FilmIndia (Feb-Dec 1949)

Om REViEtP "Narsinh Avatar" Becomes A Mass Entertainer ! Little Laxman Makes A Good Prahlad ! The story of Prahlad, the devotee of Vishnu has been produced and reproduced so many times on the Indian screen, that there was really no necessity of one more version to be produced now. But Producer Sohrab Modi, encouraged by his big prosperity-paunch which he recently developed, seems to have fancied himself very much as the half-manhalf-brute hero of "Narsinh Avatar". S1NHIKA OR HOLIKA? The story of Prahlad as told in the Vishnu Puran is however slightly dmerent trom the one presented by Sohrab Modi. In Producer Modi s *rSarsinh Avatar we are presented with a sister of HiranyaKashyapu called Holika, in whose memory, says the producer, the Holi festival ol the Hindus is celebrated. This is a debatable point because the Vishnu Puran (H. ti. Wilson's Translation 184U Edition page 123) says that the only sister of fliranyakashyapu was named Sinhika and she was married to \ iprachitti. W riting about the origin of the Holi Kai Bahadur B. A. Gupte in his learned book "Hindu Holidays and Ceremonials", (1919 Edition page 88) says that Holi festival is observed in celebration of the victory of Lord Krishna over a she-demon called Holika. The same view is held by E. Denison Koss in the Government of India publication, "An Alphabetical List of the Eeasts and Holidays of the Hindus and Mahomedans" (Issued by the Imperial Record Department in 1914, page 38). Besides, a well-known Sanskrit scholar like Vidyanidhi Siddheshwar Shastri Chitrav mentions Sinhika as the sister of Hiranyakashyapu and married to Viprachitti ("Bharat Varihiya Prachin Charitra Kosh 1932 sdition. pp. 530 and 614). There was really no need for the tory-writer Shukla to introduce a doubtful character like "Holika" but there it is in "ISarsinh Avatar" with la fantastic explanation that though ■Holika had a boon that she would 1 never be burnt in fire she forfeited NARSINH AVATAR Producers: Minerva Movietone Language: Hindi Story: S. A. Shukla Songs: Narendra Sharma Music: Vasant Desai Photograph-/ : Y. D. Sarpotdar Audiography: M. Eduljec Cast : Shobhana Samarth, Niranjan Sharma, Laxman, Mahipal etc. Kelea>ed At: Central, BombayReleased on: 7th October 1949 Directed By SOHRAB MODI this privilege because of her evil intentions. MIRACLE MONGER Quite a few incidents of Prahlad's trials at the hands of his father have been conveniently left out. It is related in the Vishnu Puran that Prahlad was attacked by the poisonous snakes Kuhaka, Takshaka and Andhaka who bit his body mercilessly without any effect on the young dev otee of Vishnu. So w as he attacked by the elephants but he still lived. Then Samvara, the sorcerer, tried to destroy him but Prahlad was protected by the flaming Sudarshan. Lastly, Prahlad was thrown into the sea and rocks were piled on him and yet the young devotee was saved by Vishnu. If these incidents had been added to the miracles already shown on the screen, little Prahlad would have been accepted as the best miraclemonger in the history of mankind. The story travels in the usual mythological rut with Producer Sohrab Modi telling us that Hiranyakashyapu did a penance of only 12 years to obtain the boon of immortality while Chitrav Shastri says that he did the penance for 11500 years. ( Page 306 under "Narsinh" in "Prachin Charitra Kosh"). \v hatev er that be, his pregnant wife. Kayadhu, receives him on return. Though his wife looks pregnant, it was not Kayadhu who wa§ pregnant but Shobhana Samarth who seems to have carried her burden from "Ram Baan" to "Narsinh Avatar". As Kayadhu was a sati, like Sita, Savitri and others, she could not have become pregnant during the absence of her husband for 1150U years. But there it is a visible evidence of Kayadhu looking pregnant in "Narsinh Avatar". The only authentic feature of Kayadhu is the ageing on her face. She looks as if she had waited 11500 years for her husband. Hiranyakashyapu starts his bragging career now and soon finds his own son Prahlad in the opposite camp. He conquers all gods and kings and brags more and more. All the while Prahlad goes through one acid test after another. It all ends ultimately when Sohrab Modi decides to don the half-manhalf-brute make up to kill Hiranyakashyapu. STUPID ART As miracle pictures go, "Narsinh Avatar" is not at all a bad picture inspite of its defects. Technically it has the usual Minerva defects. Russi Banker's art direction is at once fantastic and incongruous. His sets, to say the least, are utterly idiotic and unimaginative. Persian lions, Moghul colonnades, Syrian balconies, Buddhist pillars and what not — all are thrown in without any art, sense or proportion to provide the mythological background of the story. The result is grotesque and stupid. The music is Maharashtrian at best. Sohrab Modi's direction is quite good. The dialogue is good. From the players, Laxman, who plays Prahlad, looks his role and gives a good account of himself. Narendra Sharma does well as Hiranyakashyapu. Mahipal looks a good Narad. Shobhana Samarth plays Kayadhu and clearly shows the evidence of having waited 11500 years for her husband on her face. Her performance is poor. In short, "Narsinh Avatar" should appeal to the devotional masses who like to see their gods doing their usual miracles. GREY DUST Has made our soldiers witty Romeos. 51