Gogola (1966)

The details are provided by Mr Arunkumar Deshmukh

GOGOLA(1966) was a Indradhanush films production directed by Balawant Dawe. The music was given by a duo of Frank and T.M.Rai.  Mr.TMRai was also the producer of this movie. Frank has given music to one more film Chor Darwaza-1965. Frank might have been an assistant of some well known music director of those times. This duo of Rai-Frank worked in only one movie.

Although Azad worked in this movie,it was not one of those Raja-Rani-Vazir movies,but a different type of B grade movie.Probably it was inspired by KING KONG and such similar Republic Serial movies coming from Hollywood in the late 50s and early 60s. Asha(Tabassum),Kumar(Azad) and friends are terrified seeing a gigantic Sea Monster coming out of the sea,known as GOGOLA,while picnicking on a Bombay beach.They run away to police who do not believe them.

Asha’s father (Nayampally) is a scientist who is indebted to Lachhoo(Habib),due to loans taken to discover medicine for Heart attack.Asha is a club dancer and Lachhoo is after her,hence Kumar and Lachhoo become enemies. Gogola comes to town,kills people and breaks buildings and other structures in Bombay,thereby flooding it.Asha’s father develops a poison for Gogola and Kumar goes to the bottom of sea to inject it to Gogola.Lachhoo tries to kill him in the sea,but Kumar injects Gogola. Before dying,Gogola obliges Kumar by killing Lachhoo. Kumar gets reward from Police and Asha from her father.

Jawaan Mard (1966)

This review is written by Mr Arunkumar Deshmukh

JAWAN MARD-1966 was an action film. This is one of Dara Singh’s less known films. I saw this film in its first run itself.
The film opens with a scene depicting a woman(Anwari Bai) riding a horse at a great speed and she is carrying a child in her back sack.A gang of riders is following her,but she gives them a slip and enters a village.She lives there doing maid work while her son grows up to become Murad(Dara Singh).He is muscular and loves to play wrestling,sword fighting and hunting.
On one such hunting trip,he saves the life of Niloufer(Mumtaz),the ruling princess of the kingdom.She is impressed and brings him to her palace.She offers him a reward,which he declines and also refuses to salute her on bent knees.She is inpressed with his bravery and fearlessness and falls in his love.The evil vazir-Sherkhan(B.M.Vyas) is suspicious and follows Murad to the jungle.He finds that Murad is none other than the real Prince,whom he had tried to kill when the queen ran away with him.
Sherkhan sends soldiers to capture him.Meanwhile,the dying queen reveals the truth to Murad that he is the waaris of the throne and that Niloufer is the Vazir’s daughter.murad gets caught himself and is brought to the palace where vazir orders his execution.Meanwhile,Murad’s friends spread the word that he is the real prince.People revolt against the Vazir.Murad leads them.Vazir is caught and put behind bars.
people declare Murad as their king and he is crowned with Niloufer as his queen.

Kunwaari (1966)

This review is written by Mr Arunkumar Deshmukh

KUNWAARI(1966) was produced by R.N.Mandloi. S N Tripathi gave a vital contribution in this movie.Not only he gave music,but also wrote the story,screenplay and Dialogues and also acted in the film !

This was a story of Col.Dubey(retd.)-Omprakash- and his 2 daughters Chhaya-Indrani mukherjee and Chandani-Ameeta,who return to India after many years in London,to look after their hugh property.Prakash-Ravindra Kapoor-is appointed a Tutor for the girls to learn Indian culture.Prakash and Chhaya fall in love,elope and get married.Prakash dies of snakebite on wedding night,leaving Chhaya a Kunwaari.

Chhaya gets hooted out of town,goes to Benares,works as a Sarvodaya worker and also joins college.
She falls in love with Timir-Prem Chopda-,but his mother wants him to marry her sister Chandani.So,Chhaya goes away to facilitated their marriage.

The rest of the story details how matters get straightened out and finally,all is well.
Except 2 songs by bhagwat Dutt Mishra,the rest 7 are by Shailendra.The music was good.

Mujrim Kaun (1966)

The details are provided by Mr Arunkumar Deshmukh

The story of the film was a run of the mill story. There is an international gang of gold smugglers,which is disturbing the country’s economy.A special cellis opened to trace and end the ring and Insp.Ramesh is the Chief.He resembles smuggler Ramesh.Taking advantage of this and with the help of his asst. Mary he reaches a Timber Factory where Dr.Mukherji and Col.Williams run the smuggling under a guise of Timber business.Ramesh falls in love with Sheela,d/o Dr.Mukherjee.Lily,the dancer also falls in his love. Suddenly,Sheela and the doctor disappear and Ramesh is caught.he is kept in a cell,to be killed soon,but Lily rescues him. With additional force from the police Ramesh exposes,Col.Williams as the Gang leader,who has also kept Sheela and the Doctor as hostages and thus the entire gang is busted.

