tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149142221218445999.post5980299137602383521..comments2024-03-18T23:23:28.279+01:00Comments on Old is Gold: Mahal (1949) – mystery, madness and melodramaBollyviewerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270927806254662068noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149142221218445999.post-78416068151603533502010-12-01T04:55:59.690+01:002010-12-01T04:55:59.690+01:00Shalini, if they'd taken time to introduce the...<b>Shalini</b>, if they'd taken time to introduce the characters in their normal habitat before bringing on the spookiness, they might have appeared less batty! As it is, they all seemed to live in Spooksville and give free rein to their insanity... <br /><br />I know what you mean about the long prelude to <i>Aayega aanewala</i> - it is a separate song in itself! It makes me fidgety when I hear the song, but in the film there is quite a bit happening onscreen, so I did not notice the extra-long <i>alaap</i>!<br /><br /><b>Richard</b>, while I consider Lata Mangeshkar a very fine singer, I prefer almost any of her contemporaries to her! She just does not emote well enough to appeal to me. So certainly we'll agree that Rajkumari and Zohrabai are the other great stars of the film - my post-40s conditioned ears are slowly learning to appreciate them!Bollyviewerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17270927806254662068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149142221218445999.post-64098772825348914612010-11-30T09:41:28.667+01:002010-11-30T09:41:28.667+01:00OK, well, maybe there's one thing all of us c...OK, well, maybe there's one thing all of us can agree on - we love "Ye Raat Phir Na Aayegi." :) Lata isn't the only fine singer in this film - Rajkumari is fantastic throughout, and Zohrabai is great in this duet with her. And Khemchand Prakash was brilliant too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149142221218445999.post-48381332129002042782010-11-26T16:36:17.802+01:002010-11-26T16:36:17.802+01:00I saw "Mahal" decades ago and remember b...I saw "Mahal" decades ago and remember being underwhelmed by it. I think it's for the reason you cite - the main characters are INSANE and their battiness gets tiresome after a while. <br /><br />And count me as another person who doesn't care for "aayega aanewala" - the prelude is so damn long that I'm fast asleep by the Lata finally gets to the "aayega" part.:-DShalinihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13254643642104251964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149142221218445999.post-58925141728850494452010-11-26T01:11:56.691+01:002010-11-26T01:11:56.691+01:00memsaab, great minds often do think alike! ;D
AK...<b>memsaab</b>, great minds often <i>do</i> think alike! ;D <br /><br /><b>AKM</b>, I liked that it was steering clear of superstition - but the end was such a big concession to superstition and/or conventions that the film basically squandered all the Brownie points I'd assigned to it for the good parts!<br /><br /><b>Sharmi</b>, we did grow up watching Dada Mani play the older guy, and for sooooo long, that it feels odd to see him play hero! Do try some of his hero films (I strongly recommend <i><a href="http://bollyviewer-oldisgold.blogspot.com/2009/02/ek-saal-1957-eventful-year.html" rel="nofollow">Ek Saal</a></i>) - you might change your mind! <i>Howrah Bridge</i> isn't as great as the songs lead you to believe - so maybe staying away is not a bad idea.<br /><br /><b>Pessimississimo</b>, I love <i>Ye raat phir na aayegi</i> - I didn't like it so much in the movie, but when I heard it later (on youtube) it struck me as beautiful in a very understated way.Bollyviewerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17270927806254662068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149142221218445999.post-75666974101130452782010-11-25T22:55:19.397+01:002010-11-25T22:55:19.397+01:00Bollyviewer, another wonderful review. I agree tha...Bollyviewer, another wonderful review. I agree that <i>Mahal</i> is worth seeing for its atmospherics and for the wonderful music; I think my favorite of the many great songs is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIWmNvaBtME" rel="nofollow">Ye Raat Phir Na Aayegi</a>. But you're right--it doesn't really hold together.Pessimisissimohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04223566131580795337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149142221218445999.post-5297710350609378522010-11-25T08:42:29.417+01:002010-11-25T08:42:29.417+01:00i