FilmIndia (1948)

OUR REVIEW "Bhakta Dhruv" Proves A Popular Picture ! Traditional Story Draws Crowds! BHAKTA DHRUV Producers: Prakash Pictures Language: Hindi Story: Shivram Washikar Songs: Pt. Indra & Moti Music: S. Vyas Cinematography : G. N. Shirodkar Aud:ography: L. J. Bhatt Cast: Shashi Kapoor, Mridula, Jeevan, Shanta Rin, Ramesh Sinha, Leela Misra etc. Released At: Opera House, Bombay Date of Release: 24th October 1947 Directed By: SHANTI KUMAR Prakash seem to have done it again with "Bhakta Dhruv" — we mean the production trick of giving both a popular and pleasant picture. "Dhruv" is a good picture with the traditional story, treated in a conventional manner without offending anyone and as such worth seeing by the young and the old, and particularly by the God-bitten Hindu masses. GOD AND DEVOTEE STUFF The story is usual. A king has a good but barren queen. The people insist on the king marrying again. As there was no Congress Ministry in power then, no one objected to the king's crime of bigamy. The second wife is by nature a good woman but she has a bad maid. This maid creates all the trouble throughout the story. As fate would have it, the first queen gets a son who is called Dhruva and the second queen gets hers later on, called Uttam. The inevitable Narad is shown as toying with human lives on earth to prove some philosophic principle to the gods in the clouds. Hindu gods always live in the clouds. Narad makes several appearances setting up things and fixing up quarrels. The second queen, instigated by her maid, acts the traditional stepmother and makes Dhruva's life unhappy and risky. Dhruva ultimately sits under an artificial tree in the Prakash studio and they drop a lot of water over him and throw a lot of dry leaves at him with the help of a fan. After all this, he comes out of his 'tapasya' and meets an uglylooking Vishnu and thus becomes a saint. After a while he meets his people and in their presence he is pulled up stiff and straight, through the clouds, to heaven perhaps or wherever Hindu gods live. That takes one good lad up to the clouds and gives one more idol for worship to the Hindus. FAMILY ENTERTAINER The production values of the picture are quite attractive. Shanti Kumar has done his job pretty well, though the cameraman's trick shots do not help him much. The music of the picture is com pletely dull and unattractive. The sets are quite impressive. From the players Shashi Kapoor looks a good Dhruva and gives a mechanical performance. The other boy Laxman who plays Uttam has a bit of life in him but he is left severely alone. Jeevan looks too ugly a Narad. From the women Leela Misra does her job well as Kumati, the maid. One wonders why a bad woman should be additionally given a bad name like "Kumati". Inversely, it should then mean that all Sumatis must be good women 1 Shanta Rin looks fat and flabby as Suruchi and moreover has nothing to do except spitting out dialogue. That "nocy" woman Mridula looks almost repulsive and hideous as Rani Suniti. She doesn't act and creates laughter particularly when she distends her nostrils in emotional situations. Ramesh Sinha is good as the king, though he should have been given a little more scope. "Dhruv" should prove a popular picture for the masses. There is enough to see in it particularly with the mist of devotion in the Hindu eyes. It is a good family entertainer. Saroj Borkar is at her old fame in "Adalat", produced by Manga) Pictures. 13