In the world of Hindi cinema, Half Ticket stands as the ultimate over the top mad capper comedy Bollywood ever dared to attempt (Padosan is not even a close second)
Half Ticket-though it claims to have been directed by a certain Satyen Bose, is almost undoubtedly a Kishore vehicle designed and executed by the comic supremo himself-with an absolute freedom and eccentricity that would certainly be impossible for any seasoned Hindi director !
The movie is full of Kishoreda’s lunacy-unashamed and blatant -that has you rolling in laughter and helplessly begging for more.
It seems that our Dada has decided to shatter every possible norm for the classic Hindi hero –Hence a bizarre plot full of madness-which throws logic, reason and sanity to the wind AND a hero who is busy acting as a demented youth who hasn’t grown out of his infancy, for almost half the film’s length
As for the plot-its not going to be easy getting the full flavor of the insanity-let me try though!
Kishore is the good-for-nothing son of a rich industrialist, who has got bored of his father’s constant railing AND the efforts to marry him off, with the intention of getting him “settled” in life
So out walks Kishore from his home after paying due respects to the photo of his dead Maa (which is who else but the comedian himself in a Sari!!)
He decides to leave for Bombay and start Life afresh in the big city
Alas!Our hero doesn’t have enough money to get himself a ticket
In walks a Fat brat called Bhompu alias Munnah, who proves to be the source of ultimate inspiration…
Our guy dresses himself up in Munnah’s clothes, wears his glasses skewed and carries a lollipop in hand-He is successfully passed off at the ticket counter as Munnah bete-worthy of Just a Half Ticket to travel by!!!
So Kishore as Munnah travels in comfort with a Half ticket-but an evil Diamond smuggler-played hilariously by Pran-has slipped in his booty into Munnah’s trouser back-pockets-to hoodwink the Law
Now what follows is a mad chase by Pran after the ever fleeing Kishore and his trouser pocket-leading to hilarious strategems, traps and plot twists of profound absurdity for the entire length of the movie
Oh by the way our Munnah meets a Danseuse while all this is happening (MadhuBala) and manages to fall in love too
What makes Half Ticket so watchable for repeated viewing almost five decades after its making, is the genius of Kishore Kumar and his indisputable versatility.
Check out His duet Cheel Cheel Chilake with Pran where Kishore sings both male and female parts, The Ik Nage ke Kya mili-with a russian lilt-executed with Helen…the twist with Madhubala in Ankhon mein…
Hilarious highlights abound too-the personal favorite being-Kishore going to fix the record player of the Gangster’s moll!
She is all eyes on his Back pocket and our Befuddled and wary hero breaks into this crazy twist to avoid her thieving hands-gloriously funny!
Pran, as Kishore’s tormentor, seems to have joined the madcap parade with full gusto-just watch him skip innocently away from the police at the end of the funny duet with Kishore!
Madhubala’s penchant for humor is showcased here too-but oops-she just cant keep up with the insanely energetic Kishore in the dance number-or can she?
Ofcourse Kishore later went on to make deeply personal fare of great intensity like Door Gagan ke Chaaon me-but Half Ticket shows him as the real master of comic farce and a comedian of such insane bravura that no Bollywood comedian has since dared to mimic his Genius
Good music, occident-influenced dances and the genius comedian in top form-what more can one ask of Bollywood!