Udan Khatola

1955 151’ b&w Hindi d S.U. Sunny pc Sunny Art Prod. s Azmi Bazidpuri lyr Shakeel Badayuni c Jal Mistry m/p Naushad lp Dilip Kumar, Nimmi, Jeevan, T. Suryakumari, Agha, Nawab, Roopmala, Tuntun

Musical hit adapting Capra’s Lost Horizon (1937). An aeroplane crashes in the lost island of Shanga. Only Kashi (D. Kumar) is saved by Soni (Nimmi), the daughter of the peshwa, i.e. the minister. The two fall in love causing problems for her fiance Shangu (Jeevan). Kashi needs the queen’s (Suryakumari) permission to settle in the village but complications arise when the queen falls in love with him too. The queen manipulates a situation in which Soni is sacrificed (set to the song hit O door ke musafir), which is followed by the death of the hero as well. Produced by Naushad for the director’s company, it includes some of the composer’s famous songs: Mera salaam le ja and the two numbers sung by Lata Mangeshkar, Hamare dil se na jana and Duba tara ummeedonse chhut gaya. Dubbed in Tamil and released successfully as Vanaratham (1956) with new lyrics by Kambadasan.

Film