Baba Ramdev

aka Baba Ramdev Peer, aka Ramdev 1963 ?’ b&w Rajasthani d Manibhai Vyas pc Ranglok s Naval Mathur c Narottam m Shivram lp Mahipal, Anita Guha, Lalita Desai, Ratna, B.M. Vyas, Mohan Modi, Deepak, Madhumati, Dalda, Sarita

Rajasthani Saint film and mythological made by a Gujarati director known for mythologicals like Satyavan Savitri (1949) and Bhakta Tulsidas (1951). Featuring two of the most prominent Hindi stars associated with the genre, Mahipal and Guha, the film tells of Ramdev, a 13th C. Vaishnavite saint poet, unusually presented as a reincarnation of Vishnu (most Saint films usually emphasise the earthly origins of their subjects). Disgusted with his god when famine besets his kingdom, the king of Pokharan tries to commit suicide by jumping into the sea but he is placated by Vishnu who is reborn as the king’s son. A variety of genres are telescoped into this miracle-laden film as Ramdev rescues his future wife, the Princess Netal, from bandits, and then saves his sister from her mother-in-law’s tyranny. He also defeats the orthodox Yogiraj Kumbheshwar while espousing the cause of the lowest Untouchable castes.

Film