Gunga Jumna

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Circumstances leading two brothers on the different sides of law has been a much contrived plot in Indian Movies, "Deewar," among the names to list. Well, "Gunga Jumna" is the predecessor in this theme. Given a rustic rural backdrop and Bhojpuri dialect, the film sparks in terms of art, storytelling, or performances. DIlip Kumar, Vaijyantimala, and Kanhaiyalal all make bravura performances. There are emotions and wit spread along, nuanced through the mesmerising cinematic frames the film creates. Abundance of songs and dances stretches the film a bit, but doesn't reduce the pleasure the film overall imparts. After "Mother India," it's a film which deserves to be archived for the pure Indianism the film tries to canvass.

Rating: 3 stars out of 4

This movie was a block buster when it got released in 1961. Dilip and Vyjanthi reached dizzy heights . This movie came in quick succession after "Madhumati" another mega hit starring the same pair Dilip - Vyjanthi.

Curiously and interestingly , I , a movie buff, missed out on watching this movie for so long, though I have a heard a lot about it. Somehow that did not happen so far. Thus in my mind a kind of mysterious aura got built around this movie , and this movie was high on my list of to be watched movies. This is the first time I watched this movie and my expectations were not totally belied. This movie is a trend setter of sorts because in my opinion it has the right amount of masala, melodrama and whatever else that defines a Bollywood masala. This trend continued well into seventies and eighties , and ensured a fail-safe formula for hits. For instance movies like Deewaar, Amar Akbar Anthony etc that defined Amitabh had essentially the same theme of two brothers on the opposite sides of law. One driven by circumstance takes to crime and the other again driven by similar circumstances takes the side of law and a clash becomes inevitable.

The movie is made very well, considering the fact that the resources available for making such movies in those days were very limited . The technical stuff of this movie is quite beyond it's times like photography , lighting effect etc.

The movie's background score by the legendary Naushad, absolutely blows your mind and adds to the thrill. Now coming to the acting part, Dilip is too good and plays the role of Ganga very realistically, sometimes though he tends to overact. The role of Jamuna is played fairly OK by Nasir Khan as I find his face lacking in expression sometimes. But somehow Nasir manages to lend a quiet dignity to his role. Vyjanthi scores , throughout the movie as her role as Dhanno also is tailor-made for histrionics. The pair Dilip- Vyjanthi really hit it off together. Direction by Nitin Bose is commendable.

One disconcerting aspect of the movie though are the songs. They pop up when least expected and least wanted. The songs are one too many and very distracting to the main plot. But others may have a different view altogether about this. The songs are by themselves are OK but bursting into the movie in the most unwelcome moments and junctures. Iam compelled to deduct a star on this count alone.

Well in one word : This movie defined the phrase " time pass masala " in Bollywood's context.

A superb movie directed by Nitin Bose and written & produced by Dilip Kumar himself. Those who have seen Deewar may not find anything new here. Dilip Kumar, Vaijayantimala, Anwar Hussain and Kanhaiyalal are first rate. Acting is not Nasir Khan's (Ayub Khan's father who plays Jamuna) cup of tea. He is there just because he is Dilip Kumar's real brother. Naushad Saheb's music is excellent with songs such as 1) Nain Lad Jayi Hain, 2) Do Hanson Ka Joda, 3) Dhoondho Dhoondho Re Sajana, 4) Na Manu3 Re Dagabaaz Tori and 5) Insaaf Ki Dagar Pe. The movie was nominated for 7 Filmfare awards in 1962 but could win 3 of them; Best Actress, Best Cinematography & Best Dialogues.

The songs in the film are part of the story. For instance the song 'dhoondho, dhoondho re sajna more kaan ka bala' is a sensuous one, that narrates how the heroine lost her virginity on the first night of her wedding. Take any of the songs, none are out of place, and all compliment their respective situations beautifully. They are shot, choreographed, and performed excellently. Camera work of the film is world class, and so is the sound design. Bollywood films of today, touted as technically superior, cannot match the sensibility and detailing of this one on various technical parameters. I wish we would have had more respect for our mainstream cinema and had not run down our cinematic tradition of using songs and dances and our lyrical romanticism.

Ganga Jumna is truly a world-class film and its characterization is real and the film represented its time and place more realistically than the Bollywood films of today that are seemingly set in India but have very little to do with Indian reality. It is a great entertainer and it also delivers important and relevant messages. This is one of the few films that even showcases that even dacoits followed certain moral code. In one of the scenes when Ganga hits Dhanno, the other dacoits castigate him for hitting a woman. Had the film been marketed well worldwide, it could have won the applause and approval of cinema lovers and aficianados all over the world for its cinematic qualities. While we are celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema, this film is worth our remembrance.