Navrang

It is not a movie its poetry or Cultural Festival .Fully Entertaining...You will feel very Good after watching that movie.. Sandya Favt. Heroine of Shantaram was in full mode in that classic Movie Her Dances are the Highlight of the Movie. It is The best movie of Actor Mahipal who is famous in mythological movies. Music is the Soul of Navrang...C.Ramchander Give The Best Music... Watch it with your Family ...it highlights Eastern Culutre Music.

I first heard the music at my brother-in-lows house back in the late seventies, and thought it was very original. I have seen the newly re-mastered movie three times (in seven days) and I think the music has passed the test of time and is still exquisite. The story line is subtle and does not have the stereotypical endings of a Bollywood movie where everyone lives happily ever after. The dance sequences (long) are very colorful and superb (however one has to put the special effects in context and keep in mind that Navrang must have been one of the first color movies made in India).

Must see if you appreciate classical music and classical Indian dancing.

Wow. Whenever I find myself watching allegedly show stopping choreography in new Bollywood films which style themselves as fantasies, this sense of total boredom always creeps in at the sheer unimaginative nature of the dance routines. They're ubiquitous of course. Everyone prances about like their fresh from the Brian Rogers Dance Connection on Seaside Special, same kicks, same cutaways, the lot.

And then I saw Navrang on satellite. Wow. This is a truly fantastical film. It looks genuinely unearthly. The plot: 19th Century sage/poet/artistic type Divakar (Mahipal, looking uncannily like William L Petersen circa Manhunter)has lost his muse. This is a time of British Imperial rule (booo), but there's no overt agenda here. Its a simple story via which Divakar starts to be tormented by his artists' block. Which is where Sandhya comes in. In a dual role of his beloved and his muse she performs some gob smacking classically inspired pieces. There's this scene where she's performing a kathak (?) style routine, balancing about 10 water pots on her head, she even bends down whilst balancing them on her head (no strings). There's fantasy set pieces that are simply beautiful too, notably the piece where she's in the temple, and it morphs into a whole white-out room full of giant temple bells, each with a dancer on the ringer, swaying to the music. This is up there with the glorious surreal set designs of some of the Hollywood musicals of the 30's, and the Powwll & Pressburger film "The Red Shoes" in terms of real skill on display. they make it all look so simple too.

Navrang (1959) is directed by legendary director V. Shantaram and its really classic gem of Bollywood cinema. This movie should be remembered for its vivid use of color and its unique blend of fantasy, music, and social commentary. The story behind creation of this movie is also very interesting. V. Shantaram temporarily lost his eye sight due to an accident during his movie "Do Ankhein baarah Hath" when his eye patches removed first time, actress Sandhya decorated whole house with beautiful colours and paintings at that time V. Shantaram imagined this movie. Later Sandhya and V. Shantaram married each other in real life too and she never worked in any other director except V. Shantaram.

The story revolves around Diwakar during 18th century when Britisher were on path of slowly capturing Indian kingdoms. Diwakar was poet who immerses himself in his own fantasies and created character of Mohini, his imagined muse who mirrors his wife. This duality between reality and imagination is one of the film's most compelling elements, as it delves into themes of artistic obsession and conflict with real world. On one hand Diwakar's wife is a conservative woman who want live a traditional life, while his muse Mohini is a playful beautiful dancer and singer. Diwakar created various songs in imagination of Mohini and slowly he starts gaining recognition from society and his patronage king. But with passing time, his patronage king lost his kingdom to britisher and Diwakar lost his position as court poet due to his loyalty towards old king. This movie focuses on the time period when Indian artists were losing their position in Indian society and people were accepted western culture.

In Indian literature tradition there's a concept of "Kavi Prerna" and as per my understanding the main focus of this movie is to explain relationship between a Kavi Diwakar and his "Kavi Prerna". The concept of 'Kavi Prerna' in Indian literature is slightly different from concept of muse in greek drama, 'Kavi Prerna' is often in form of mythical characters like Gandharva, Yakshini or Apsara and Sandhya ji really justified her role in every form. Every song in this movie are movie is masterpiece of classical music and dance and the metaphor used while imagining Mohini are really beautiful, she's imagined like a bird in one song while like a apsara or Gandharva in other song. In famous Holi song 'Arre ja re hath nathkhat' she's imagined like a Ardhanari which can be considered one of the most difficult dance ever shown on screen. Anyone who has studied literature of Kalidasa can find some similarities between imagination of kalidasa's characters and imagination of Diwakar.

The film's hallmark is its stunning visual style, especially considering the use of Technicolor in Indian cinema at the time. V. Shantaram's direction brilliantly contrasts Diwakar's vivid, fantastical world with his drab, real-life circumstances. The dream sequences are filled with bright colors, elaborate sets, and striking choreography, which are still admired today. This movie is a visual treat for anyone interested in Indian dance and poetic traditions.

The music by C. Ramchandra is another highlight, with songs like "Aadha Hai Chandrama" and "Shyamal Shyamal Baran" becoming iconic. The lyrics, penned by Bharat Vyas, reflect the internal conflicts of the protagonist, making the soundtrack integral to the story's emotional depth.

However, Navrang may not appeal to all audiences and appeals to only those who have some understanding of classical literature and dance tradition. For anyone who appreciate art-house cinema with a poetic touch, Navrang offers a rich, thought-provoking experience.

Overall, Navrang is a bold, visually arresting film that challenges the boundaries of storytelling in Indian cinema. It's a must-watch for those interested in the evolution of Bollywood's artistic expressions, especially in the use of color and metaphor to explore the complexities of the human psyche.

Navrang (1959) : Brief Review -

Lyrical Elaboration of a Poet's Fantasy World with Outdated Storytelling. Navrang was a 2nd Super Hit in a row for V. Shantam after Masterpiece 'Do Aankhen Baraah Haath' (1957) and it also begins with an emotional video message from the Director explaining how did he find the idea. His one eye was hurt during the climax of scene of 'Do Aankhen Barah Haath' and he thought everything was over but then he found colorful insights of Human Life and made Navrang. The film is about a Poet and Singer who sees his beautiful wife in fantasy world and creates gem after another but in real life his wife is unhappy with him. He loses his job and wife both and blames himself but then everything returns back to normal by the end. Navrang doesn't offer anything in the writing and storytelling and both are outdated by far. The storytelling trails almost 15-20 years behind when rest of the Bollywood was fairly upgraded by 1959. I couldn't bear the outdated melodramatic presentation where you see Scenes are cut inaccurately, interruptions in BGM and those milky faces looking up above the sky while delivering dialogues. Somehow these mistakes were covered by Lyrical elaboration of Poetic scenes and Soulful Music. I don't need to tell you how popular Navrang songs are since release till today. Mahipal does that melodramatic part in his outdated style and Sandhya impresses with her Mind blowing Dance moves. Cinematography and Visual effects have been used correctly and that's the only part where film actually looks like an updated film of late 50s. V. Shantaram has made a decent film and comparatively it's below par to his previous Classic Do Aankhen Barah Haath. The real motive of the film never comes to the limelight and ends on an incomplete note. Navrang is hardly a one time watch film and that too if you really want to enjoy the music and lyrical explanation of poet's fantasy world which is far far away from realistic life, otherwise you can easily Skip it and watch any Full Proof Classic from golden 50s decade.

RATING - 6/10*

By - #samthebestest