The premise of the film is very simple. An uneducated, simpleton from village comes to town to his uncle and finds himself next door to a beautiful lady who looks like the moon and has complexion as clear as the blue sky and eyes where you can drown yourself!!
Bhola, Sunil Dutt lands himself next door to Bindu, Saira Banu and promptly falls in love with her. She is a high society chick who gives Bhola the first glimpse of her beauty wrapped sexily in a towel, singing the ever green song, "Bhai battur bhai battur, aap jayenge kitni door, nazuk nazuk meri jawaani....". The only actress who could in that period carry off being bold and entice Bhola into falling in love with her at first sight! The facial expressions of Bhola with his heart going all wonky is so evident!! Imagine those expressions with a choti flying all over the place.. hilarious!!
Bhola runs to his Guru, the guru who he believes is the ultimate where women are concerned and ultimate in providing solutions for love!! Kishoreda in a snowhite kurta anda red paan dribble at the corner of his mouth creates ripples of laughter at his appearance itself!! The mayhem that issues after that is only because of this amazing song... "Mere bure balam, mere pyaare balam, mera jeevan tere bina hai ek a baug, jise hatkar gujre, door door se gujre... Mere jeevan ki aasha, padhle mere nainon ki bhasha, mujhe apna bana le, pal pal palkon mein chupa le... Tu jhatpat aakar jhapat mere andhe kuen mein deep jala ke kar de ujala... zara karde ujala..." I was in splits holding my sides and actually rolling in laughter at the lyrics, the tune and the histrionics of Kishoreda with his croonies Mukhri and Tarun Ghosh!! As if these were not sufficient, Guru advises Bhola, "Meri pyaaari Bindu, meri bholi Bindu, meri matheri Bindu, meri sindoori bindu.... meri prem ki naiyya beech bhanwar mein gud gud gote khaye, jahtpat paar laga de..... "... where have you heard such meaningfully, comic lyrics that have made you laugh and cry at the same time?? Timeless beauties such events!!
Moving further, this gang of boys decide on Bhola’s insistence that this padosan is not so easy to patao... So they gather at Bhola’s residence and look through the window which sets us viewers up for a delightfully naughty and hummable, "Mere saamne wali khidki mein, ek chaand sa tukda rehta hain, afsoos yeh hai ke woh humse, ukhda ukhda rehta hai....". The monkeying of Bhola around his window deliberately chiding Bindu is so rib tickling, that the next move from Bindu just moves the very earth from under Bhola’s feet!!
*Enter Masterji, Mehmood!!
This is the masterji who is teaching the lovely Bindu how to dance!! And then ensues a series of jealous bouts and then a challenge!! Thrown by Bhola to Masterji... the outcome is the song of the century, "El chatur naar, badi hoshiyaar, mere man ke dwaar yeh ghusat jaat, hum marat jaat... aarey hey hey heeeyyyy....", Manna Dey saab at his superlative best!! his golden voice mesmerising us with the classical, south indian flavored tunes that will have you awed and in splits at the same time... Lyrics simbly awesome!! When this jugalbandi, musical duet between the two maestros Kishoreda and Manna Dey saab is a work that ic cherished as you hear the two go at each other, all classical, all funny and they just spin a web of hypnotic melody that takes you to a crscendo.... Kishoreda... "Sa Re Ga Ma Pa..... eheyy eheyy eheyheyyyyy..." and Manna Dey saab .... "marat jaat, marat jaat..." and Mehmood going all haywire, in his antics and energy, on the window.... over the window and upside down with a hand trying to give some semblance to the lungi, that is seemingly coming apart!! Its unforgettable and so in your face that youi have no option but to clutch your sides in sheer laughter!!
The love story then begins, Bhola finally manages to get his girl Bindu and then there is this amazing song, "Kehna hai kehna hai, aaj tumse yeh pehli baar, Tum hi to layi ho jeevan mein mere pyaar pyaar pyaar...". all this in the rich baritone of Kishoreda in reel life, running behind Bhola who in turn is lip syncing to Guru and running around Bindu, with Masterji trying to see the proceedings and then make his move!!
The whole episode takes a U turn when during one of the dialogues across each others window, Bhola and Bindu gazing lovingly in each others eyes and Bindu’s friend appears and realises that its her boyfriend Guru singing this song and she quietly takes Bindu to show her the truth!!
Masterji in the meantime has been hatching a plan and puts it into action by taking a few goons and then hitting Bhola... black and blue!! The typical, Indian rona dhona ensues and the realisation of Bindu that she really loves her Bhola.... is such a heart warming scene.... You have to watch it!!*
The bauttiful rendition of, "Sharm aati hain magar, aaj yeh kehna hoga....", in Lataji’s silken voice, the beautiful Saira Banu in the full glory of koehled eyes, a form fitting churidar, kurta and the full blossom of a typical Indian woman is so serene and superb to watch... I am sure a lot of guys (moi included) just go, .... sigh.
The beauty of the film lies in its simple story and the characters who just revolve around the script that there is no need for the diretor to innovate and do any other magic except watch his actors move expertly around the story and fit like a hand in glove!! The songs are of great value to the script because they are very situation based and the selection of Kishoreda and Manna Dey saab is so justified that you cannot imagine anybody else doing the jugalbandi at all... They are necessary to convey the emotions felt and they do it with aplomb!!
Kudos to the star cast of Sunil Dutt, Saira Banu, Kishoreda, Om Prakash, Mehmood, Mukhri etc... I have no words to describe their class in acting!
Music by Panchamda, the late R D Burman... I am speechless and spellbound!!
Nostalgia at its best!!