FilmIndia (Jan-Nov 1942)

OUR REVIEW Deviha Rani makes "Basant" R Sparkling Entertainment Mumtaz Ali And Pannalal Ghose Give Beautiful Rhythm and Melody. Mumtaz Shanti Becomes Popular After "Anjan" once again Devika Rani presents "Basant" to the millions cf Bombay Talkies' fans. As an all dancing, all singing entertainment, "Basant" maintains the best box-office traditions of the Bombay Talkies. The picture has already become a huge success due to its pleasant songs and attractive dances not to mention the usual technical polish with which Bombay Talkies manage to turn out their productions. The story is quite simple. Tt seems to have been inspired by "Men In Her Life", a Columbia picture, recently shown in Bombay. Uma is a pcor kitchen maid with a little orphan brother Babul to support. She has a natural talent for singing and dancing, and would not have discovered it, had it not been for the adventurous nature of her impish little brother. One day, Babul drags her to Janki Prasad, a theatre magnate after realising the futility of approaching Janki Prasad's manager who had his own daughter, Meena. as the prima donna. Through Nirmai, Janki Prasad's good-fornothing younger brother, Uma manages to interest the boss. But success is not so easily got. Meena has a lot to say in the matter. She loves Nirmal and becomes jealous of Uma. Things become more complicated as Uma and Nirmal also fall in love with each other Meena tries her level best to ruin the chances of Uma both in her love and her career. However, after some complications, Uma is married to Nirmal but soon her expectant motherhood compels her to cut short her stage career. By this time Nirmal, already suspicious of his own brother, is disgusted with the whole thing and immediately after the birth of the baby takes his wife away to live separately with him without having secured any means of livelihood. Now follows the usual interlude of a devoted wife trying to keep the wolf from the door and the frustrated, jealous husband making vain efforts to secure a job. The little child and its disappearing milk BASANT Producers: Bombay Talkies Ltd. Language Hindustani Story & Screenplay: Amiya Chakrabarty Dialogues: Lyrics: Music: Dances: Photography: J. S. Casshyap Santoshi Pannalal Ghose Mumtaz Ali R. D. Mathur Sound: M. I. Dharamsay Cast: Mumtaz Shanti, Ullhas, Mumtaz Ali, Suresh, Pramilla etc. Released At: Majestic Cinema Date of Release: 29th July '42 Director: AMIYA CHAKRABARTY soon beccme the symbols of gradual starvation. Nirmal is forced to go outstation in search of a job and during his absence Uma goes back to the stage and to her old triumph to save the baby. Nirmal returns suddenly and finds his wife away from home dancing on the stage. He misunderstands the situation and takes away his child to Calcutta, so that the child should not inherit the stigma of being a dancers daughter. A frantic search for the missing child follows and by a happy coincidence Uma and Nirmal meet in Calcutta. The events travel fast after this and through several emotional sequences a happy climax is reached. MUMTAZ SHANTI PLEASES "Basant" is a well directed and well produced picture, it is speedy entertainment with quite a good human story. But the burden of making it a box-office success seems to have been thrown cn the competent shoulders of the music and the dance directors. Pannalal Ghose, the music director has used some old favourite tunes with great effect while Mumtaz Ali proves himself a supreme artiste not only ta executing his own dances superbly but also in putting over dance compositions which become at once beautiful and appropriate. Mumtaz Shanti makes a very sweet impression, seeing that this is her very first appearance on the Hindustani screen. Her music thrills, while her dances please. Her closeups, however, should be avoided as far as possible. Mumtaz Shanti looks sweeter in mid-shots. Ullhas leaves a lot to be desired. At places, he becomes just wooden inspite of his sincere effort to portray his role faithfully. This actor seems to be having his limitations. Pramilla, as "Meena'' vamps with a Mae-West technique, putting it rather too thick at times. Her character is a bit too frivolously portrayed. Had it been slightly more restrained, the drama in the story would have gathered more purpose. Sound and photography are, as usual, excellent. The first song of Santoshi sounds meaningful, the rest, however, are just words picked and stuck together for musical phonetics. Well, "Basant" is an excellent entertainer and a picture worth being presented by the ever charming Devika. 47