Baghban (1938 film)

{{Infobox film

| name = {{Lang|hi-latn|Baghban}}

| image = Baghban_(1938).jpg

| caption = Film poster

| director = Abdul Rashid Kardar

| producer = General Films Ltd.

| writer = Begum Ansari

| starring = {{ubl|Nandrekar|Bimla Kumari|Nazir|Sitara Devi|K. N. Singh}}

| music = Mushtaq Hussain

| cinematography = P. G. Kukde

| editing =

| studio = General Films Ltd.

| distributor =

| released = {{Film date|1938|07|16|df=yes}}

| runtime =

| country = India

| language = Hindi-Urdu

}}

{{Lang|hi-latn|Baghban}} ({{Trans|Gardener}}) is a 1938 Indian romantic drama film directed by A. R. Kardar.{{cite web|title=Baghban (1938)|url=http://www.gomolo.com/baghban-movie/666|website=Gomolo.com website|access-date=4 December 2024|archive-date=2 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402134048/http://www.gomolo.com/baghban-movie/666|url-status=dead}}

The story was by Begum Ansari with script and screenplay by Kardar. The film's music was composed by Mushtaq Hussain with lyrics by Mirza Shauq.{{cite book|url=https://indiancine.ma/texts/indiancine.ma%3AEncyclopedia_of_Indian_Cinema/text.pdf|title=Bghban (1938 film) (page 274 of 656)|author=Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen|publisher=Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema, Oxford University Press 1998|isbn=0851704557}}{{cite web|title=Baghban (1938)|url=https://www.lyricsbogie.com/category/movies/baghban-1938|website=lyricsbogie.com|publisher=Lyrics Bogie|accessdate=26 March 2015}}

{{Lang|hi-latn|Baghban}} was the first film directed by Kardar following his return to Bombay after directing films for East India Company in Calcutta. It became a big box-office success for him.{{cite journal|last1=Patel|first1=Baburao|title=Kardar-India's Ever-Smiling Director Life story of the man who made Pagal |journal=Filmindia|date=September 1940|volume=6|issue=9|pages=27|url=https://archive.org/stream/filmindia194006unse#page/n539/mode/2up/search/Pooja|accessdate=26 March 2015|ref=Interview}} According to Rajadhyaksha and Willemen, Kardar's interest with the topic of "sexually deviant behaviour" and violence in the garb of "reformism", a theme which he would later also use in Pagal (1940) and Pooja (1940) is present in {{Lang|hi-latn|Baghban}}.

The film involved a love story with a mystery. The naive Saroop falls in love with the jail warden's daughter who is to marry someone else. He then finds out that she's his child-bride from the past.

Plot

Saroop (Nandrekar) is a young innocent man who gets lost in romantic thoughts when he hears a sadhu singing a love-song (prayer) to God. The holy man asks him to attend the Janamasthami fair. Through circumstances beyond his control, he gets arrested for loitering and is put in jail. He is made to work in the garden area of the warden's house, where he meets Durga (Bimla Kumari), the warden's daughter. A prison riot occurs and Saroop is injured. He is brought into the house by Durga and her friend Shanta (Sitara Devi). The attending doctor is Shanta's father, Doctor Hansraj. Saroop is freed from jail, and over several meetings, Durga and Saroop fall in love. However, Durga's marriage gets arranged with Ranjit (K. N. Singh) and Saroop is helpless. Ranjit has spurned his old flame Kammo (Yasmin), who is angry at the rebuff. Durga had been married off as a child, but it is believed that her boy-groom is dead. Ranjit has spread stories of her being a child-widow, in order to be the only one willing enough to marry her. On the day of the marriage, Kammo shoots Ranjit, and the Sadhu informs Dr. Hansraj that Saroop is his long-lost son who was married to Durga. Finally, Durga and Saroop get together again.

Cast

Bimala Kumari as Durga{{cite web|title=Baghban |url=http://www.citwf.com/film27234.htm |website=Complete Index To World Film (CITWF) website |author=Alan Goble |access-date=4 December 2024|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402093243/http://www.citwf.com/film27234.htm |archive-date=2 April 2015 |df=dmy}}
B. Nandrekar as Saroop
Sitara Devi as Shanta
Nazir
K. N. Singh as Ranjit
Yasmin as Kammo
Putlibai
Ashraf Khan as the sadhu (holy man)
Ram Avtar
Lala Yakub
Wasti
Mirza Mushraff

Reception

File:Baghban_actors_(1938).jpg 1938 ]]

Baburao Patel, editor of the cine-magazine Filmindia, termed Bimla Kumari's acting as "staginess". Nandrekar was stated to be "useless", while Nazir's acting was cited as "unnatural and affected". K. N. Singh and Sitara Devi were the only two actors praised for their performances, with a special commendation for Singh that he would make a "good character actor". The direction for this "weak story" was called "unimaginative and unintelligent" but better than Kardar's earlier film Milap.{{cite journal|last1=Patel|first1=Baburao|title=Baghban-Review|journal=Filmindia|date=September 1938|volume=4|issue=5|pages=37|url=https://archive.org/stream/filmindia193804unse#page/n175/mode/2up/search/baghban|accessdate=26 March 2015|ref=Round The Town}} K. N. Singh made a big name after his role in this film, he was praised by Ghosh for playing it with "remarkable assurance".{{cite book|author=Tapan K Ghosh|title=Bollywood Baddies: Villains, Vamps and Henchmen in Hindi Cinema|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0d6GAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA13|accessdate=26 March 2015|date=26 March 2013|publisher=SAGE Publications|isbn=978-81-321-1326-3|pages=13–}}

{{Lang|hi-latn|Baghban}} was a "tremendous success" at the box-office.

Controversy

The film ran into a controversy, described as "A storm in a tea-cup" by Baburao Patel. Nandrekar, who had acted in Amar Jyoti (1936) was contracted by Prabhat Film Company for three years. He had not obtained permission from Prabhat to work in General Films Ltd.'s {{Lang|hi-latn|Baghban}}. The matter reached the High Court of Bombay on 14 July 1938 for an injunction to be passed to prevent the release of the film on 18 July 1938. However, the Honourable Justice Engineer, threw out the injunction and dismissed the motion.{{cite journal|last1=Patel|first1=Baburao|title=Bombay Calling|journal=Filmindia|date=September 1938|volume=4|issue=4|pages=8|url=https://archive.org/stream/filmindia193804unse#page/n83/mode/2up/search/baghban|access-date=4 December 2024|ref=Bombay Calling}}

Soundtrack

Nine of the movie's songs were written and performed by Mirza Musharraf and the rest by Mushtaq Hussein with lyrics by Mirza Shauq and Mirza Musharraf, Hafiz Jalandhari. The singers were Sitara Devi, Ashraf Khan, Vimla, Sharda Pandit.{{cite web|title=Baghban (1938)|url=http://muvyz.com/moviepage/td353514/songs/#tabs|website=muvyz.com|publisher=Muvyz, Ltd.|accessdate=26 March 2015}}