Cinema
Barsaat Ki Raat
बरसात की रात
P. L. Santoshi · 1960
Synopsis
Aman Hyderabadi, a penniless Urdu poet, lodges with the qawwal Mubarak Ali, whose elder daughter loves him in silence. Back in Hyderabad to write ghazals for the radio, he shelters one stormy night under a blacksmith's veranda, where a drenched young woman joins him. She is Shabnam, the police commissioner's daughter, who keeps his poems at her bedside; hearing him sing on the radio the story of that night, she realises who she met. But her father despises poets and intends her for a judge's son.
Context
The film was written by the director and its lead actor, Bharat Bhushan, from a story by Rafi Ajmeri, with dialogue by Sarshar Sailani. The producer R. Chandra, Bharat Bhushan's elder brother, wanted to reuse the tune of a qawwali by the Pakistanis Fateh Ali Khan and Mubarak Ali Khan, with their agreement: Khayyam refused and left the film, Roshan replaced him and Sahir Ludhianvi wrote the lyrics. The final contest lasts between twelve and fifteen minutes depending on the sources. The film was released on 9 December 1960.
Who it is for
Two hours twenty minutes in Hindustani, with no French release; the plot matters less than the poetry and the music.
Prizes and reception
The second biggest hit of 1960; its songs topped the charts and the film has become a cult work, praised for Madhubala and for its music.
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