FilmIndia (Feb-Dec 1949)

OUR REVIEW Suraiya Fails To Draw Crowds In "Gajre" Motilal Gives An Intelligent Portrayal! GAJRE Producers: Allied Art Pro ductions Language: Hindustani Story & Dialogue: Khaquan Hussein Lyrics: G. S. INepaii Music: Anil Biswas Photography: R. D. Mathur Angiography: R. N. Chatter j I Cast: Motilal, Suraiya, Geeta Nizami, Sankatha, etc. Released At: Capitol, Bombay. Date of Release: 4th March 1949 Directed By R. D. MATHUR MOTILAL'S GREAT WORK Those idiots who believe that Suraiya is the only mascot of box-office success should visit the theatre where " Gajre " is running and count the occupied seats which is a much easier job than counting the vacant ones. With Suraiya singing as many songs as one woman can and throwing her clumsy weight about in gliding movements, hardly any one in the audience gets interested enough to sit through "Gajre" which has become one long marathon of killing boredom. And Geeta Nizami with her peeping moustache and sagging figure adds to the boredom by giving us some hybrid dances which we have seen so often on the screen. If these two women — or shall we call them stars? — could not attract enough people to fill a show, one wonders by what stretch of imagination can the producers think that any particular star is a box-office guarantee? The miserable failure of "Gajre" should provide one more warning to the Suraiya-crazy producers who think that their success is guaranteed by securing Suraiya or some other star. AN IMPOTENT THEME The story is both silly and thin. Mohan, an army doctor, returns to his father's place on home leave and is lovingly received by his brother Sohan and their ward Asha. Asha loves Sohan and Sohan loves Asha but both nurse their love without the other knowing. Mohan is a good and gentle guy and he also loves Asha but secretly. This secrecy of love is the general theme of the story which is full of suppressions and frustrations. It is an impotent theme with impotency sublimated as a virtue. For no earthly purpose, social or dramatic, a singing girl is introduced in Tara. She sees Mohan and gives up her bad profession and starts worshipping him till she dies from sheer exhaustion of devotion. The game of mental suppression goes on for quite a while punctuat ed by Asha's songs and Tara's dances till one day Mohan discovers the mutual love between Asha and Sohan. Handing over one to the other Mohan visits the grave of Tara who had died sublimating her love for him and then goes back to war. That ends it. The only relief in the picture is its end which takes an agonizingly long time to arrive. But when it does, every one feels tremendously relieved. The end is thus the most popular part of the picture. Cuckoo, easily the most graceful dancer we have today, lends charm and rhythm to " Singaar " a social story of Haldia-Nanda Productions directed by J. K. Nanda. The music of the picture is pleasant and classical but against the background of very poor situations, the songs fail to appeal. Photography is beautiful in parts though inclined to be a shade more shadowy than necessary. Too many shadows make the frustrative theme almost morbid. The technical direction is quite good but the thinness of the story material hardly gives the director any opportunity to show his skill in emotional situations. From the players Motilal gives a superb performance in the stoic role of Mohan. Motilal's performance is almost on par with Noel Coward*? work in "The Scoundrel". Motilal is so seasoned an artiste that we are sure that the director had hardly anything to do with this excellent portrayal. Suraiya plays Asha and makes an awful mess of things with her frequent music and clumsy gliding. Her bulging eyes and none-too-gracefu] figure contribute substantially to her idiotic performance. The other girl, Geeta Nizami. seems to be suffering from glandular deformity the way she reveals a peeping moustache over the upper lip. \\ ith this superfluous growth and the odd faces she makes, Geeta Nizami becomes a disgusting sight on the screen, even though she gives a couple of hybrid dances with plenty of unnecessary eye work. Her dialogue reminds us of the Punjab we so badly want to forget. Sankatha does his part pretty well as the hero's father and seems to have forgotten his old stagy diction. And yet in spite of Motilal's unforgettable performance, "Gajre" remains a terrifically boring picture which makes one look away from the screen more often than at it. 51