Charandas Chor
{{short description|1975 film}}
{{More citations needed|date=February 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Charandas Chor
| image = Charandas Chor, 1975.jpg
| caption = Movie poster
| director = Shyam Benegal
| producer = Children's Film Society of India
| writer = Shyam Benegal
Shama Zaidi (Screen Adaptation)
| story = Vijaydan Detha
| based_on = {{based on|Rajasthani folk tale|Vijaydan Detha}}
| starring = Smita Patil, Lalu Ram, Sunder
| music = Nand Kishore Mittal
| cinematography =
| released = {{film date|df=yes|1975|||}}
| runtime = 156 min
| country = India
| language = Hindi
}}
Charandas Chor (Charandas the Thief) is a 1975 children's film by noted director Shyam Benegal, based on the famous play by Habib Tanvir,{{cite news |last1=Singh |first1=Mohnish |title=Playwright Habib Tanvir's 'Charandas Chor' to get big screen adaptation - Bangladesh Weekly |url=https://www.bangladeshweekly.com/playwright-habib-tanvirs-charandas-chor-to-get-big-screen-adaptation/ |access-date=21 February 2024 |work=Bangladesh Weekly |date=1 September 2023}} which itself was an adaptation of a classical Rajasthani folktale by Vijaydan Detha. The lyrics of the film were also by Habib Tanvir.
The film starred Smita Patil, Lalu Ram, Madanlal and Habib Tanvir. The film is the start of Patil's career in cinema.{{cite news |title=India's goddess of the silver screen heads for martyrdom |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E_VjAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA11 |access-date=21 February 2024 |publisher=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=21 January 1987 |language=en}}
Plot
The film is derived from a classic folk tale, originally narrated by Vijaydan Detha, and interpreted as folk play by Habib Tanvir. The film charts the tumultuous life of a petty thief, Charandas (Lalu Ram). Curiously he is a man of principles – an honest thief with a strong sense of integrity and professional efficiency. He makes four vows to his Guru, that he would never eat in a gold plate, never lead a procession that is in his honour, never become a king and never marry a princess, thinking all of them are far out possibilities for him. Later, his guru adds a fifth one - never to tell a lie and sets him off on his life's journey which leads him to a kingdom, where the turn of events makes him famous, and eventually he is offered the seat of political power which he has to refuse. Later, the local princess (Smita Patil) gets enchanted by him and proposes to marry him. This is when his refusal costs him his life. As he is put to death, he illustrates the inherent paradox in human existence, where truthful existence becomes an impossibility, both for the truthful and the accidentally truthful alike.
Cast
- Lalu Ram as Charandas
- Smita Patil{{cite book |last1=Ray |first1=Bibekananda |title=Conscience of The Race |publisher=Publications Division Ministry of Information & Broadcasting |isbn=978-81-230-2661-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EKo-DwAAQBAJ |access-date=21 February 2024 |language=en}} as Princess
- Madanlal
- Fida Bhai
- Sadhu Meher
- Habib Tanvir{{cite book |last1=Brandon |first1=James R. |last2=Banham |first2=Martin |title=The Cambridge Guide to Asian Theatre |date=28 January 1997 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-58822-5 |page=112 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ttnH5W9qoBAC |access-date=21 February 2024 |language=en}}
- Anjali Paigankar
- Sunder
- Baby Dass
- Babu
- Kemal Kar
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|0155606|title=Charandas Chor}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20120925144625/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/165791 Charandas Chor FTVdatabase]
{{Shyam Benegal}}
Category:Films with screenplays by Shama Zaidi
Category:Films directed by Shyam Benegal
Category:Indian films based on plays
Category:Indian children's films
Category:1970s Hindi-language films
{{1970s-Hindi-film-stub}}
{{child-film-stub}}