''Shehar Aur Sapna'' () is 1963

Hindi film Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

directed by

Khwaja Ahmad Abbas Khwaja Ahmad Abbas (7 June 1914 – 1 June 1987) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, novelist, and journalist in Urdu, Hindi and English. He won four National Film Awards in India. Internationally, his films won the Palme d'Or ( Gold ...

, about a young couple searching in vain for a home of their own in a metropolis, amidst the backdrop of rapidly developing city, and the many who flocked to it in hope for a better life. It won the

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

National Film Award The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directora ...

for

Best Feature Film Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation ...

and was nominated for

Filmfare Award The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...

for

Best Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress# ...

Synopsis and themes

It was based on Abbas's own story ''One Thousand Nights on a Bed of Stones'', which describes the struggle in the life of pavement dwellers in the backdrop of rapid

industrialization Industrialisation ( alternatively spelled industrialization) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society. This involves an extensive re-organisation of an econ ...

. The theme of the film signified a marked departure from the films made in 1950s, the opening decade of

independent India Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independen ...

, as by now the euphoria seen in films such as ''

Naya Daur ''Naya Daur'' may refer to: * ''Naya Daur'' (1957 film) * ''Naya Daur'' (1978 film) * ''Naya Daur'' (magazine), a literary magazine published by Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Prades ...

'' (1957) and ''

Boot Polish A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearl ...

'' (1954) had been replaced by realism and the death of economic idealism. This was also seen in later films such as ''

Roti Kapda Aur Makaan ''Roti Kapada Aur Makaan'' (; occasionally written as ''Roti Kapda Aur Makaan'') is a 1974 Indian Hindi-language action drama film written, directed, and produced by Manoj Kumar. The title of the movie is based on the Hindi phrase, which refers ...

'' (1974) and

Mani Kaul Mani Kaul (25 December 1944 – 6 July 2011) was an Indian director of Hindi films and a reputed figure in Indian parallel cinema. He graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) where he was a student of Ritwik Ghatak and ...

's ''

Uski Roti ''Uski Roti'' (English titles: ''Other's bread'', ''His/her bread'', ''A Day's Bread'') is a 1969 Hindi film directed by Mani Kaul. It was Kaul's first feature film, based on a short story of the same name by Mohan Rakesh, who also wrote the dial ...

'' (1969), as industrialization didn't turn out to be a boon for the masses as promised.

Production

Abbas used his own experiences of sleeping on the footpath at one point in his life, as he had used in his three other films. To prepared for shooting the city "figuratively", he walked about the city under all weather, to be able to recreate the settings for the emotional landscape of the film. Though most scenes were shot outdoors, in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

slums and roads, on a shoestring budget, for crucial scenes, the cylindrical drainpipes were carried to the studios to recreate the life of the urban poor indoors, complete with slums and huts by the railway line.

Awards

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...

for

* 1964 Academy of Art award for Direction. *

Filmfare Awards The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...

** Best Supporting Actor -

Nana Palsikar Nana Palshikar ( mr, नाना पळशीकर) (1907 – 1 June 1984) was an Indian actor who appeared in over 80 Hindi films. He made his film debut in 1935 with ''Dhuwandhar'', and went on to play character roles in both Hindi mainstream ...

: Won **

: ''Nominated'' 1965 Filmfare Awards

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, p ...

** Best Director: K.A. Abbas: ''Nominated'' **

Best Story Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation ...

: K.A. Abbas: ''Nominated'' ** Uttar Pradesh Film Journalist's Assn. Lucknow Award for Best Music/Director: J.P. Kaushik ** Bengal Film Journalist's Assn. Calcutta Award for Best Music/Director: J.P. Kaushik

Cast

* Dilip Raj Son of P. Jairaj *

Surekha Parkaar Surekha may refer to: * Surekha (artist), Indian video artist * Surekha (actress) Surekha Marie – was an Indian actress. She was a prominent lead actress during the 1980s in Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu films. Her debut role in ...

* Manmohan Krishan * Anwar Hussain *

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

as Jhonny * Asit Sen * Jagdish Kamal *

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

* Kamlakar Rele (Thief)

Music

#"Hazar Ghar Hazar Dar Yeh Sab Hain Ajnabi Magar" - Manmohan Krishna #"Patthar Ka Bhagwan Yehan Hain" - Manmohan Krishna #"Pyaar Ko Aaj Nayi Tarh Nibhana Hoga" - Manmohan Krishna #"Yeh Shaam Bhi Kahaan Hui" - Manmohan Krishna

References

External links

*
Shehar Aur Sapna Trivia
{{NationalFilmAwardBestFeatureFilm 1963 films 1960s Hindi-language films Films based on short fiction Films about poverty in India Social realism in film Films set in Mumbai Films directed by K. A. Abbas Best Feature Film National Film Award winners Films with screenplays by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas