Gazal

A very typical Hindi film story, which works not because of the story but because how it is told and performed. Powerful performances by all. Sunil Dutt, Prithviraj Kapur, Meena Kumari, Rajinder Nath, the lady who plays the hero's sister, and the the guy who played Sahib in Sahib, Biwi aur Ghulam. All do well. Tight. No wastage. Good songs. Good transition to the sombre as well.

Muslim families in Agra. Juvenile-ish Sunil Dutt discovers what is love, god and life in the course of the film. Meena Kumari is hot and stylish, and gets a chance to recite poetry. Healthy dose of comedy, romance, tragedy. Lots of shairi and mushairas. I think all the songs are different parts of the same ghazal by Sahir Ludhianvi. It is to the credit of Madan Mohan that the same ghazal or parts of it have been performed in such different moods.

An age that has gone.