Maa (1952 film)

Maa (Mother) is a 1952 Indian Hindi-language social family drama directed by Bimal Roy for Bombay Talkies. Bimal Roy was asked to come to Bombay from Calcutta to direct the film for the studio, which was going through bad times. Bombay Talkies' earlier favourite Leela Chitnis was cast in the eponymous role of Mother.[1] This was the first film Roy directed in Bombay. Later, he was to break away and form his own production company: Bimal Roy Productions. The first film he produced and directed under his new banner was Do Bigha Zameen (1953), the next year.[2]

Maa
Directed byBimal Roy
Produced byBombay Talkies
Written byNabendu Ghosh
Paul Mahendra
Screenplay byBimal Roy
Story byAsit Sen
Nabendu Ghosh
StarringLeela Chitnis
Bharat Bhushan
Shyama
Nazir Hussain
Paul Mahendra
Music byS. K. Pal
CinematographyI. Wirsching
Edited byHrishikesh Mukherjee
Production
company
Distributed byBombay Talkies
Release date
  • 1952 (1952)
Running time
140 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi

The cinematographer was I. Wirsching. The film's music was composed by S. K. Pal with lyrics by Bharat Vyas.[3] The film co-starred Bharat Bhushan, Shyama, Nazir Hussain, Mehmood and B. M. Vyas.[4]

The story was said to be adapted loosely from the old Hollywood film Over The Hills,[5] which was about a "self-sacrificing son and his mother". According to B. D. Garga, the film's sentimental melodrama was handled with intelligence and finesse by Roy, which stopped it from becoming a "mushy tear-jerker".[6]

Plot

Chanderbabu (Nazir Hussain), a retired postmaster, lives in the village with his wife and two sons, Rajan (Paul Mahendra) and Bhanu (Bharat Bhushan). He continues to live there and work for the Zamindar (landowner), while his children are getting their education. Rajan is studying for his law exam. He is married to a girl (Padma) from a wealthy family whose haughty ways alarm and frightens him. Bhanu, the younger brother is fun-loving but studious. He gets influenced by the Nationalist Movement in the campus and stops his education in the last year of college. His father is disappointed and feels that Rajan is the one they can depend upon in their old age. Bhanu meets Meena (Shyama), and the two fall in love. Meera's father, Ramnarayan, is the school Principal and is impressed by Bhanu. He decides to get Meera married to Bhanu.

Rajan's law exams are nearing and he needs Rs. 300 to pay the fees. His wife refuses to get him the money. Chanderbabu tries all avenues to get the money but fails to do so. Bhanu, returning from a fair one night hears the cries of "Thief, thief". He sees his father being pursued by a crowd and immediately runs ahead of them. The crowd thinking him to be the thief, hand him over to the police. He is jailed for one year. On his return, Rajan, who by now has passed his exam, refuses to let him meet their father. The father is ashamed and wants to apologise to Bhanu for suffering on his account. He is sick in bed, but when he hears of Bhanu coming to meet him he tries rushing out but dies. Bhanu leaves from there thinking his parents don't want to meet him.

The mother is now bereft and insanely roaming the streets looking for Bhanu. She's informed that Bhanu is dead, and she now lives as a maidservant in her son Rajan's house. Finally, with Meena's help, Bhanu meets his mother and takes her away from Rajan's house.

Cast

Soundtrack

The music was composed by S. K. Pal with lyrics by Bharat Vyas. The singers were Manna Dey, Asha Bhosle, Afzal, Geeta Dutt, Kishore Kumar and Arun Kumar.[7]

Song list
SongSinger
"Woh Aankhen, Kya Aankhen" Manna Dey
"Sanjh Bhi Bhanu Chhupe, Chhaaya Aandhiyaara" Manna Dey
"Jeeyo Jeeyo Mere Laal, Teri Tedhi Tedhi Chaal" Manna Dey, Kishore Kumar, Arun Kumar
"Har Din Tu Rota Baadal" Geeta Dutt
"Main Naa Bolungi Aaj" Geeta Dutt
"Is Duniya Mein Humne Dekhen" Asha Bhosle, Afzal Hussain

See also

References
  1. Bhaichand Patel (2012). Bollywood's Top 20: Superstars of Indian Cinema. Penguin Books India. pp. 35–. ISBN 978-0-670-08572-9. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  2. Gulazāra; Saibal Chatterjee (2003). "Roy, Bimal". Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema. Popular Prakashan. pp. 639–. ISBN 978-81-7991-066-5. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  3. Hanif Zaveri (1 January 2005). "Filmography". Mehmood, a Man of Many Moods. Popular Prakashan. pp. 171–. ISBN 978-81-7991-213-3. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  4. "Maa". citwf.com. Alan Goble. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  5. "Maa". bimalroymemorial.org. bimalroymemorial.org. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  6. B D Garga (1 December 2005). Art Of Cinema. Penguin Books Limited. pp. 74–. ISBN 978-81-8475-431-5. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  7. "Maa (1952)". hindigeetmala.net. Hindi Geetmala. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
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