Dilli Ka Thug

"Dili Ka Thug" (Trickster of Delhi) is a movie revolving around Kishore (Kumar) who gambles and tricks people to make money. On being confronted by his mother, he decides to find a job and lands one in Mumbai, where he continues wooing Asha (Nutan). Kishore's father and his friend were murdered by a notorious Anantram who now wears a mask to hide his true identity and continues manufacturing spurious medicines and also passes as Nutan's uncle. The firm employing Kishore is run by Anantram and his two henchmen-Sevakram and Bihari. Anantram goes to murder Kishore in the hospital but drops his monocle which makes Iftekhar suspicious-he manages to take Anantram's fingerprints on SohanLal's wallet and figures out the truth. What follows is a dramatic air-borne sequence where Anantram is beaten by Kishore and shot by Nutan. Kishore manages to land the aeroplane after the pilots lose their consciousness...and as they say all's well that ends well.

The first half of the movie is slow and would have been a drag but for the presence of the inimitable Kishore Kumar. The director makes up for the first half in the latter half of the movie as the events unfold quickly before the story reaches its climax. One also gets to listen to some very memorable songs-a water ballet "ye bahar ye sama, ye jhoomti jawaniyan" and then "hum to mohabbat karega.." followed by "CAT.." showing Kishore doing his hilarious earth-shaking moves and then the beautiful duet "ye ratein ye mausam.."

Its like going back in time...only by 49 years and a sad realization that none of the actors who played a pivotal role in the movie are alive but their memory lingers on (other than the singer Asha Bhonsle) (Sanjeev Logani :-))

Dilli Ka Thug (1958) : Brief Review -

A comedy based on a serious issue that gives Kishore Kumar a chance to come out as a complete all-rounder. It came as a surprise to me that this movie is termed a comedy because the very first scene in this film is damn serious. The narrator speaks about the adulteration in the medical market and how it takes the lives of many innocent people, as well as how some people are earning money from it. Then it turns into an entertaining rom-com, and we enjoy it thoroughly. We can see several templates being made, such as when the hero gets involved in a scam and one of his close ones (a kid most of the time) loses his life. Now, he must find the real culprit, but then he has to take the blame on himself to save his mother and sister. You might have recognized this template from any other movie, so please remember that Dilli Ka Thug used it in the late 50s. Kishore Kumar plays the role of "Kishore Kumar." That's interesting. Sevakram would pronounce his name "Ashok." Again, I'd say, interesting (a good joke from his real life). Kishore can be seen donning many looks, many impersonating characters, and many accents. That was the real fun in the movie. Nutan looks absolutely gorgeous and plays a fine part. To point out the major flaw in their love story, Kishore says that he has known Asha for a long time (his mother also says the same in the end). But I didn't see any suvh part being explored here. These two share three evergreen romantic songs: Hum To Mohabbat Karega, CAT Cat and the iconic Yeh Raaten Yeh Mausam. A big thanks to music composer Ravi for that. The dialogues are somewhat funny, and the screenplay was good, except for those too many dramatic scenes in the climax. That plane landing and all that stuff lacked finesse. Overall, this S. D. Narang rom-com-drama makes for a good watch, with Kishore Kumar ruling the two-thirds of the film with his all-round performance (actor and singer).

RATING - 6.5/10*

By - #samthebestest.