FilmIndia (Feb-Dec 1949)

»UR REVIEW ( Lai Dupatta " Becomes An Attractive Picture ! Madhu Bala Assumes New Screen Personality ! In "Lai Dupatta ". Producerrector K. B. Lall has given us a od picture. It is excellent in parts d good all round. The story, however, suddenly hemes psychologically inconsistent at most dramatic stage and the usual tish of giving a happy ending oils the naturally dramatic concluon of the story which is assiduousworked up to a tragic ending after e interval. CINDERELLA ROMANCE Basically, the plot of the story is ke common Cinderella romance in hich a rich Zamindar ultimately larries the daughter of a poor farmr, after the usual obstacles, misgivigs and misunderstandings. The young Zamindar of Amirpur Bturns to his principality after eight pars of democratic education in Engmd and finds his little kingdom rrannized by his maternal uncle fho is called the manager. Kanwar is received by his handful subjects. Among them is little Ihobha. the daughter of Mukhiya Bhikan Dada. a kisan. Shobha is pretty and has prettier eyes which pull Kanwar to her and thus sow the first seeds of romance in his heart of blue blood. I These princes are supposed to have blood with a different tint). The manager who is an aristo-brat resents this romance but finding no counter arguments to the highsounding democratic sermons of Kanwar. resorts to intrigue to spoil this love story. Taking Sawan. a man of odd jobs, as his lieutenant, the manager manages to murder Shobha s father on the day of her marriage with Kanwar. The wedding is thus postponed. The manager now cooks up a new plan and by forged documents and false testimony declares Shobha as an illegitimate child of sin adopted by her murdered father. W ith the help of Sawan. an unscrupulous woman is persuaded to claim Shobha as her long lost child. INCONSISTENT BEHAVIOUR It is here that the story gets a severe psychological jerk because It is a pleasant moment of romantic give and lake between Nalini Jaywant and Dilip Kumar in "Anokha Pyar" a social story of Ambica Films. LAL DUPATTA Producers: Akash Cbitra Language: Hindustani Story: D. S. Sharma Dialogue: Manohar Klianna Songs: Madhok, Klianna & Shums Photography: Fali Mistry Audiography: Moolgavkar Music: Gyan Dutt Cast: Madhu Rala, Ranjit Kumari. Neelum, Rhagabai, Sapru, Rajan Haksar, Kesari. Pandit Iqbal etc. Released At: Royal Opera, Bombay. Date of Release: 1 Oth December 1948 Directed By K. B. LALL Kanwar readily swallows the pill prepared for him by the manager and throwing his democratic training and sermons to the winds curses Shobha and even hits her with anger and contempt. The man who had previously shown exemplary sense of justice and equality suddenly becomes a reactionary feudal lord swearing by the old blood tie stuff and refuses even to investigate the stigma flung at his lady-love. If his old mother had been found guilty of this good-birth complex, one could understand the subsequent happenings better but Kanwar"s sudden transformation from a justice loving democrat to a narrow-minded feudal prince taxes one's imagination quite a bit. It only proves that the lad had no backbone and in revealing himself thus he loses the sympathy of the audience. Now the usual sophisticated vamp of the blue-blood variety is brought on the scene and she is thrown on Kanwar with dance and song punctuating the usual sequences. The Cinderella now begins her cruel journey through the usual vale of tears nursed by Sukhiya, a loyal girl friend of hers. Shobha complains of some mysterious pain in the side and the way she catches at it from time to time we expect her to kick the bucket any minute. But she doesn't, because the director wanted a good ending. The manager's plot is ultimately exposed by his accomplice, Sawan and after a small rebellion and a bit 57