FilmIndia (1939)

December 1939 FILM INDIA ■of Balraj from whom he escapes by the skin of his teeth. In his escape he is helped by Godavari (Radha Rani), the daughter of Balraj himI self, who is in love with him. Paras goes to Vidya Nagar, the ■capital of an Arya King Satluj, who is determined to root out the practice of virgin sacrifice among the | primitive Santhals. Here Paras becomes the object of the affection of the King's daughter. Ragini (Ila Devi) whose sentiments he reciproi cates. He has little time for love, I however, as his primary object is to avenge his father's death and his sister's 'sacrifice.' In Vidya Nagar. too, there is an atmosphere of intrigue created by Maha Mantri Naru who is in league with Balraj for the realization of his own ambitions. King Sutluj is killed treacherously and Princess Ragini is abducted and handed over to Balraj to be sacrificed. Paras, trying to save her, walks into a trap from which only the devotion and daring of Godavari saves him. But Godavari herself has to pay the price of unrequitted love and dies at the hands of her enraged father. Ultimately, Paras is able to expose Balraj as the scoundrel that he is. a symbol of the corruption that so often goes on under the garb of religion, the idol that had stood for centuries as a monument of superstition and oppression is shattered, the Santhals and Aryans are united in a bond of brotherhood and Paras wins the hand of his beloved, Princess Ragini. Production: I am afraid Wadias and Director Yusuf over-reached themselves in selecting such a difficult subject which needed considerable research into the customs and manners of ancient India. It is doubtful if virgins were ever sacrificed in India in the manner shown in the picture. In dress, dances, etc., also there are many incongruities (e.g. introduction of the atmosphere of African jungle films) which could have been avoided if someone familiar with ancient Indian history had collaborated on the production. Moreover, the picture suffers from comparison with such earlier films as -'Amrit Manthan" and "Beyond The Horizon", traces of which can be seen in "Kahan Hai Manzil Teri ?" With these reservations, one may say that Wadias have spared neither effort nor money to make this a lavish and spectacular film. The direction is fairly adequate and photography is surprisingly good — the mass scenes having been shot with the help of a crane are often impressive. The editing should have been better and the piling up of gruesome incidents and unlovely sights (such as torture chambers, disfigured and diseased persons; should have been avoided. Persecution is more eloquently expressed through 'suggestion' than by such gruesome details. Performances: Ila Devi (who had failed to impress me in any of her previous pictures) has not done badly in this picture, though she is eclipsed to some extent by Radha Rani whose role gave her more scope for histrionics. Shah Nawaz as Balraj makes a menacing figure and. helped by correct lighting, his characterization is impressive though it has been obviously modelled after Chandramohan's 'Raj Guru' in Prabhat's "Amrit Manthan". Agha's crazy antics may appeal to some whc like this sort of broad farce. Points of Appeal: Wadias have already got a large number of foli Continued on page 56) 53