
AFSANA (1951)
It was while searching for Ashok Kumar starrers that I stumbled upon this oldie. But a few reels into the movie and the plot began to look vaguely familiar. Now a 1951 film can be a lift off from an older work, but my chances of having seen that original would be pretty remote. As things stand, my ten digits are sufficient to keep track of all the 50s films I've seen. For pre-50s, an ape hand would suffice.
If it wasn't an earlier version could it be a later one. It was, as I soon remembered.
Two decades after its release, Afsana went the way of many Bollywood films, that is to say it was recycled or remade. Called Dastaan in its new avatar, it, unlike other remakes, kept the plot and scenes almost unchanged. The new name, too, was a mere word play on the older one. Afsana, a Urdu word means a tale or a story as does Dastaan. The deja vu I felt was on account of having seen the remake many years ago.
Watching an original and a remake offer a marvelous opportunity to see first hand, the changes in styles of acting and film making in the intervening years. This is especially true if much has happened in those years that have shaped the entertainment industry. A peek at the Devdas series from Pramathesh Barua to SRK via Dilip Kumar can articulate the story of a voyage in film making better than any tomes on the history of the celluloid ever could.

And yet, decades later the same actor showed his fine mettle in an array of films. Whether he played the husband in the romance triangle of Gumrah, or the father in Mili or the aging grandfather in Satyakam, Ashok Kumar could always be depended upon to give a splendid performance.
Aside from the lead actor, the female counterparts in Afsana were endowed with a liberal dash of histrionic incapability. Then, came the bane of the 40s. The nasal tone. Watching this combination today, it is hard not to be amused by the scenes that were meant to be melancholic. When the small boy who grows to be Ashok Kumar is lost in a mela, or when he grows up to find his wife cheating on him; situations that could cull some empathy from the audience then, can merely garner a chuckle now.

Cut to the story. Twin brothers (played by Ashok Kumar and Dilip Kumar double roles in the original and remake respectively) get separated in childhood in a mela. The twins have a friend in a small girl (played by child artiste Tabassum) who in a precocious form of Sati Savitri-esque is devoted to one of the twins. To make recognition easier, there is the birth mark on only one of the brothers. The lost twin ends up as a judge (he has also lost his memory in the meantime so he doesn't know where he comes from and who is pining for him) while the twin at home is a rich businessman. Tabassum grows up to be the actress Veena (Sharmila Tagore in the remake), singing and playing melancholic music for her lost love (lost twin) while the twin at home nurses a soft corner for her. Fates change and the lost twin and the pining girl get to meet whereupon she recognizes him from his birth mark. Songs and tears later, amnesia finally leaves him but there is still the business of sorting out his other life where he has a wife. To make matters easy this is an unfaithful wife who is cheating behind his back with a friend. Eventually justice is served and the good twin gets the pining girl.

7 Comments:
Very nicely done again. Can I request a review on Half Ticket?
shreemoyee, you warm the cockles of my heart :-)))
will write on half ticket, if i can lay my hands on it.
I am going to link to this post on my blog, the 50s series is pretty interesting.
ninest123 12.16
louis vuitton handbags, ray ban sunglasses, longchamp outlet, prada outlet, uggs outlet, louis vuitton outlet, uggs outlet, ray ban sunglasses, michael kors outlet online, christian louboutin, tiffany jewelry, ralph lauren outlet, tiffany jewelry, oakley sunglasses, gucci handbags, uggs on sale, prada handbags, nike free, nike air max, christian louboutin, louboutin uk, nike outlet, oakley sunglasses, michael kors outlet, replica watches, tory burch outlet, longchamp bags, burberry factory outlet, louis vuitton, cheap oakley sunglasses, burberry outlet, louboutin shoes, michael kors, uggs on sale, ray ban sunglasses, nike air max, replica watches, cheap jordans, longchamp outlet, michael kors outlet online, oakley sunglasses, louis vuitton outlet, michael kors handbags, oakley sunglasses, louis vuitton outlet online, uggs on sale, michael kors outlet online, ralph lauren polo
nike tn pas cher, burberry pas cher, nike roshe run pas cher, coach outlet store online, michael kors outlet online, jordan pas cher, sac guess pas cher, new balance, nike roshe uk, michael kors uk, abercrombie and fitch, nike air max uk, hollister uk, michael kors, nike air max uk, coach purses, lunette ray ban pas cher, timberland pas cher, longchamp soldes, ray ban uk, vans pas cher, true religion outlet, north face uk, abercrombie and fitch UK, vanessa bruno pas cher, nike free, north face pas cher, polo ralph lauren uk, true religion outlet, lunette oakley pas cher, lululemon outlet, mulberry uk, longchamp pas cher, ralph lauren pas cher, nike trainers uk, michael kors, true religion outlet, nike air max, nike blazer pas cher, converse, replica handbags, louboutin pas cher, hermes pas cher, hogan sito ufficiale, polo lacoste pas cher, nike air max pas cher, true religion jeans, nike air force, nike free pas cher
timberland boots, insanity workout, iphone 6s cases, oakley, softball bats, babyliss pro, iphone 6s plus cases, hollister clothing, hermes handbags, salvatore ferragamo, louboutin, gucci, hollister, beats by dre, valentino shoes, abercrombie and fitch, herve leger, iphone 5s cases, wedding dresses, ray ban, soccer jerseys, polo ralph lauren, instyler ionic styler, mac cosmetics, iphone cases, new balance shoes, vans scarpe, nike air max, nfl jerseys, celine handbags, soccer shoes, bottega veneta, vans outlet, nike air max, s6 cases, ghd hair, north face outlet, giuseppe zanotti, mcm handbags, mont blanc, nike roshe run, p90x workout, chi flat iron, asics running shoes, iphone 6 cases, reebok outlet, lululemon outlet, iphone 6 plus cases, converse, north face outlet, ipad cases, jimmy choo outlet
sac louis vuitton, canada goose outlet, montre pas cher, louis vuitton uk, marc jacobs, juicy couture outlet, converse shoes outlet, sac louis vuitton, moncler, canada goose, moncler uk, moncler, moncler, canada goose jackets, canada goose, barbour, juicy couture outlet, moncler jackets, barbour jackets uk, moncler outlet, louis vuitton, replica watches, karen millen uk, moncler pas cher, moncler, ugg pas cher, pandora jewelry, ugg,uggs,uggs canada, supra shoes, hollister, swarovski uk, canada goose pas cher, links of london uk, pandora jewelry, lancel, doke & gabbana, canada goose jackets, thomas sabo uk, louis vuitton, canada goose uk, bottes ugg pas cher, canada goose outlet, coach outlet, pandora charms, swarovski jewelry, wedding dresses uk, ugg uk, toms shoes, pandora uk, ugg,ugg australia,ugg italia
ninest123 12.16
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home