Dhool Ka Phool (1959) :
Brief Review -
Staggering debut for Yash Chopra in a socially and morally powerful and challenging movie. We all know Yash Chopra as a legendary Bollywood director but we hardly talk about his early movies, which I believe are much better than his post-80s flicks that are definitely overrated comparatively. Dhool Ka Phool is a dream debut for any director and I don't wonder why it was Yash Chopra who made his debut with such a socially challenging film. DKP is about sexual mistake, moral dishonesty, communal hatred, identity crisis, forgiveness and above all "humanity." It's difficult to believe that one single movie tackled with so many challenges subjects and came through as a winner, cinematically, morally, intellectually and dramatically. "Bachche nazayaz nahi hote judge sahab, maa baap hote hai." What a dialogue! Isn't it preserved in Bollywood's library yet? "Tu na Hindi banega na Musalman banega, insaan ki aulad hai insaan banega" has to be one of the most, no sorry, the most socially damaging and communally powerful song ever made in Bollywood, or for that matter, in Indian cinema. What a great album otherwise. There are several dialogues in the movie that hate you hard and I'd like to keep them in my library of best lines from Bollywood history. The protagonist, supposed to be an educated and sensible man, loses his nerve after a pre-marriage sex and loses his morality after marrying some other girl. The same man talks about "dignity"! Holy smoke! That has to be the best antagonising transformation of the lead actor ever! As per God's plans (as we assume, I mean), he loses his own child. In an earlier scene, he was bashing the boy as "Dharti ka Boj," not knowing that he was the one who brought that boj to Dharti. Mukhram Sharma, you beauty! That emotional send-off to the most noble character in the film, Abdul Chacha, was painful and intellectual. It has to be a Muslim character in a film led by Hindu characters. Who thinks out of the box like that? Yash Chopra, you genius! Hands down.
RATING - 8/10*
By - #samthebestest.
