FilmIndia (1940)

Our Review Another Saint Breaks Into The Box-offices ! "DNYANESHWAR" Draws Huge Crowds ! Prabhat Scores Another Hit ! This is essentially a picture for the masses to whom rigid ceremonials, miracles and other obvious expressions of spiritual pursuits constitute a religion. Prabhat. who specialize in such devotional subjects, have given plenty of material for mass appeal in this picture. The spiritual significance of the miracles in the picture might go over the heads of the masses, but their unconscious impress on the mind of the masses always has a salutary effect on their life. On the other hand the intellectuals who are habituated to test life on the touch-stone of realism and seek a rational explanation oi all happenings, may look scepcically at the miracles and prejudicing their mind with logic and reason, lose sight of the philosophy underlying such miracles which through ages have proved the necessity of tneir existence for the uplift of the masses. A miracle as we see in our mythological pictures, far from being an exhibition of magical powers, is also one form of realism in as much as it is a concrete and visual expression of an abstract thought or theme. To the Intellectuals, the visual manifestation has a lesser importance, nevertheless, it is debatable whether a miracle can be entirely | condemned as an exhibition of black magic simply because it seems out ) of place in modern times and lays a I strain on one's intelligence and I imagination. Talking of miracles, it can be j proved today by examples that what ' would have been taken as a miracle fifty years back has today become an established scientific fact. Even today yogis being buried alive in soh-terranean vaults looks a miracle and the human mind with its res 1 tricted knowledge of the spiritual background of such feats associates them with black magic. In fine, miracles have their distinctive place and use in human life and they are not so irrational In "Dnyaneshwar'' as some intellectually obsessed people seem to think. PICTURE WITH A MESSAGE! Punctuated by such purposeful miracles, "Dnyaneshwar"' has become a glorious picture of devotion built on the bedrock of humanitarian philosophy. In the present day war-torn world, where human thirst has to be quenched with human blood, the , DNYANESHWAR Producers Prabhat Story & Dialogues S. Washikar Hindi Version Pandit Anand Songs in Hindi Pandit Santoshi and Sharma Photopraphy V. Avadhoot Audiography S. Damle Music K. Bhole Cast. Yeshwant, Shahu Modak Sumati Gupte, Manju, Bhagwat, etc. Released at Central Cinema Date of Release 18th May 1940 Directors: V. Damle and S. Fatehlal ----- ■ --------- . immortal message of Sant Dnyaneshwar to love humanity comes as a welcome relief and reasserts our faith in divinity. GREAT HUMAN STORY The story is 600 years old when in Alandi, Vithalpant, the father of Dnyaneshwar, Nivrutti, Sopan and Muktabai, having once become a Sanyasi, is back again in family life with his wife and children. The people of the village, including the local pundits, ostracise him and his family and their lot becomes most miserable in the midst of abuse and ridicule. Their chief persecutor Vissoba, orthodox and fanatic by conviction, restrains his little daughter Ganga even from giving alms to Dnyaneshwar who goes about begging for their daily rations. Yeshwant & Sumitra in 'Dnyaneshwar' The persecution intensifies and Vithalpant unable to bear the numerous indignities beseeches the local pundits to give caste to his children. They refuse, saying that the scriptures had no provision for a case like this. Vithalpant and his wife commit suicide leaving the four children orphans. ON HIS MISSION OF LIFE Dnyaneshwar being the most gifted from the lot takes up the burden of the family. In his search to win back caste for his family, Dnyaneshwar goes to Paithan and there secures the approval of the pundits by staggering 37