Neel Kamal

Neel Kamal is based on the novel of the same title, written by Gulshan Nanda. Since I saw the movie first and read the novel later, I quite easily caught the deficiencies of direction of the movie because the story is very good and the author has penned the novel in such a manner that it is engrossing from the first page to the last page. That's why the movie seemed a bit disappointing to me.

The story revolves around the collegiate girl, Sita (Waheeda Rehman) who is not only a sleepwalker but also behaves strangely at times. Her troubles multifold when she is expelled from the college and the hostel because of her personality problem. Even after getting married to a suitable boy, Ram (Manoj Kumar) who had saved her life, her problem remains as it is, resulting into spoilage of her married life and her relationships in the in-laws' house. Finally the reason comes out in the form of a re-incarnation story as she was princess Neel Kamal in her previous birth and the soul of her lover Chitrasen (Raaj Kumar) who was a painter and was killed by the king because of his love for her, has been haunting her.

The novel has treated the plot quite nicely and has a tragic end with the mystery behind the sleepwalk and the strange behaviour of the leading lady maintained till the ending pages. The character of her lover in the previous birth is only mentioned to reveal the suspense. The character does not come vividly before the readers. However, in the movie, the story starts with him only, giving quite a long footage to him and his love for the princess Neel Kamal. And poor direction with the wrongly placed (excellent) songs, make the movie sucking for the viewers. The only thing that makes the audience to sit through the movie is the quality of the songs and good performance by Waheeda Rehman. Since there is no mystery for the audience as to why the leading lady sleepwalks and behaves strangely, the curiosity factor is missing. According to the taste of the Indian audience, the movie has been given a happy ending but before that the over the top scenes in the house of the heroine's in-laws take a heavy toll of the viewers.

Had the director stuck to the style of the novel in the screenplay of the movie, he might have succeeded in making a good movie in suspense-thriller style but in his bid to make it a social drama, he has badly faltered in his job and made a movie which is definitely boring in parts. It's a good example how an excellent plot, full of potential is wasted by an inefficient director.

The songs of the movie are excellent. In fact, it is the music of this movie which is its biggest plus point and the ultimate face saving grace. Ravi has composed melodious tunes for the outstanding lyrics of Saahir. It contains the immortal - Babul Ki Duaayen Leti Ja which you always listen to when a newly wed girl is seen off by her parents and other relatives. One more classic song of Mohd. Rafi - Tujhko Pukare Mera Pyaar is also there in the movie. One Ghazal sung by Asha Bhonsle - Ye Zindagi Jo Thi Ab Tak Teri Panaahon Mein and one Bhajan (devotional song) also sung by Asha only - Hey Rom Rom Mein Basne Wale Ram are also quite good. Two comedy songs - Aao Ni Sakhiyon, Aao Ni Adiyon and Khali Dabba Khali Bottle Le Le Mere Yaar are also good to listen as well as to see. But again, the placement of all these excellent songs is defective and most of them seem to block the flow of the narrative, making the watch a bit irksome for the viewer.

The story is very good and an experienced director would have made an interesting, suspenseful re-incarnation movie upon it. But Ram Maheshwari (the director) could not do the job as nicely as the author of the novel, Gulshan Nanda has done.

However, the movie is not to be brushed aside completely. It has its relief moments. Listening to (and watching) the songs is definitely pleasant. Performances are quite all right. Waheeda Rehman has delivered a praiseworthy performance in this female-centred movie and she had won the Filmfare award for the best actress too for her performance in this movie. Rest others including the two heroes, Raaj Kumar and Manoj Kumar, have done well. Technically also, the movie lives upto the standards.

Neel Kamal is for the audience of the social drama genre. I recommend it for those who like social dramas with melodious music. Since Gulshan Nanda has had a very large readership in his time, Neel Kamal will be liked by those also who have read his novel from which the plot of this movie has been taken.

Rating - 2.5 stars.

Starts off well, then it's a snooze fest. Spare yourself.

