Gaali (1944)

This review is written by Mr Arunkumar Deshmukh

The film GAALI-1944 was available till atleast 1950, around which time I must have seen it.

The film, produced by N R Desai Porductions, was directed by R.S.Chaudhari, who started his career from Imperial film company.

Born on 8-6-1903, Chaudhari jumped into the film world and started directing silent films with Neera in 1926. He did well in this and directed some 15 films in the silent era. His first Talkie film was Khuda ki Shan-1931. He was a screenplay writer also and wrote screenplay for famous films like Rattan-44 and Baiju Bawra. Rama Shankar Chaudhari continued directing films till 1953, after which he worked only as a writer and Screenplay writer upto 1971. He died at Bombay 0n 22-8-1972.

Gaali was a film with a strange story of a young blind widow, who thinks that her husband comes and talks to her.

Mangala (Nirmala) loses her husband soon after marriage and she also becomes blind, without any medical reason. She stays with her Father in law Jagat Narayan Chakrawarty who also has an unmarried daughter Lali (Manju Dewan). One day he meets Tilak, son of a zamindar from nearby village. He wants Tilak(Karan Dewan) to marry his daughter Lali,but surprisingly,Tilak starts getting attracted by Mangala. She also talks to him and imagins as if her husband is talking to her.

A village ruffian takes advantage of this and people attack Jagat’s house demanding that the friendship of Tilak and Mangla be stopped. In the melee, Jagat gets killed. At the same time Mangala and Tilak are in a Temple getting intimate. Suddenly her eyesight comes back and she realises the truth that it is not her husband.

Finally, Tilak marries Lali and Mangala becomes a Sadhwi in a temple for rest of her life.

I do not remember the songs of this film,but most songs were shot on Lali(Manju).

This was , according to me, a hopeless film.