''Mr. Natwarlal'' is a 1979 Indian
Hindi
Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
action comedy
The action comedy is a film genre that applies to action films where humor plays a much more central role. While early films feature stuntwork and humor, academic Cynthia King wrote that the genre only came into its own as a mainstay of the America ...
film produced by Tony Glaad (as "Tony") and directed by Rakesh Kumar. The film stars
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.*
*
*
*
* With a cinemati ...
,
Rekha,
Ajit,
Kader Khan,
Amjad Khan and the music is by
Rajesh Roshan, the songs are written by
Anand Bakshi
Anand Bakshi (21 July 1930 – 30 March 2002) was an Indian poet and lyricist. He won Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist 4 times during his career. He wrote over 6000 film songs in more than 300 films.
Early life
Anand Bakshi (Bakshi Anand Pr ...
. The highlight of the film was a children's song sung by
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.*
*
*
*
* With a cinemati ...
. Tony Glaad decided to take them as the writers of the film. The film was shot in
Kashmir
Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...
with most of the shooting done in
Beerwah, Jammu and Kashmir. Film and music expert Rajesh Subramanian reveals that Mere paas aao was to be recorded in the voice of Kishore Kumar but since Amitabh Bachchanwas planning a mega live concert abroad he wanted a song in his voice to perform live at the concerts hence it was sung by Bachchan.
The name of the film and lead character were inspired by a notorious Indian conman,
Natwarlal.
Getting
Amitabh to sing was a gimmick that was tried for the first time in this film. ''
Kabhi Kabhi'' earlier had Amitabh use spoken verse within a melodic song, but this was the first time he sang in a film. This was subsequently copied by other filmmakers in films like ''
Laawaris'', ''
Silsila
''Silsila'' () is an Arabic language, Arabic word meaning ''chain'', ''link'', ''connection'' often used in various senses of :wikt:lineage, lineage. In particular, it may be translated as "spiritual genealogy" where one Sufi Master transfe ...
'' and ''
Pukar''.
As per a trade guide, which was premium box-office publication in the 1970s and 1980s, ''Mr. Natwarlal'' was a "Super Hit".
In today's lenient classification system, Mr. Natwarlal is easily a
blockbuster.
Story
Natwar is a young boy, when his beloved older brother and caretaker, police officer Girdharilal, is framed for bribery by the sinister criminal mastermind Vikram. When he grows up, Natwar creates a secret identity for himself, posing as a powerful and mysterious underworld figure named Mr. Natwarlal, determined to slowly but surely exact vengeance on Vikram. Girdharilal does not understand his motives and develops a grudge against him.
Natwar learns from Mickey, an infamous underworld figure and Vikram's former ally, who is posing as a burnt man, that Vikram is in a village called Chandanpur and wants a diamond necklace, which is in the possession of Fakirchand, one of Mickey's allies. Natwar steals the necklace, unknown to everyone present there and leaves for Chandanpur, after apologising to an asleep Girdharilal about the troubles he has given to him. Meanwhile, it is revealed that Mickey also wants to exact revenge on Vikram for betraying him. He reveals that Vikram is terrorising the villagers using a tiger. Natwar arrives at Chandanpur, disguised as Avtar Singh, a hunter whom Vikram had already killed, unknown to everyone.
Cast
*
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.*
*
*
*
* With a cinemati ...
as Natwarlal
*
Rekha as Shanno
*
Ajit as Inspector Girdharilal
*
Indrani Mukherjee
*
Kader Khan as Mukhiya / Baba
*
Amjad Khan as Vikram Singh
*
Satyen Kappu as Mickey
*
Yunus Parvez as Seth Fakirchand
*
Iftekhar
Iftekhar Ahmed Sharif (22 February 1920 – 4 March 1995), often mononymously credited as Iftekhar or Iftikhar, was an Indian actor who mainly worked in Hindi cinema. He is known for his film roles as a police officer.
Career
Iftekhar wa ...
*
Moolchand as Seth Dharamdas
*
Gurbachan Singh
Awards
;
27th Filmfare Awards:
Nominated
*
Best Actor –
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.*
*
*
*
* With a cinemati ...
*
Best Music Director –
Rajesh Roshan
*
Best Male Playback Singer –
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.*
*
*
*
* With a cinemati ...
for "Mere Paas Aao"
Soundtrack
The music was composed by
Rajesh Roshan and the lyrics were penned by
Anand Bakshi
Anand Bakshi (21 July 1930 – 30 March 2002) was an Indian poet and lyricist. He won Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist 4 times during his career. He wrote over 6000 film songs in more than 300 films.
Early life
Anand Bakshi (Bakshi Anand Pr ...
.
Rajesh Roshan was nominated for Best Music Director award for the film;
Laxmikant-Pyarelal received the award for ''
Sargam'' that year.
The song "Pardesia" by
Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar (born Abhas Kumar Ganguly; ; 4 August 1929 – 13 October 1987) was an Indian playback singer, musician and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest, most influential and dynamic singers in the history of modern India ...
and
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 ...
, of this movie was popular, besides "Oonchi Oonchi Baaton Se" by
Mohammed Rafi
Mohammed Rafi (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980) was an Indian playback singer. He is considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. Rafi was notable for his versatility and range of voice ...
and
Usha Mangeshkar
Usha Mangeshkar is an Indian singer who has recorded many Marathi, Manipuri, Hindi, Bengali, Kannada, Nepali, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Odia and Assamese songs. She is the youngest among four Mangeshkar sisters, after Lata Mangeshkar, Meena ...
.
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.*
*
*
*
* With a cinemati ...
has a solo number on his own; "Mere Paas Aao Mere Doston". This song was the first song sung by
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.*
*
*
*
* With a cinemati ...
in Bollywood.
References
External links
* {{IMDb title, 0079584, Mr. Natwarlal
1979 films
1979 action comedy films
1970s Hindi-language films
1970s Indian films
Films scored by Rajesh Roshan
Indian action comedy films
Films about con artists
Films about brothers