Gumrah

B.R. Chopra's 'Gumrah' has been remade umpteen times in Bollywood, each remake being more (melo)dramatic than its predecessor. The latest one is perhaps Dharmesh Darshan's 'Bewafaaa' (I forgot how many A's the title has) which was a disaster to say the least. The story of 'Gumrah' feels like a typical Bollywood family drama from the 60s.

That isn't necessarily a bad thing but the film gets much more interesting when Meena meets Rajendra after marriage and embarks on an affair with her ex-flame. This was quite a surprise for a film of its time when women were portrayed in stereotypical roles as the loyal and devoted wife, mother or sister who would never cross social boundaries.

Moreover Chopra depicts it quite well without resorting to clichés and he presents some interesting arguments, especially where Rajendra raises the question about whether Meena is only meant to be a caretaker of Ashok's children. However, Chopra's concluding argument is faulty. Is a woman's role only confined to being a homemaker and limited within her home? Granted that it was wrong of her to cheat on her husband but doesn't the husband have any responsibility and granting her the happiness she deserves, a happiness that was forced away when he tied the knot? In addition, the whole Shashikala track felt forced and awkward, changing the entire rhythm of the film.

'Gumrah' is technically well made. The cinematography captures the sense of space and gives us many eye-candy shots. The lighting is impressive. The songs are nice but repetitive.

All three actors deliver some stellar performances. Ashok Kumar is quite charming. However, his French is hilarious (was that intentional?). Sunil Dutt is brilliant as the boyfriend/other man. But 'Gumrah' belongs to Mala Sinha who not only superbly delivers a nuanced performance but very few of her contemporaries could have depicted the internal conflict and vulnerability as effectively as she has. Sinha remains underrated as the actress is hardly mentioned these days when one talks of classics.

Gumrah is one excellent film. B.R. Chopra is one director who is known for making mostly suspense thrillers cum courtroom dramas. Initially I thought the movie, which seemed to be more of a family drama, would be a departure from his usual fare, but then, just like with such films as Hamraaz, Chopra turned everything upside down to create another suspense thriller, this time a psychological one which really works. Gumrah is very well scripted and directed, and everything about it holds interest, whether it's the cinematography, the music, the characters or the performances.

Here we see Meena, a young woman who marries her recently-deceased sister's husband Ashok in order to raise her little niblings. In doing so she leaves behind her young boyfriend with whom she had been planning to tie the knot. After some time, she meets him again, and this brings to a renewed relationship, which is mostly based on friendship but is still done secretly with her husband knowing nothing about it. She herself considers this habit of meeting him unseemly, but when she regrets it, it's too late as she becomes subject to daily blackmail by a woman she has never met.

The story looks very Hindi-film-style on paper, but eventually turns out to be much more than that. This is mainly due to some very good writing and execution. The film lacks melodrama and looks throughly believable, which was the case with most of the 1960s classics. I loved the matter-of-fact way in which Chopra portrayed the relationship between Meena and Ashok - no bitterness, no tension, no estrangement - practically nothing which could be so convenient in a film like that. They may have married for odd reasons, but they have accepted it and now lead a natural way of life.

The second half of Gumrah is much stronger and more intriguing to watch than the first. While, as mentioned above, the beginning is more of a family drama, the second half is filled with a sort of moral suspense. It is however later on, with the entrance of a blackmailer who comes in the form of a young unknown woman named Lily, when the film turns into one intense and effective psychological thriller. This part of the film is handled with great success, being suitably confusing, chilling and disturbing, and highly watchable. It just keeps evoking uncertainty in the viewers' minds and there it scores.

Where acting goes, Gumrah is overall Mala Sinha's show, and she is plain excellent in a demanding part which requires her to work a lot with her inner self. Ashok Kumar is unsurprisingly brilliant in the role of the happy-go-lucky husband who is far more sophisticated than it seems to be. Sunil Dutt plays the tormented and disappointed lover exceedingly well. Shashikala, one of the best character actresses of the times, is damn awesome as Lily in a small role that makes the greatest impact in the film's last portion and is fundamental to making it work. She is both entertaining and unsettling.

