FilmIndia (Jan-Nov 1942)

OUR REVIEW Kishore Sahu's maiden Direction Becomes R Hit Protima's & Bnjali's Popular Performances! Acharya Pictures Make A Splendid Beginning I Here is a sophisticated streamlined comedy produced with the solitary intention of entertaining people. The story seems to be inspired by "Bachelor Mother" a R.K.O. Radio picture featuring Ginger Rogers. Of course, in Indianising they have dumped the unwanted child on the hero instead of the heroine and changed certain Western situations by painting them in Indian colours. And the effort of the producer is both admirable and successful as all the gags succeed in making people burst out into an uproarious laughter. : i »j The picture opens with Prannath a young working bachelor picking up a row with Pushpa, one of those modern girls with sophistication and pep. Both live facing each other and are introduced to one other through a rather unconvincing and quarrelsome situation. However, their first introduction soon develops into a friendship and friendship, ripening into love, soon leads to the date of a marriage engagement. On the day of the engagement young Prannath is on way to his sweetheart's place, but stops at a jeweller's to buy his lady-love a present. While he is inside the shop, Tara, victim of a man's deception, leaves her unwanted baby in the dickey seat of Prannath's car and goes away. When Prannath discovers the baby, he is alarmed and in an attempt to get rid of it, he drops it in a wayside dustbin but with it also drops, carelessly, his visiting card. At his sweetheart's house, Pran Is in the midst of guests invited for the engagement. Right in the midst of his Joy, Pran is face to face with that little ■• 'Ught over by a street loafer 53 with the help of his visiting card. The child soon becomes an evidence of Pran's secret guilt and Pushpa breaks off the engagement. Pran and Pushpa, though loving each other very much, are now estranged. Pran is now a "father" with a child not his own. Many a humorous situation is created with the help of the unwanted child. Even Pushpa and Pran are once again brought together with the help of that little brat. The ending is very happy. A PRAISEWORTHY EFFORT After making peace with the fact that the whole idea is Western in KUNWARA BAP Producers: Acharya Art Productions Language: Hindustani Screenplay: S. Banner ji & K. Sahu Dialogues: Amritlal Nagar Cinematography: Rajnikant Audiography: Chandrakant Music: Ramchandra Pal Cast: Kishore Sahu, Pro tima, Anjali Devi, Dhulia, Manohar Ghatwai etc. Released At: Lamington Talkies. Date of Release: 18th July '42 Director: KISHORE SAHU conception, though many a situation is quite a probability in our own country, the entire effort of producing a comedy of this nature is quite praiseworthy. This picture was originally planned by the late Mr. Kikubhai B. Desai of Paramount Films and one may congratulate Kishore Sahu for bringing the plot over to Acharya Productions after the death of Mr. Kikubhai. As it is, Kishore Sahu has a lot to do with the picture, having been associated with it right from the beginning of the very idea. Kishore Sahu has directed the picture very well seeing that this was his very first attempt at direction. Had he made the earlier half a little faster than it is at present, the sequences would have become more dramatic. The music of Ramchandra Pal has not at all helped the director. Throughout the picture, the musical portion sounded insipid and proved a drag on the picture. A picture like this called for breezy and brilliant music. On the other hand the very first song which is put in the mouth of the hero is so dull and unenterprising that the already emaciated Kishore Sahu, who is the hero, looks almost dead. BAD TECHNICAL WORK As regards the performances, Protima Das Gupta gives quite a good account of herself as "Pushpa" the sophisticated woman of the show. Her diction of Hindustani is surprisingly good and she is a type, rare and entertaining, for new pictures. Her constant dancing, however, strained the eye a bit. Anjali Devi is sweet and attractive as the grief-stricken mother of an unwanted child. From the others, Manohar Ghatwai could be said to have done well, but the wig he wore should have been a little more near reality. Photography is not quite uniform, the shutter being defective through several early shots. Recording of sound is also far from satisfactory, while the reproduction at the theatre was not at all helpful. The song compositions are mediocre and combined with the wrong tunes, they create an unfavourable impression . And yet with several technical defects, the intrinsic comedy idea does not fail to entertain the spectators. Yes, "Kunwara Bap" is quite a good entertainment for the average audiences who want to laugh.