The singer of this song hailed from Hyderabad-AP.she was a classical singer of local repute in Hyderabad.In one of her programmes in Hyderabad,one Dr.Madhusudan heard the singing of Ashalata Kulkarni and he offered her 2 songs in the Telugu film ‘Saduvukunna Ammayeelu (girls who are learning),which he was producing/Directing.her songs became popular and she got many more offers in Telugu films.She sang in her only Hindi film,”Mujrim Kaun”.Although there were 7 songs in the film,only 1 record came out having 1 solo and 1 duet of Ashalata Kulkarni. later she devoted herself to the classical music,earning a Doctorate.She got married and presently lives in Aurangabad(Maha.) running a Music Academi. -AD 297

Pinjre Ke Panchhi (1966)

This review is written by Mr Arunkumar Deshmukh

PINJRE KE PANCHHI-1966 was probably the only Hindi film directed by Salil Chaudhari. He had also written its story and screenplay, besides composing the music.

Few people know that Salil Chaudhari was a very good writer and a communist worker to the core. He was very talented. He had made a Bengali film “Poriborton” in 1949, based on which film Jagriti-1954 was made in Hindi in 1954. Similarly his short story “Rikshawala” was made into a hit Bengali film of the same name and later “Do Bigha Zamin” was made in 1953, based on it and with this film Salilda entered Hindi Films first time as a Music Director.

Pinjre ke Panchhi was a film about love, cheating, crime, sacrifice and the selfish behaviour of people.

Sonu Sharma,a wealthy person(Abhi Bhattacharya) falls sick and isadmitted in hospital He is nursed by Heena(Meena Kumari).They fall in love, marry secretly in a temple and he asks her to go to a nearby town where he has hired ”Madhu villa”,and wait for him there.

Meanwhile, 2 convicts Yaseen Khan(Balraj Sahni) and Laalu(Mehmood) escape from prison and come to Madhu villa. Finding it empty, they changs clothes and stay there. When Heena comes she thinks that Laalu is Sonu’s brother and Yaseen his Uncle. She stays with them waiting for her husband. She falls ill and these 2 convict, impressed with her simplicity and innocense,tend to her. When they came to know that Sonu has cheated her, they decide to help and solve her problem.

The story is all about how the convicts are converted to good humans and how they help Heena. There is a murder mystery also as a subplot.

Somehow this sort of film was not accepted by the public and soon it went out of everybody’s memory.

An interesting thing is the editing of the film was done by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and few songs were written by Gulzar.

Shankar Khan (1966)

The details are provided by Mr Arunkumar Deshmukh

SHANKAR KHAN(1966),a Fine Art Picture film was directed by Nanabhai Bhatt. Music Director was S N Tripathi and lyrics were by B D Mishra and Bashar Nawaz. Story by S.I.Hasan,Screen play byK.B.Pathak and Dialogues were by Zafar Rahi.
The story is-Safdar Khan(P.Kapoor) stays with friend Giridharilal(Jahagirdar)in Bombay and is waiting for his chela Sher-e-Hind Birju(Randhawa),to win and come back from London World championship. He becomes furious to learn that Birju has lost after taking money , has come to Bombay but is enjoying with a society girl Nita.

Safdar starts searching for another chela. Finds Shankar (Dara Singh), who not only wins Sher-e-Hind title from Birju but also wins London Championship and in spare time has a love affair with Giridharilal’s daughter Asha(Savita).

Enraged, Birju shoots at Shankar in the stadium…….etc etc. till all is well in the end.
Lot of KUSHTI scenes were there in the film and hence drew large crowdsfrom lower strata of society.

Shera Daaku (1966)

This review is written by Mr Arunkumar Deshmukh

SHERA DAKU-1966 was a typical Sheikh Mukhtar film, which had either a suffix or a prefix of Daku, Dada or Ustad. His personality was such that he fitted easily into these roles very convincingly.

The film was directed by Radhakant and the music was by Ganesh. That this excellent violinist and an expert of rhythm, who had 15 films on hand before any film release with his music as a composer did not get his dues as much as he should have got.

Sher Singh(Sheikh Mukhtar) is a peace loving family man living happily with his wife( Kanchanmala) and a sweet daughter.One day the town kotwal Nihal Singh(Amar) tries to rape his wife in his absence and to save herself from this she commits suicide. Sher singh is so enraged that he kills Nihal Singh and runs away with his daughter,as a Baaghi,becoming a dreaded dacoit Shera Daku.

The village Chief selects a strong young man Ajit(Randhawa) to capture Shera daku. In his persuit, Ajit meets Meena(Nishi) and they fall in love. After few songs, dances and meetings, Meena takes him to her father. Now Ajit learns that her father is Daku Shera, and Shera learns that Ajit is Nihal singh’s son. After this revelation, Meena refuses to marry a man who has come to capture her father.

Ajit returns and collects proof that Shera had killed Nihal Singh in a rage. He urges Shera Daku to surrender to police,for the sake of redemption of his sins and for the happiness of his daughter,Meena. Shera finally surrenders and is sentenced to 3 years’ jail. After he comes out, Ajit and Meena get married happily with his blessings.

Sunahre Kadam (1966)

This review is written by Mr Arunkumar Deshmukh

The story revolves around the various funny attempts of Shashikala to impress and win the love of Rehman.

Shekhar(Rehman) and Ganjoo(Agha) win a singing contest in the club against ladies’ group led by Shefali(Shashikala) and Malti(Sabita Chatterjee) and win a Silver Trophy, which is the main character in the first half of the film.

The second half shows Rehman taking the blame of Shashi on himself for a theft, goes to jail, his mother dies, he breaks the jail, is caught, goes to jail again. Then his Father is ill, Shashi tends him like a bahu etc etc till all is well in the final scene.

A very average movie but shashikala’s acting is superb !