Neel Kamal (1968) : Brief Review -

Gothic horror meets aesthetic beauty in a flawed drama. Neel Kamal and Hamraaz-these two Raaj Kumar movies were hugely popular on TV. Those Doordarshan days used to premiere these two films, and from what I remember from my childhood, many people used to sit not to miss the beginning. The reason is the iconic song. Hamraaz has Neele Gagan Ke Tale, and Neel Kamal has Tujhko Pukare Mere Pyaar, and these two literally define the overall essence of the story. Neel Kamal has the gothic horror touch of an unsatisfied soul trying to win the love of his life in the modern era, while the regular Indian family soap comes to spoil it up to the flawed level. I wondered why Balraj Sahni would get this Bidaai song all of a sudden because almost every film had a similar situation but not this kind of a full-fledged song coming with some extra sentimental value. Babul Ki Duaaye is still the greatest Bidaai song ever filmed on the silver screen, but what I gather in the second half is that the song has actually got to do something with the torment Sita has to go through. That typical Saas Bahu punishments were soapy, but the song factually every single word of its existence during the Bidaai scene. The father was expecting her daughter to find happiness, but all she got was unhappiness. The sequences from the past featuring Neel Kamal and Chitrasen are testament to the aesthetic beauty of fiction connecting the dots of historical references. It was more like the male version of Anarkali, if you see. In modern times, it's Sita and Ram's love story, which is endangered by Raavan taking Sita with her (by hypnotising). At the end, love triumphs, but at both ends. That's the trick. The songs, art design, performances, haunting elements, and aesthetic beauty of the grandeur and narrative came together to lift a flawed drama.

RATING - 6.5/10*

By - #samthebestest.

For me, Ram Maheshwari's Neel Kamal is definitely a disappointment despite having several reasons to watch it. The film's story could have been used to a much greater extent, but the script is very faulty. Actually, Neel Kamal starts on a wonderful premise which could have been handled so much better than it ended up being, and apparently the writers did not have enough time to explore it more. The film is about Sita, a young woman who is thrown out of college when her principal finds out she sleepwalks at nights. Her worried father, who is told of her mental disorder, marries her to one young and wealthy man named Ram. The problems start when Sita enters his house as a bride. Her interaction with her mother and sister in-law is so poorly done. Actually, the film is supposed to be a sort of a fairytale, so I understand why some people forgive the flaws, but then again, this part of the film should have been more real. Instead it just gets more melodramatic with every scene and the dialogue is at times downright awful and clichéd.

Having said that, Neel Kamal is definitely not a bad film, and well, I still tried to see it as a fairytale. The sequences showing Sita sleepwalking at nights and going back in time to her previous life when she was known as Neel Kamal where she meets her past lover Chitrasen, are very well portrayed. Technically, the film is brilliant. The cinematography is stupendous, and along with the excellent production design, which includes detailed set decoration, captures the beauty of both present and past times. Some of the landscapes, particularly those shown in Sita's dreams, are breathtaking. In that sense, the film is a visual treat, but the editing is, sadly, tepid. The film is overly melodramatic, and the scenes in which the mother and sister in-law turn Sita into a housemaid is really done-to-death. I can't get why some Hindi filmmakers always have to victimise their heroines with such poor attempts just to draw pity. It can be done in so many other ways. The comic sequences involving Mehmood are even worse, and they just don't fit the film.

The film's main highlight is easily its leading lady. Waheeda Rahman is always good, so it's no surprise she is good in this one. She mostly manages to rise above the poor script, though there are moments when she is let down by it. Her presence is always commanding, she is beautiful and she once again shows how excellent she is as a dancer. Balraj Sahni, one of the greatest actors of Indian cinema, is also good but he too is given poor moments. Manoj Kumar is good but then he never registers the complexity of his role's conflicted feelings. Mehmood is his usual self, which is a compliment, and the two evil women - Lalita Pawar and Shashikala, are just excellent in their expected appearances. The music is quite good, but some songs are really whiny and annoying. Towards the end, the film gets really boring, and the underwhelming climax just makes things worse. Anyway, Neel Kamal does have its moments, it's beautifully shot, and it's worth a watch for Waheeda Rehman. This is reason enough for me to see it, but only once.