Usne Kaha Tha
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Usne Kaha Tha
| image = Usne Kaha Tha.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Poster
| director = Moni Bhattacharjee
| producer = Bimal Roy
| writer =
| based_on = {{based on|Usne Kaha Tha|Chandradhar Sharma Guleri}}
| starring = Sunil Dutt
Nanda
Durga Khote
Tarun Bose
Asit Sen
Leela Mishra
| music = Salil Choudhury
| cinematography =
| editing =
| studio =
| distributor =
| released = {{Film date|1960|||df=y}}
| runtime =
| country = India
| language = Hindi
| budget =
| gross =
}}
Usne Kaha Tha ({{translation|He said}}) is a 1960 Bollywood drama film directed by Moni Bhattacharjee starring Sunil Dutt and Nanda in lead roles. This film is Bhattacharjee's first independent directorial venture. He had previously assisted Bimal Roy on various films, notably Madhumati and Do Bigha Zameen. Bimal Roy produced this film under his banner "Bimal Roy Productions".{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/11/29/stories/2008112950711100.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629015712/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/11/29/stories/2008112950711100.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 June 2011|title=Usne Kaha Tha 1961|date=29 November 2008|work=The Hindu|author=Suresh Kohli |access-date=13 Jan 2012}}
The film is based on a renowned Hindi short story of the same name written by Chandradhar Sharma Guleri which was published in 1915 in Saraswati. The writing is critically acclaimed for the "perfection of technique, characterization and effect".{{cite book|title=The Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature (Volume Two) (Devraj To Jyoti), Volum 2 |author=Amaresh Datta |year=2006 |publisher= Sahitya Akademi |isbn=81-260-1194-7 |page=1503 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=zB4n3MVozbUC&q=usne+kaha+tha&pg=PA1503 |access-date=13 Jan 2012}} However, the film itself was a "none too smooth takeoff" and did not do well at the box office.{{cite journal|last=Bharatan|first=Raju|title=Indian Film Scene|journal=The Illustrated Weekly of India|year=1969|volume=9|issue=3|pages=47|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mVc6AQAAIAAJ&q=Moni+Bhattacharjee |access-date=13 Jan 2012}} This was the debut film of actress, Indrani Mukherjee.{{cite news |title=Still remember Rajesh Khanna as a shy boy: Indrani|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/regional/marathi/news-interviews/Still-remember-Rajesh-Khanna-as-a-shy-boy-Indrani/articleshow/15420014.cms |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130629123817/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-08-10/news-interviews/33120044_1_rajesh-khanna-dharmendra-kishore-kumar |url-status=live |archive-date=29 June 2013 |date=10 August 2012 |work=The Times of India|access-date=9 May 2013}}
Plot
Nandu lives in a small town with his widowed mother. He is friendly with a local girl, Kamli. Kamli's father falls ill and her family relocates to a bigger town, Ambala. Years later, Kamli's father passes away and they return.
Nandu and Kamli fall in love and want to marry. When Nandu's mother goes to meet Kamli's uncle, she is humiliated because of their poverty. Nandu decides to join the army, with the hope that her uncle will consider him suitable enough to get Kamli married to him. But when he returns, Kamli is set to marry someone else. He goes back to the army to try to forget Kamli. He is surprised to find that his superior officer, Ram Singh, is Kamli's husband. Disappointed with his fate, he knows not what to do.
The war starts and he is called for it. But before going on war, Kamli takes a promise from him to protect her husband, which he does. When Ram Singh asks a dying Nandu why he risked his life to save him, his last words are, "Usne Kaha Tha", giving the raison d'être, hence the name of the film.
Cast
- Sunil Dutt as Nandu
- Nanda as Kamli
- Rajendra Nath as Randheera
- Durga Khote as Nandu's mother
- Tarun Bose
- Asit Sen
- Leela Mishra
- Indrani Mukherjee as Farida
- Baby Farida
- Kartar Singh as Sikh man sweet shop owner
- Rashid Khan as Khairati chacha
Music
{{Track listing
| heading = Songs
| extra_column = Singer(s)
| all_lyrics = Shailendra
| all_music = Salil Choudhury
| title1 = Aaha Rimjhim Ke Yeh Pyaare Pyaare Geet Liye| extra1 = Talat Mahmood, Lata Mangeshkar | length1 =
| title2 = Machalti Aarzoo Khadi Baahen Pasaare| extra2 = Lata Mangeshkar | length2 =
| title3 = Chalte Hi Jaana| extra3 = Manna Dey, Mohammad Rafi | length3 =
| title4 = Jaanewaale Sipaahi Se Poocho| extra4 = Manna Dey, Sabita Mukherjee | length4 =
| title5 = Balkhaati Sharmaati Aaja| extra5 = Mohammad Rafi, Sabita Banerjee | length5 =
}}
References
{{Reflist}}