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Shabnam

1949 154’ b&w Hindi d/sc Bibhuti Mitra pc Filmistan st Helen Devi dial/lyr Qamar Jalalabadi c Marshall Braganza m S.D. Burman lp Dilip Kumar, Kamini Kaushal, Jeevan, Paro, Mubarak, Rajendar Singh, Harun, Shyama, Cuckoo

Filmistan’s musical hit also established the reputation of composer S.D. Burman. Heroine Shanti (Kaushal), her aged father and a young man, Manoj (Kumar), are refugees from the 1942 bombing of Rangoon on their way to Bengal. Shanti initially dresses as a man to avoid being molested. When Manoj discovers that she is a woman they fall in love, although he is ensnared by the charms of a gypsy girl (Paro). Shanti accepts shelter from a rich zamindar (Jeevan) who falls in love with her. She next encounters Manoj when the zamindar hosts a gypsy dance: he is part of the troupe but misunderstands her presence in the palace as a betrayal. The film includes the classic Shamshad Begum Yeh duniya roop ki chor, bachale mere babu.

Film