FilmIndia (1945)

"mun-ki-ileet" Pulls fit The Box -Offices! Famous Story Sustains Audience Interest! MUN-KI-JEET Producers: Shalimar Pictures Language: Hindustani Scenario: W. Z. Ahmed Dialogues: Josh Malihabadi & Krishanchandra Lyrics: Josh Malihabadi & Bharat Vyas Music: Surajkumar Pal Photography: S. N. Bhagwat Audiography: Sam Popat Cast: Neena, Shyam, Prakash, Tiwari, Rajkumari Shukla and Gulab. Released At: Kamal Talkies, Bombay. Date of Release: 4th August 1945. Directed By: W. Z. AHMED. The cleverest thing producer W. Z. Ahmed did after a long time was to select the story of Thomas Hardy for his new picture "Mun-ki-Jeet." In taking "Tess Of Durbervilles" he took a very intelligent story with a solid bedrock of pathos. And though he tried his level best during its screen adaptation to dissipate the natural dramatic values of the subject, he did not succeed completely with the result that there was still enough basic pathos left to stamp the picture as a sad and emotional experience for filmgoers. Admitting that Producer Ahmed had to make some changes to make the story palatable to the Indian audiences, and some changes have been suitably and cleverly made, with a little patience and intelligence Ahmed could have made his screenplay much more effective dramatically than it is now on the screen. Arsi, a milkmaid, lives with her father Mulkraj, a milkman and her kind old mo'her in the village of Himmatpur. To the village come a batch of archaelogical scholars and one of them tells Mulkraj that he is the long-lost descendant of the Bha gera Kings. (Hardy uses the local priest for imparting similar information). From that moment onwards, Mulkraj fancies himself as a scion of a royal family and begins his several interludes of putting on royal airs. Amongst the scholars is Shyam, a "Veer Kunal", produred and directed by Kishore Sahu, has some rare setgrandeur. Here is one with an eye-full of details. Usha Mantri plays the devoted queen in "Ratnavali" a costume story of Amar Pictures. straightforward, cultured man who wants to marry a village maiden and settle down as a farmer. Shyam meets Arsi, the milkmaid and of course falls in love, also dragging her into it. Mulkraj's "royal" vagaries soon bring the family into difficult circumstances and Arsi is compelled to go to the Rani of Bhagera for help. There she comes across Prakash, the Rani's vicious son, who kidnaps and takes her to the jungles to outrage her modesty. (Hardy gives the heroine a child from this forced union). Arsi returns home a sadder and wiser girl and informs her mother of the unfortunate incident. Her mother warns her to be silent about the whole affair. Arsi now goes to another place for work and there she contacts Shyam again. After the usual interludes of love, Shyam and Arsi decide to get married. But on the day of the marriage, weighed down by the load of her past and goaded by motives of emotional honesty, Arsi informs Shyam of the sad incident in her past life. This information changes the whole situation in a minu'e and Shyam leaves the girl at once without marrying her. Arsi returns home, broken down completely. She soon loses her f.ither and is turned out of her home by her father's creditor. Her family takes to the streets. She writes a letter to Shvam (though we are never before told that she could write one) but gets no reply. Arsi now goes to the 73