A friend recently shared a video of the old film song featuring Mala Sinha, dancing with a beautiful waterfall in the background. I advised him to look at a later day version ( a look alike of his old favourite
song ) featuring Miss. Universe Shushmita
Sen, from the film Sirf Tum.
The film has unique concept of long distance love. The boy worked in Kerala and the girl lived in Nainital - in Uttarakhand. They had never met - had never seen each other - had not even exchanged photos, hence they do not recognise each other when they meet later at New Delhi. .
Please do not loose heart, they will meet eventually before the film ends. Other than long distance love, that starts and grows through exchange of letters, there are few more unique things in the film.
It is perhaps one of the rarest films where 'Hero' is shown as a common male species who has to leave his job in Kerala because he picked up a fight with a goon and is now scared for his life. Later, he is seen plying an auto in Delhi (so does the super hunk and millions' heartthrob Jackie Shroff).
Also, the unmarried girl in the film, is wearing "sari" all the time as against the usual trend of the girls being shown in skimpy attire. It shows the film makers had done their homework and were being sensitive to the sentiments of "pahari" people, as the girl belongs to Nainital, in Uttarakhand.
Other than extensive use of the nature's bounty, both in Kerala and in Nainital, the film actually names the places. In a song, the boy is asking the girl to send some "chill" from Nainital to the warm Kerala. While Nainital is unmistakably recognisable in the film, I think the place in Kerala is Kochi (Cochin), and some place on Periyar River along the highway leading to Munnar.
The other girl, played so beautifully by the superlative Shushmita, is shown as a reasonable and a sensitive person too who has her own tragic story. She does love the boy but does not 'claim' him.
The film has no villain but for a goon in Kerala, who in a way actually helps the boy to meet his girl, by driving him away from Kerala and to shift to Delhi. But for him, the boy would stay in his job.
The other men in the film, as against what usually happens in such situations, do not crave for and do not pounce upon the young beautiful girl roaming around in the big bad city without an escort.
The brother in law of the girl, who is critical of her ways, does it out of affection, and real concern.
Later, he buys the rail ticket for her hometown but even then he does not talk about his girlfriend. He could have done so since his girlfriend hails from the same region - the place the girl was going to.
Anyways, coincidences and hits and misses, are essential to and integral parts of stories and films.
I watched the ending parts of both the Tamil and the Bengali films. The yellow sari is common in Hindi and Tamil versions but the girl in Bengali version is seen in blue sari (not in yellow) and also, she is sensible enough to disembark from the train with her bag. Other girls just jump out of train.
Also, while girls from Ooty and Nainital run to their boys, and the boys remain standing, waiting for the girls to jump upon them, to hug, to embrace, but the Bengali boy is seen running up half way.
The film has unique concept of long distance love. The boy worked in Kerala and the girl lived in Nainital - in Uttarakhand. They had never met - had never seen each other - had not even exchanged photos, hence they do not recognise each other when they meet later at New Delhi. .
Please do not loose heart, they will meet eventually before the film ends. Other than long distance love, that starts and grows through exchange of letters, there are few more unique things in the film.
It is perhaps one of the rarest films where 'Hero' is shown as a common male species who has to leave his job in Kerala because he picked up a fight with a goon and is now scared for his life. Later, he is seen plying an auto in Delhi (so does the super hunk and millions' heartthrob Jackie Shroff).
Also, the unmarried girl in the film, is wearing "sari" all the time as against the usual trend of the girls being shown in skimpy attire. It shows the film makers had done their homework and were being sensitive to the sentiments of "pahari" people, as the girl belongs to Nainital, in Uttarakhand.
Other than extensive use of the nature's bounty, both in Kerala and in Nainital, the film actually names the places. In a song, the boy is asking the girl to send some "chill" from Nainital to the warm Kerala. While Nainital is unmistakably recognisable in the film, I think the place in Kerala is Kochi (Cochin), and some place on Periyar River along the highway leading to Munnar.
The other girl, played so beautifully by the superlative Shushmita, is shown as a reasonable and a sensitive person too who has her own tragic story. She does love the boy but does not 'claim' him.
The film has no villain but for a goon in Kerala, who in a way actually helps the boy to meet his girl, by driving him away from Kerala and to shift to Delhi. But for him, the boy would stay in his job.
The other men in the film, as against what usually happens in such situations, do not crave for and do not pounce upon the young beautiful girl roaming around in the big bad city without an escort.
The brother in law of the girl, who is critical of her ways, does it out of affection, and real concern.
The scene where boy arranges a seat for girl in the train is so realistic and reminded me of old days.
The icing on the cake is the other boy, enacted so charmingly by Salman, too is an understanding guy.
Having
come this far, I felt a strong urge to check if it is a remake of any
Malayalam movie (in view of the Kerala connection) and find that it is
indeed a remake but of a critically acclaimed and a much awarded Tamil
movie named Kadhal Kottai. It won National Awards in several categories.
Here, the girl is from Udhagmandalam (Ooty) and this may be the reason
for her being in sari all the time.
Kadhal is boyfriend (thanks to Prabhudeva Nagma starer Kadhalan) and Kottai may mean anything from a nut (as in coconut) to as big and majestic thing as a palace or a castle. (One may go Nuts).
Chennai became Kerala and Ooty turned in to Nainital and the other curious difference is that the spellings of the name of the film's director changes from Agathian to Ahathian. Why ?
Kadhal is boyfriend (thanks to Prabhudeva Nagma starer Kadhalan) and Kottai may mean anything from a nut (as in coconut) to as big and majestic thing as a palace or a castle. (One may go Nuts).
Chennai became Kerala and Ooty turned in to Nainital and the other curious difference is that the spellings of the name of the film's director changes from Agathian to Ahathian. Why ?
The
all knowing wiki tells us that later Basu Chatterjee too made it in
Bengali as 'Hothat Brishti', meaning "Sudden Downpour" - might be
referring to rains during the concluding part of the film.
The difference they say is that in Bengali version the boy is said to be plying taxi and not auto.
One weak point I see is that when the girl goes to the former
office of the boy, he could have and should have added two plus two four
and could have easily recognised her. Next she goes to the home of the
boy's friend (auto has to stop a little away due to traffic) but here
too, he does not get any clue.Later, he buys the rail ticket for her hometown but even then he does not talk about his girlfriend. He could have done so since his girlfriend hails from the same region - the place the girl was going to.
Anyways, coincidences and hits and misses, are essential to and integral parts of stories and films.
I watched the ending parts of both the Tamil and the Bengali films. The yellow sari is common in Hindi and Tamil versions but the girl in Bengali version is seen in blue sari (not in yellow) and also, she is sensible enough to disembark from the train with her bag. Other girls just jump out of train.
Also, while girls from Ooty and Nainital run to their boys, and the boys remain standing, waiting for the girls to jump upon them, to hug, to embrace, but the Bengali boy is seen running up half way.
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