was always about to see thnis but Ashok Kumar as...i was always about to see thnis but Ashok Kumar as a hero never interested me. but now that yoou say its good, i wil see it. That is also the reason why ive stayed away from Howrah BridgeSharmi Adhikaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15083912570793692960noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149142221218445999.post-86255570173331043432010-11-24T17:06:45.751+01:002010-11-24T17:06:45.751+01:00Excellently put. The main reason I like the movie ...Excellently put. The main reason I like the movie is that for its time, the plot was amazingly well done, and rational at a time when superstition was the easy option. Plus the music, of course.<br /><br />But I think the overwhelming success of its Gothic atmosphere made it too heavy for enjoyment.AKMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149142221218445999.post-41501837685435399842010-11-23T23:11:54.152+01:002010-11-23T23:11:54.152+01:00I feel almost exactly about this as you do: so man...I feel almost exactly about this as you do: so many things to like, and yet...it just isn't one I need to see again.memsaabhttp://memsaabstory.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149142221218445999.post-64189487484735623232010-11-23T07:23:30.822+01:002010-11-23T07:23:30.822+01:00myrna-nora Ashok-Madhubala are my favorite pair to...<b>myrna-nora</b> Ashok-Madhubala are my favorite pair too and <i>Ek Saal</i> is their best pairing, I think - it certainly is my favorite of their films together. :) <br /><br /><b>dustedoff</b>, the court scene was ultra melodramatic. :D Kanu's Roy's shouted defense prompted me to wonder if Justice was deaf as well as blind! <br /><br /><i>Aayega aanewaala</i> is deservedly famous! I had grown rather tired of hearing it too often, but in the context of this film, it is brilliant, and I love it once again.Bollyviewerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17270927806254662068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149142221218445999.post-41815618544876641492010-11-23T04:31:41.514+01:002010-11-23T04:31:41.514+01:00Richard discussed Mahal a bit on my blog a while b...Richard discussed <i>Mahal</i> a bit on my blog a while back, when I'd written about <i>Madhumati</i> - comparing the two films. It's been too long since I watched <i>Mahal</i> for me to be able to say much about it - either here or on my blog - except that I simply adore <i>Aayega aanewaala</i>. What a fabulous song. Oh, and one very dramatic scene: in court, where the lawyer's called a veiled Madhubala into the witness box and is going on about the impossibility of Shankar having fallen in love with the poor, wretched, ugly daughter of a <i>maali</i>... and then, wham!! - she unveils, and we see what the <i>maali's</i> daughter looks like. :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149142221218445999.post-47620372465514514852010-11-22T23:20:37.784+01:002010-11-22T23:20:37.784+01:00I love Madhubala paired with Ashok. I just watched...I love Madhubala paired with Ashok. I just watched "Ek Saal" last night, and was planning to rewatch "Howrah Bridge" and "Mahal." I'm remembering part of the twists but the ending is a little hazy, what really stuck with me was the gothic atmosphere.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149142221218445999.post-92067048272295365642010-11-22T20:27:24.505+01:002010-11-22T20:27:24.505+01:00harvey, one does tend to get tired of popular song...<b>harvey</b>, one does tend to get tired of popular songs! You might appreciate the other songs in this film, even if <i>Aayega aanawala</i> isn't your thing. I am completely with you on not caring much for <i>Aaja re pardesi</i>. As kids we were accustomed to being woken up in the morning just when the instrumental version of the song was playing on Vividh Bharati. So every time I hear the song, I feel like somebody has switched on an alarm clock and all I want to do is to switch it off! <br /><br /><b>Ruchi</b>, <a href="http://bollyviewer-oldisgold.blogspot.com/2008/04/spoilers.html" rel="nofollow">here</a> is what happens. (You need to scroll down to see the spoilers for <i>Mahal</i>.)Bollyviewerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17270927806254662068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149142221218445999.post-66051363005974520332010-11-22T17:31:03.186+01:002010-11-22T17:31:03.186+01:00I am so curious - how does the movie end?I am so curious - how does the movie end?Ruchihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13844831404496051624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149142221218445999.post-73493661017136785762010-11-22T10:55:18.434+01:002010-11-22T10:55:18.434+01:00to my utmost despair, I remember the ending of thi...to my utmost despair, I remember the ending of thi smovie, which I last saw some twenty years back, vividly, but can't recall any of the beautiful things before that.