Stars : Ashok Kumar, Mala Sinha & Sunil Dutt
Watch On : Prime Video
This one is a vintage classic that only people from the early 1960-70s would know about but real cinema buffs can relate to the film from the thriller-drama genre from one of the renowned film-makers of Hindi cinema. BR Chopra produced acclaimed films based on meaningful social themes of the likes of ‘Kanoon’, ‘Waqt’, ‘Hamraaz’, ‘Ittefaq’ etc and towards the end, heart-rending ‘Baghbaan’.All of them carried captivating story telling, suspense, music & drama backed by actors and performers of high calibre !
‘Gumrah’ (meaning Astray) is the dramatic story of Meena (Mala Sinha) who’s in love with singer, artist Rajendra (Sunil Dutt) and wishes to marry him. However, when her sister, Kamla (Nirupa Roy), dies in an accident, she is forced to marry her brother-in-law (Ashok Kumar) for the sake of her sister’s children. The marriage is steady without any depth due to their age difference but the upheaval takes place when jilted Rajendra returns to reclaim his lost love and restart a liaison.
This leads to their clandestine meetings, subterfuge and deceit that Meena indulges in though she’s not ready to abandon her family. Matters get more complicated when a tough blackmailer threatens to expose her illicit affair. Can she get out of her precarious state and save her honour or betray her devoted husband ? All the lead actors – Ashok Kumar as the unsuspecting husband, Mala Sinha as one who’s in a tricky adulterous relationship and Sunil Dutt as her attractive, persuasive paramour are at their sterling best. Shashikala is brilliant in a cameo as an antagonist in a superbly crafted screenplay.
However, the film is best remembered for the hauntingly unforgettable music by Ravi with lyrics by the great Sahir Ludhianvi and all songs sung by Mahendra Kapoor which catapulted him into ranks of the great playback singers. ‘Chalo ek baar phir se ajnabi’ is considered a classic for its rendition and lyrics. One of the song’s poignant lines convey ‘If a story (relationship) cannot have an outcome, it’s best left at a stage that has grace’. In my opinion, all the songs are excellent but last song sung for unrequited love is best.
Here I ‘m making a humble attempt to sing ‘Aap aaye toh khayale..’ originally sung by Mahendra Kapoor with lyrics by Sahir Ludhianvi and beautifully composed by Ravi !
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