Bhabhi (1957 film)
Bhabhi is a 1957 Hindi film directed by Krishnan-Panju for AVM Productions. The namesake of an earlier film directed by Franz Osten in 1938, the film stars Balraj Sahni, South Indian actress Pandari Bai and Nanda in pivotal roles.
| Bhabhi | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Directed by | Krishnan-Panju |
| Produced by | A. V. Meiyappan |
| Written by | Prabhavathi Devi Saraswathi |
| Starring | Balraj Sahni Nanda Pandari Bai Om Prakash Durga Khote |
| Music by | Chitragupta Rajendra Krishan (Lyrics) |
Production company | |
Release date | 1957 |
Running time | 2 hr 48 min |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi/Urdu |
| Box office | Rs. 1,15,00,000 [1] |
The film went on to become the eighth highest grossing Bollywood film of the year.[1] The film was a remake of the 1954 Bengali film Banga Kora,[2] which in turn was based on the novel Bijila by Prabhavathi Devi Saraswathi. The Bengali movie was earlier remade in Tamil as Kula Dheivam and later remade in Kannada as Jenu Goodu. Pandari Bai reprised her role in all versions except Bengali.
Summary
Although a graduate in Arts, Shanta agrees to marry a less educated widowed businessman Ratan Lal, who has a son Mithu, from his first marriage, and re-locates to live with him, his brothers; Ramesh, Rajan and Baldev, and an aunt. Ratan permits her to let her child-widowed sister, Lata, to also live with them. Shanta soon earns the respect and love of everyone in the family. Ramesh marries Advocate Motilal's daughter Tara, while Rajan marries Mangala, who is Munshiram's daughter. After these marriages, misunderstandings crop up, generally generated by Mangala, so much so that Tara joins forces with her, forcing the brothers to separate from each other, with Ratan dividing the property and business equally amongst them, and re-locating in a small village house, while Ramesh now lives with Tara and her brother, Jeevan and his wife. Rajan does not get along with Mangala, takes to alcohol in a big way, stops his medical studies and joins the army, and Baldev re-locates to Bombay. The question remains: will this troubled family ever be re-united during their respective lifetimes?
Cast
- Balraj Sahni as Ratan Lal
- Pandari Bai as Shanta
- Nanda as Lata
- Daisy Irani as Mithu
- Jawahar Kaul as Advocate Ramesh
- Shyama as Tara
- Raja Gosavi as Rajan
- Jagdeep as Baldev 'Billu'
- Durga Khote as Ratan's Aunt
- Om Prakash as Lata's Brother-in-law
- Manorama as Lata's Sister-in-law
- Bipin Gupta as Advocate Motilal
- Anwar Hussain as Jeevan
- Shivraj as Munshiram
- Agha as Champaklal
- Bhagwan Dada as Stage actor
- Indira
- Nalini Chonker as Mangala Rajan's Wife
Soundtrack
| Song | Singer |
|---|---|
| "Chal Ud Ja Re Panchhi" (Part 1) | Mohammed Rafi |
| "Chal Ud Ja Re Panchhi" (Part 2) | Mohammed Rafi |
| "Chal Ud Ja Re Panchhi" (Part 3) | Mohammed Rafi |
| "Jawan Ho Ya Budhiya Ya Nanhi Si Gudiya" | Mohammed Rafi |
| "Hai Bahut Dinon Ki Baat" | Mohammed Rafi, Manna Dey, S. Balbir |
| "Chali Chali Re, Patang Meri Chali Re" | Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar |
| "Chhupakar Meri Aankhon Ko" | Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar |
| "Kaare Kaare Baadra, Ja Re, Ja Re Baadra" | Lata Mangeshkar |
| Ja Re Jaadugar, Dekhi Teri Jaadugari | Lata Mangeshkar |
| "Tie Lagake Maana Ban Gaye Janab Hero" | Lata Mangeshkar |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Nanda | Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress | Nominated |
References
- Box Office India. "Top Earners 1957". boxofficeindia.com. Archived from the original on 12 February 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/tracking-indian-communities/tamil-cinemas-bong-connection/