FilmIndia (1948)

DUR REVIEW I Shyam Scores In "Majboor" Bombay Talkies Tackle Daring Theme In Feeble Manner The Bombay Talkies has had everal incarnations. There was he old era of the late Himansu Rai when the studio was more ike a college for educated aspiants for film fame, where pictures of indifferent quality were roduced in an atmosphere of uliture in the minor key. His Heath was followed by the Devika Rani-Mukerjcc era which produ>ed the first real box-office hits for ;his studio — a glittering series of 'Bandhan", "Naya Sansar", Mhoola". After producing tho ecord-breaking "Kismet", the lukerjee team left the Bombay alkies to found their own Filnistan, and then began the era of Devika Rani as the undisputed "ont roller of Production. The evika era produced another Jolden Jubilee Hit in "Basant", iesidcs a number of wishy-washy )ictures like "Hamari Baat" and 'Jwar Bhata". With fanfare and rumpets of the "Great Mughal" irrived Shiraz Ali Hakim in place )f Devika Rani, but could not ;ven complete his own picture and landed himself and the company in debt. The only good thing he did was to engage Nitin Bose to produce "Milan", though the picture was completed after the end of his regime. With the exit of Shiraz came the era of Vadilal Chatarbhuj Gandhi whose first Controller of Production was the commercial artist Meghani. Now, to complete the cycle, the former Bombay Talkies star Ashok Kumar and the former Bombay Talkies sound recordist S. Vachha have returned to take charge of the productions of their old studio. The first picture of this now regime is "Majboor". UNUSUAL THEME It is evident, that the producers never expected "Majboor" to be anything better than a B class picture, good as a stop-gap only, while better and more ambitious pictures could be planned. The dual task of writing and directing was entrusted to a comparative new-comer, Nazir Ajmeri, who once used to be a character actor in Bombav Talkies. His directorial "MAJBOOR" Producers: Bombay Talkies, Ltd Language: Hindustani Music: Ghulam Haider Story and Dialogue: Nazir Ajmeri Photography: Roque M. Layton Audiography: Sherali R. Pabani Cast: Shyam, Munawar Sultana, Indu, Sohanlal, Dar Kashmiri, etc. Released at: Capitol and Kamal, Bombay Date of Release: 14th May 1948 Directed by: NAZIR AJMERI Yakub is unmoved by Sulochana Chatterjee's bewilderment in "Veena" Jagat Pictures maiden production. debut was in "Dawat", a cheap imitation of "Charlie's Aunt" followed by "Keemat" for Kar dar which was slightly better and vet nothing to write home about. One could hardly expect him to be asked to produce a Bombay Talkies' picture, immediately following Nitin Bose's production of Gurudev Tagore's "Milan". And yet writer Nazir Ajmeri turned up with a clever, original and daring theme— a Muslim' boy •""light up as a Hindu, and unaware of his original birth, falling in love with a Hindu girl, then coming to know of the wall of religious differences that stands between them, rendering him "helpless" (Majboor). This is the first time the hitherto completely taboo subject of inter-communal love has been broached on the Indian screen, and one must, give credit to the writer Nazir Ajmeri for handling the ticklish situations very delicately and hinting :,t the implications in dignified and subtle dialogue. But, either for fear of annoying the orthodoxy oi either community, or because of his inherent intellectual feebleno s, the writer-director has failed to give a dynamic treatment to (his unusual tragic theme. The story is apt to get lost in a double series of boy-meets-girl situations as two pairs of lovers are involved. Nor, as a director, has Nazir Ajmeri succeeded in giving pace and punch to his cinematic narrative which becomes dull and 4?