() is a 1957 Hindi film directed by

Hrishikesh Mukherjee Hrishikesh Mukherjee (30 September 1922 – 27 August 2006) was an Indian film director, editor and writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of Indian cinema. Popularly known as ''Hrishi-da'', he directed 42 films during his car ...

, being his directorial debut. The screenplay and story were written by

and

Ritwik Ghatak Ritwik Kumar Ghatak (; 4 November 19256 February 1976) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, actor and playwright. Widely considered as one of the greatest film makers of all time, his works remained largely underrated and ignored during hi ...

respectively. The film is about a house and the lives of three families who live in it, so in essence, it is three stories linked by the house. The first part stars

Suchitra Sen Suchitra Sen, widely known as the Mahanayika (), was an Indian actress who worked in Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali and Hindi cinema. The movies in which she was paired opposite actor Uttam Kumar became classics in the history of Cinema of Wes ...

, Shekhar in the lead role; The second part stars

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 ...

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 ...

, in the lead roles; The third part stars

Dilip Kumar Dilip Kumar (born Muhammad Yusuf Khan; 11 December 1922 – 7 July 2021) was an Indian actor and film producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. Credited with pioneering method acting in cinema, he dominated Hindi cinema from the 1950s throughout t ...

Usha Kiran Usha Kiran (22 April 1929 – 9 March 2000) was an Indian actress. In a career spanning over four decades, she acted in over 50 Hindi and Marathi films, notably '' Daag'' (1952), '' Patita'' (1953), '' Baadbaan'' (1954), '' Chupke Chupke'' (1975 ...

in the lead roles. The film was a profitable venture for

Plot

Episode 1 – Marriage

Shakuntala (

) and her husband Ajay ( Shekhar) elope and move into a new house together. The landlord Mahadev Chaudhary (

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

) helps the couple move to the rented house, which is the main protagonist of the film. While Shakuntala makes the house into a beautiful home, her husband gets busy with work. She meets the neighbouring tea vendor (

Mohan Choti Mohan Choti (1935 – 1 February 1992) was an Indian actor who worked as a comedian in Hindi films. The name Mohan Choti came from a fictional character of the same name from the 1957 film '' Musafir'', in which he plays a tea shop delivery boy ...

) and meets the next door "aunty", whose favourite pastime is to gossip about developments in others' homes. The couple hears the sound of a violin in the night and asks the tea-stall owner about it in the morning. He says that it is being played by a madman, Pagla Babu. Since the couple had eloped, Shakuntala wants her parents-in-law to accept her as their daughter-in-law. They somehow find the young couple and are more than happy to meet Shakuntala, accepting her into the family. Finally, Shakuntala and her husband go with them and vacate the house. In between, Shakuntala plants some seeds in the garden. The landlord again puts the TO LET sign on the house.

Episode 2 – Birth

The house's next tenants are a family headed by an old man, Madhav (

Nazir Hussain Nazir Hussain (15 May 1922 – 16 October 1987) was an Indian actor, director and screenwriter. He was famous as a character actor in Hindi cinema and was a pioneer of Bhojpuri cinema. He acted in almost 500 films, with Dev Anand starring in ...

). The other members are his elder widowed daughter-in-law (

) and younger college-going son Bhanu (

). The daughter-in-law is pregnant, but her husband has just died. Bhanu is finishing college and simultaneously looking for a job, while his old father manages the expenses. Although there is sadness in the home, Bhanu, with his wit and humour, maintains a light atmosphere for his sister-in-law. The next door "aunty" again comes and chats on and on. Bhanu also hears the violin, and when he asks about it from the tea-vendor, he is told about Pagla Babu. The problems of the family increase as Bhanu fails to get a job, landing the family in dire consequences. He gets frustrated; this leads to a clash with his father. On feeling humiliated, Bhanu finally drinks poison before sleeping. However, the poison is adulterated. Bhanu wakes up to the entire family mourning. He gets the news that he has finally got a job in another city. The pregnant woman also delivers a child. The family is happy and they move to another city, vacating the house. The seed which Shakuntala sowed has germinated. The landlord again puts the TO LET sign on the house. Note: This part of the movie features a song by

, "Munna Bada Pyara, Ammi Ka Dulara".

Episode 3 – Death

The next inhabitants are a barrister and his widowed sister Uma (

). Uma has a small handicapped son, Raja ( Daisy Irani). The neighbourhood "aunty" again visits the home. Like the previous tenants, this family also hears the sound of a violin in the night. The child is also attracted by the music and when he finds out about Pagla Babu from the tea-vendor, he insists on meeting him. However, the vendor tells the child that Pagla Babu does not meet anyone. However, the child does not listen and insists on meeting the mysterious violinist. Pagla Babu does appear to meet the child. Uma is shocked to realize that Pagla Babu is none other than Raja (

), her ex-lover. Raja, however, does not make it evident and interacts fondly with the child. In a very short span, an amazing bond is developed between Raja and the child. Initially, Uma is very uncomfortable with this bonding, but slowly she accepts it. Raja is suffering from cancer and the disease is in its advanced stages. Ironically, Raja, who is on the verge of dying, pumps life into the child and fills his dark world with hope. He also tells the child that he will start walking once there is a flower in the garden. On knowing about Raja, Uma's brother is furious. There is a clash between them. Slowly, Raja reaches the final stage and Uma takes care of him. Eventually he dies and the child starts walking. Meanwhile, in the garden, the germinated seed finally blossoms into a flower.

Cast

as Raja *

as Bhanu * Shekhar as Ajay Sharma *

as Shakuntala Verma *

as Uma *

as Bhanu's Sister-In-Law * Daisy Irani as Raja * Naaz as Munni *

as Mohan Choti *

as Mahadev Chaudhary *

as Madhav *

Bipin Gupta Bipin Gupta (21 August 1905 – 9 September 1981) was an Indian actor and artist during the 1930s and 1960s. He acted in Bengali and Hindi cinema, most notably in '' Baiju Bawra'' (1952), ''Jagriti'' (1954), ''Gharana'' (1961) and '' Khilona'' ...

as Neelambar Sharma *

Durga Khote Durga Khote (née Vita Lad; 14 January 1905 − 22 September 1991) was an Indian actress, beginning as one of the foremost leading ladies of her time. She remained active in Hindi and Marathi cinema, as well as theatre, for over 50 years, starr ...

as Mrs. Sharma *

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 Doctor *Rajlaxmi as Munni's Mother *Paul Mahindra as Advocate Suresh Chandra * Shailendra as Street Musician *Heera Sawant as Street Dancer *

Keshto Mukherjee Keshto Mukherjee (7 August 1925 – 3 March 1982) was an Indian actor and comedian. He was born in Kolkata, Bengal Presidency, British India. He specialised in comic drunkard roles in Hindi films. Though he was famous for his drunkard typecast ...

as Street Dancer

Music

All lyrics are written by Shailendra; all music is composed by

Salil Chowdhury Salil Chowdhury (19 November 1925 – 5 September 1995) was an Indian music director, songwriter, lyricist, writer and poet who predominantly composed for Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali, Hindi cinema, Hindi and Malayalam films, Malayalam films. ...

Awards

National Film Awards The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...

1957 Events January * January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany. * January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch. * January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...

- Certificate of Merit for Third Best Feature Film in Hindi

References

External links

* 1957 films 1950s Hindi-language films 1950s Indian films Films scored by Salil Chowdhury Films directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee 1957 directorial debut films {{1950s-Hindi-film-stub