) is a small-time clerk in a post office, where he handles money orders. He barely manages a living along with his wife, Geeta (Nirupa Roy), two daughters, and a son. He is unable to buy a new coat for himself and makes do with a tattered coat. One day after work, he sets out to buy toys for his children but loses the 100-

rupee Rupee (, ) is the common name for the currency, currencies of Indian rupee, India, Mauritian rupee, Mauritius, Nepalese rupee, Nepal, Pakistani rupee, Pakistan, Seychellois rupee, Seychelles, and Sri Lankan rupee, Sri Lanka, and of former cu ...

note in the pocket of his coat. Unable to find the money for household essentials, he plans to commit suicide, but misses the train. Upon returning home he confides in his wife. He tries part-time jobs and even petty crime, but never succeeds. Gradually he starts losing his mental balance. One day, he comes home to find the pantry full, his wife missing, and children playing outside his locked home. Unable to think clearly, he immediately suspects that she has taken up prostitution. He is unaware that his wife has taken part-time jobs. Unable to control his rage, he tries to strangle his wife and rushes towards an oncoming speeding train. However, he is saved by his coworkers, Sher Khan and Munnilal, and brought home. On the way, he realises that the lost bank note had actually slipped into the lining, of his coat's pocket. Back at home, Geeta gives the 100-rupee note to Sher Khan, to buy the fabric for a new winter coat.

Cast

as Girdharilal "Girdhari" *

as Geeta *

Jayant Jayanta ()), is a character who appears in Hindu texts, Hindu literature. He is the son of Indra, the king of the Deva (Hinduism), devas (gods), and his wife, Shachi (Indrani). He has a sister called Jayanti (Hinduism), Jayanti. He appears in ...

as Sher Khan *

Brahm Bhardwaj Brahm Bhardwaj (25 October 1920 — 29 July 1989) was an Indian actor of Hindi cinema Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmante ...

as Jewellery shop owner *

Rashid Khan Rashid Khan Arman (; born 20 September 1998) is an Afghan international cricketer and captain of the Afghanistan national team in the T20I format. In franchise leagues, he plays for Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Adelaide ...

as Munnilal * Vijayalaxmi * Baij Sharma * Baby Chand

Music

Music of the film was by Pandit Amarnath with lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri * "Nanhe Re Munne Re Nanhaa Moraa Dole Mori Anganaiyaa" -

* "Ghar Aaja More Raaja More Raaja Aaja" - Lata Mangeshkar * "Zulfonwaale Ko Kyaa Pataa Ghunghat Men Jal Gai Gori" - Lata Mangeshkar * "Kahiyo Roen Dukhiyaare Jaa Re Panchhi Tu Jaa Re" - Lata Mangeshkar

References

External links

* * {{authority control Indian drama films 1955 films Films based on The Overcoat Indian black-and-white films 1950s Hindi-language films Films about social realism 1955 drama films Hindi-language drama films