FilmIndia (1948)

R REVIEW Mulaqat" Is Yet Another "Boy-MeetsI Girl" Picture Unconvincing Story With Good Performance By Old Artistes One ore boy-meets-girl picture, is laqat, a muslim social of the usual ttern. t deals with the story of a young man. Saeeda, and a young ool master, Nasir, son of a irer. who start having fond feel's for each other from the moment v meet in a street deserted of all ler pedestrians and traffic, at a late jr in the night, by sheer accident, e school master naturally tries to k further contact with the girl, but er her father s death, the girl, illated by her uncle and aunt, goes with an intention probably to nmit suicide by throwing herself ler a local train on some Bombay turban railway track. Here a wab, a distant relative of the girl, identally arrives just in the nick time to save the girl and takes to his princely mansion where girl is being kept and treated ht royally. Tie Nawab has a daughter who is pupil of that same school master a son who is a vagabond and a nkard whom the Nawab has disled. Through the Nawab's dauer, Shaukat, contact between eda and Nasir is revived and develops in due course between two. Before they could be ried. however, the Nawab's son qaram comes back home, pretends ntance for his bad ways of life, mises to become a better man is readmitted by the Nawab in household. He starts making love taeeda and one day the Nawab ally asks Saeeda's consent to her riage with her son. Being under it obligation to the Nawab. ;da cannot refuse the offer, and lot declare her love for Nasir. marriage is arranged and is ally about to take place when, an arranged by Mumtaz Ali. the natic actor and dancer. Muqais identified as a suspect for the der, while Nasir who is previy arrested for it and who even ded himself guilty, is released M ULAQAT Producers: Taj Mahal Pictures Ltd. Language: Hindustani Screenplay & Dial ogue: Munshi Dill Music: Khemchand Parakash Songs: Qaniar Jalalabadi & Munshi Dill Photography: Anwar Pabani Audiography : Anant Thakur Cast: Naseem Bano, Prem Adib, Mumtaz Ali, Rama Shukul, Majeed, Shah Nawaz etc. Released At: Super Talkies, Bombay Date of Release: 11th June 1948 Directed Bv MUNSHI DILL by the police, and the Nawab substitutes his son Muqaram bv Nasir as the bridegroom. Saeeda and Nasir are married and that brings an end to the picture. The picture has a good beginning but its later development is hackneyed and unnatural and the denouement absolutely absurd. Obstacles in the way of Nasir and Saida have been created by the story writer merely in order to heighten the suspense, but they fail to be convincing. And the means invented for doing away with the biggest obstacle. Muqaram. are illogical and impossible. But the Indian picture audience has only to swallow what the story writer thinks and we all know that in Indian film stories anything can happen. With such poor story, however, the picture has been made quite tolerable with good direction, good performance by clever artistes like Naseem. Shah Nawaz. Prem Adib. Mumtaz Ali and Rama Shukul and crisp and witty dialogue. Technically the picture is as good a production as any other and a few good popular tunes with a special appeal to the Recruit J. N. Chand, c o Post Box No. 10, Ootacamund is 22, 5'-8", can speak Hindustani and can also sing. Muslim audience provide altogether fairly good music. Naseem in the role of Saeeda is the picture's main attraction. She plays the role with her usual grace though she appears to have lost much of her old glamour and personal charms. Prem Adib as Nasir is quite good, while Rama Shukul perfectly fits in with the villain's role and makes a veritable vagabond. Shah Nawaz as the Nawab is yet another artiste who acquits himself quite nicely, being a character-actor of commendable aptitude for any role entrusted to him. Mumtaz Ali is the usual dancer and gives his usual dances, this time with a partner who has neither good looks nor much dancing art. As a Muslim social, the picture is. as usual, characteristically devoid of anything non-Muslim, and even in a place like Bombay where the story is apparently located, one does not find a single non-Muslim anywhere throughout the picture — not even in the big gathering of guests at the wedding. This is a peculiarity of Muslim producers and directors who already presume they are living in a world entirely populated by Muslims even in Bombay where they form but a minor portion of the big population. It is a good picture, altogether, for Muslim audience and depicting as it does some of the finer aspects of Muslim social life, it may also be liked by non-Muslims for the good performance of the artistes and clean technique. 57