Filmindia (1941)

January 1941 FILMINDIA knowing this, runs to Rama and both the sisters decide to live together with the child. As a concession to society the child is adopted by Rama and for the sake of the child, Lachhi agrees to remain an incognito mother. Years pass by. Bina now grows into a wilful lovely maid calling Rama her mother and knowing Lachhi as a maid of all jobs. Through many a situation duririg all these j-ears, Lachhi has to suppress her motherly instinct in the social interests of her daughter. But one day she finds her wilful littl<^ maid singing a love ditty and preparing for a love tryst. Like a lightning the past comes back to her and she remembers Rama's trysts and their tragic end. In a quarrel between Rama and Lachhi, Rama refuses to interfere with the girl's frolics. Lachhi tries to stop the girl herself but is slapped and spitted at by her own daughter. A grand climax is reached in which the daughter overhears the talk between the two sisters and discovers the truth about her own mother. Repentant, the girl seeks forgiveness from her mother. The ending is popular — perhaps it is made popular at the sacrifice of some dramatic values. ANIL'S BEAUTIFUL MUSIC "Puja" is a wrong name to the story. There is nothing in the story to justify that. The writer seeks to portray the dangers of clandestine loves and unbridled emotions against which parents must protect iheir grown-up daughters. While conceding a lot to society and making Lachhi the heroine of the story go through unbearable sufferings merely to keep a face, a truth is established that a mother, legitimate or illegitimate in the eyes of society, is still a mother, something found only once in a life-time. And in that solitaire "Mother" Is the entire story of "Puja." Beautiful dialogues tuned to the emotional heights of every situa tion, give distinction to the picture. Well written songs, more beautifully sung, lend pleasing poetry, while good photography soothes the eye. The sound is neglected at places being unnecessarily harsh and me~ tallic. One of Jyoti's songs becnme.s an unfortunate casualty. Anil Biswas scores very well not only by giving popular and beauti Do Hot iriui "PUJA"— produced hy National Studios, featux' ing Sardar Akhtar , Sitara and Jyoti and directed by A. R. Kardar It i5 easily the best picture of the year. BABURAO PATEL Shanta Kumari plays the leading role in Famous Films "Dharma Patni" in Telugu. ful tunes, but by contributing a song, very beautifully sung. SITARA'S TRIUMPH Sitara easily gives the best performance among the lot. It Is incidentally the best in her screen career so far. The restraint shown by the director in not giving her a dance is admirable. The screen dances are becoming a bit tiresome now, with even Bibbo dancing. In a three-phase role of a flippant carefree girl, of a young woman oppressed with a social secret and of an old mother torn between love and duty, Sitara scores a triumph by good acting and beautiful singing. Superb in both pleasant and pavhetic situations, Sitara practically monopolises the show and runs away with the admiration and sympathy of the audience. Sardar Akhtar gives her usual good work but somehow one feels that she is not suited for long emotional dialogues with her thin voice which lacks modulation. Her part, however, she has acquitted very sincerely. Jyoti is quite sweet, both in song and action. Her smooth face and the illusive "it" were well exploited by suggestive camera angles. The weakest part of the picture is the crowd of very mediocre male artistes. Almost every one of them is perfectly useless, if one can be perfectly so. Zahur Raja, I think, makes a maiden appearance on the screen and he becomes so stagy and clumsy that one feels like sympathising with Kardar. Amir Mallik and Satish should leave the screen severly alone, if what they give in "Puja" is their very best. Well, "Puja" is a picture j'ou must see. It is Kardar's best. National's best so far and the Best Picture of 1940. The picture can have a very long run, if only its publicity will mention something more of its theme and its social significance. 35