Gumrah is overall an enjoyable and memorable Hindi film classic and it is one of B.R. Chopra's best. The music by Ravi is also quite wonderful. This film was the source for the recently-made film Bewafaa, a terrible movie which shamelessly copied this film without attribution, and expectedly without any success. You just have to watch Bewafaa to understand how good Gumrah is, but then, this movie is good on its own merit, and has a great repeat value.

This movie is the original source,which was later copied by Boney Kapoor as Bewafa.The movie is good but is depressing all the way.Sunil Dutt gives a good performance in the role which Akshay Kumar did,though he does not make a big impact since his coverage and shades are not very much.Ashok Kumar gives a gr8 performance in the role of a husband who is being cheated by his wife.Mala Sinha gives a gr8 performance in the role of an unfaithful wife who subsequently understands her mistake.The problem with the movie is that no one wants to see a simple man like Sunil Dutt acting as Emraan Hashmi of murder and making the girl cheat her husband,plus having no shades in his character.Shashikala gives an awesome performance in the role of a blackmailer and the role even won her an award.On the whole the movie is Okk but cannot be given 10 because of some depressing moments and miscast.

BR Chopra who is known for making classics has another classical thrilller under his name - Gumrah.

It looks like a romantic drama but the suspense in the movie will surprise you.

Gumrah is the story of Meena(Mala Sinha) who is in love with Rajendra(Sunil Dutt). Her sister Kamla(Nirupa Roy) dies and now for the sake of her sister's kid, she is married to Barrister Ashok(Ashok Kumar). Later Meena and Rajendra meets again and the story takes a turn and eventually becomes a thriller in the end.

The first half of the movie was plain, with only the music and story going flat. It's the second half where the movie scores and mainly the last half hour of the movie is a classic romantic thriller.

Mala Sinha excels in this movie and this can be called as a Mala Sinha's movie completely. Sunil Dutt is fine and does what a role demands of a tormented and frustrated lover. Ashok Kumar is charming and looks good in his role.

The story may seems very flat on a paper but its the execution and the performance that sets the film apart and makes this a great watch.

BR Chopra is commpletely in top form in the second half and this film is one of his best directorial movie.

Music is another strong point of the movie and all the songs are completely soulful and evergreen.

Gumrah (1963) : Brief Review -

"Casablanca" (from a woman's point of view) multiplied by "Nadiyan Ke Paar" with some abrasive and interlocking conflicts in a love triangle. A romantic drama like Casablanca comes once in a century, and whatever is similar to it always gets down by the comparison. Rick makes a choice for both Elsa and her husband and becomes a cult character, but have we ever thought about the same ending from a woman's point of view? Maybe not because women's cultures are very different in foreign countries. However, that woman's point of view becomes very important in India because here, any woman having an extramarital affair is not acceptable. There is another memorable drama called Nadiyan Ke Paar, in which the woman is forced to marry her dead sister's husband because their kid is very fond of her. Gumrah came almost 2 decades before that film and 2 decades after Casablanca to find multiplication of both movies. Here, the girl is married to her brother-in-law, while NKP ends before that. Like Casablanca, the woman faces her boyfriend again and starts seeing him, keeping her husband in the dark. That's totally fair until the woman has decided what to do with her life. The interlocking of these two films fits perfectly, but the second half just doesn't fit well. Those conflicts are too dramatic and unacceptable. The woman can't make her mind up; she is totally confused, even after 2 years of marriage. I couldn't figure out why they didn't have a kid of their own by now, and most importantly, that blackmail part completely disturbed the momentum. At the end, instead of Rick, it's Elsa who makes her choice but is driven by Victor. That's forceful only to get that "happy ending" and "and they lived happily thereafter" correct. That's what sets Casablanca apart from any romantic drama or love triangle ever made in world cinema. Gumrah is more about getting an astray woman back on track than letting her know her mistakes. Somehow it ends with the Indian zone, and that's enough.

RATING - 6/10*

By - #samthebestest.