Gora Aur Kala

Gora Aur Kala (1972) : Brief Review -

A rare double-role formula trying to be intellectual. Gora Aur Kala, means the Fair and the Dark, like its title, is about good and bad. Bollywood had to adopt the double role siblings formula from the South with Ram Aur Shyam (1967), followed by Seeta Aur Geeta in the same year as Gora Aur Kala. Before that, there was Hum Dono (1961), which wasn't about brothers but was far more intellectual. The same intellectual formula thrived with Gora Aur Kala, boosted by the twin brothers formula that ended up with much better theories than any other twin role formulas we have seen in Bollywood. Though the film has its own flaws that are included with basic mistakes, the overall structure successfully manages to go past a certain point of mainstream filmmaking. Based on a French novel "The Corsican Brothers," the film adds a message, which is missing in almost all twin brothers we have seen in Bollywood. Gora Aur Kala pits two brothers against each other over a beautiful girl because the dark one is filled with lust and greed. However, the trick here is to see him as the most powerful person, whereas the fair one has a fair heart but cannot match the dark one in strength. The same way, the dark one cannot match the fair one's goodness. By the time Kala realizes what's wrong with him, it's too late because his sacrifice takes you back to the opening scene of the film to complete the metaphor. I don't think any Bollywood movie with twins could think about such things, and the way Naresh Kumar has presented this film with a lot of entertainment, action, romance, and drama is beyond the ordinary viewer's mindset. I can imagine how an ordinary viewer would have entered the cinema halls for a simple entertaining movie, and how he would have come out with much more in his memory. Overall, a few hiccups in the screenplay, but otherwise a super entertaining drama.

RATING - 7/10*

By - #samthebestest.