<br />Just like I said some days back at Dustedoff's page about 'Aaja re pardesi', 'aayega aanewala' doesn't do me anything. The other songs of the movie are much more pleasant to my ears.<br />Maybe I should give it a dekho again.harveyhttp://harveypam.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149142221218445999.post-11595341513804616012010-11-22T06:18:43.091+01:002010-11-22T06:18:43.091+01:00Banno, 'fun' is the one thing that is cons...<b>Banno</b>, 'fun' is the one thing that is conspicuous by it's absence in this film. There are absolutely no light moments, so the whole film appears dark, even though the "night" scenes are clearly shot in broad daylight! <br /><br /><b>Anarchivist</b>, you should begin watching Dilip Kumar movies - "bleak melancholy and ennui" is <i>his</i> calling card. ;D Thank goodness Madhubala did not get stuck doing similar roles throughout her career!<br /><br /><b>Richard</b>, I am so tired of class issues in most vintage Hindi films (and real life in India) that their complete absence in this case would've made a bigger impact on me! <br /><br />The Gothic atmosphere was certainly very well done. I am not particularly fond of it, but here, I liked it. If the last ten minutes had not undone all the good work of the rest of the film, I would've thought this was a perfect film, instead of merely well-made and interesting! I did not find it particularly depressing either - but then I did not particularly care about the characters' fates by the end.Bollyviewerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17270927806254662068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149142221218445999.post-31262157644306499962010-11-21T21:01:34.369+01:002010-11-21T21:01:34.369+01:00I will second the positive qualities described in ...I will second the positive qualities described in the last paragraph of this post (nicely stated, Bollyviewer), and those are reasons why Mahal is one of my absolute favorites. I would add to that list, also, that I appreciated the way the class issue was nicely woven into the story near the end. I don't think the characters were all that unsympathetic (the female characters were sympathetic to a degree - especially Ranjana), but never mind whether they were likeable or or simply crazy :) , the other qualities in this movie - especially the wonderful music and that great gothic atmosphere (thanks mainly to Kamal Amrohi, the genius who later directed Pakeezah) - made this unquestionably, IMO, a superb film.<br /><br />Of course, I was a something of a goth in my youth, which could explain a lot - as with anarchivist, "spooky ambience" is one of my favorite things.<br /><br />As for it being depressing... I didn't find it all that depressing, really. It wasn't nearly as much of a downer at the end as a bunch of other '40s films (Mela, Dillagi...), and it's downright cheery compared to some Guru Dutt movies. Depression and melodrama - two more reasons that I love old Bollywood films. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149142221218445999.post-64285000555477749132010-11-21T14:45:29.360+01:002010-11-21T14:45:29.360+01:00This was my first Madhubala movie and my first Ash...This was my first Madhubala movie and my first Ashok Kumar, and there was sooo much to like about it. Spooky ambiance is about my favorite thing in the world, and the music is beautiful. But when I was done watching it, all I could think was, man, that was depressing! For a long time, I associated both actors with a sense of bleak melancholy and ennui. Thank god for "Howrah Bridge"!Anarchivisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06599522097057431891noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149142221218445999.post-72322196140207064222010-11-21T14:08:07.906+01:002010-11-21T14:08:07.906+01:00Hmmm, it does seem like it's worth watching at...Hmmm, it does seem like it's worth watching at least once. Mysteries are always fun, even though the climaxes are almost always disappointing.Bannohttp://batulm.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.com