दो आँखें बारह हाथ

I was indeed lucky to have seen this movie on big screen,that too in Japan. Do Aankhen Barah Haath, should be viewed keeping in mind that the movie was made in 1957, when melodrama played a huge part in acting (as opposed to say, a "Dil Chahta Hai" made recently).

The initial credits of DABH shows that the movie has been based on a real story..The movie, apart from being an extremely pleasant one (its optimistic tone and the chosen subject of reforming 6 hardened murderers into honest,non-violent farmers), shows a picture of the social milieu that covered India during the times the movie was made.

Some particular scenes really touched me , most predominant of which was when one of the convicts' mother , a frail old lady brings her grandchildren to meet her son. It was one of the most natural,real and effusive show of affection shown on the big screen, that I had seen, and the scene immediately made me remember the people in my grandfather's village.

V.Shantaram has used a simple screenplay without complex reactions to show the pathos and feelings experienced by the convicts. Still, certain scenes such as the one showing the Barber-convict requesting the Jailor to have a shave are very natural.

To put it in a nutshell, Do Aankhen Barah Haath is an extremely optimistic movie that can endure beyond eras and times.

The master piece of all times .Nothing more to add

I first saw this movie when I was just a little kid. I loved it then and I love it now. Do Aankhein Bara Haath is one the finest movies ever made. The plot is about an idealistic police officer who tries to rehabilitate 6 criminals and succeeds facing several problems during the course, The ending of the movie makes me cry each and every time. V Shantaram was a genius, and this movie is his masterpiece. A must watch for each and every human who needs to re-affirm his faith in the good of humanity. The song "Ae Malik tere bande hum", sung by Lata Mangeshwar(of course...who else?..there is no competition)is an evergreen track. The female lead in the movie, Sandhya has acted very well...and the lead Male, played b V. Shantaram himself is worth every penny of the money and time you spend on watching this movie.A definite must watch...no doubt about it!

In an attempt to reform a group of murderers a jail warden takes them to farm in a barren land. There they are free and earn their daily bread by learning to farm. Slowly they are integrated into the society.

Inspired by a true story, this film is a reflection of a new independent India. This film has great music and the songs are superb. Being a period piece it has some over the top moments. It also has one of the greatest shot where the warden is sitting on a cot and the murderers sitting in front of him with a pistol in between and a lullaby being sung in the background. This film deserves a watch for that moment alone.

During a phase of my life, I had a roommate who had used to sing "Ai malik tere bande hum" (O Lord, we're thy servants!) pretty often, and that was the only reason I watched this movie (the song was from this movie, he had told me!), when it was broadcast by Dordarshan, the National Television Channel of India, a few years later. And I must admit, it was a good movie. Sure, it had all those mandatory songs, but yet the songs didn't intrude into the movie, at least for an Indian such as I, used to heavy and endless dose of songs in movies.

To me, the most impressive point of this movie was its simple yet nice story (apparently based on a real-life incident), which was devoid of many so-called masalas (spices!)in spite of the era in which it was made (Compare Do Bigha Zamin for cheap sentimentality, for example) and yet executed well.

It's long-enduring impact can be seen from the spoof enacted by Annu Kapoor for a T.V. series (I don't remember its name, though) which used to be in Zee TV as recently as in 2003.